Musicmusik

Stumbled across this website today. It contains links and various info about the teams looking to redevelop the Market Place/Car Park/Gap Site area and it promises to give future updates as well. It feels like Christmas morning as a kid all over again. Hopefully the type when you get what you hinted at for months and not what your Mam thought was good! https://bedlingtondesigncompetition.wordpress.com/

I must have poor attention to detail as I had never noticed the green button whereas the star rating seemed familiar to me without ever intriguing me in the slightest. Well I suppose you learn something new everyday. I shall now be scouring the forum for topics and posts that are worthy of such exalted status!

If Bruce was English he would have probaby been called 'The Gaffer'. I'm a big fan, apart from the Seeger Sessions stuff and the documentary programs are always great. The Darkness programme for fans is must see.

I wandered into the library yesterday afternoon as I was eager to see the plans for the Market Place. It was very crowded and very noisy and I couldn't hear myself think. How this was supposed to be an enviroment to meet officials and have a chat was beyond me. There were a few display boards for the public to see but nothing concrete in terms of future plans. I hoped there would be some options laid out with clear suggestions for the future. There was nothing new if you have followed this story for a while. Maybe I missed some wonderful revelations because I didn't hang about very long. A rather aggitated official looking gentlemen was stating to some members of the public that it was "A myth that Arch are only interested in building houses." I hope the future proves him right but whenever you see mention of then Market Place future, homes and town centre living keep rearing their ugly heads. My bet is we get a Poundland in Tesco's (Retail option ticked) with a bike stand (Leisure option ticked) surrounded by mass housing. I know I sound cynical but they have earned it.

It seems my varnish tactic was very much amateur hour compared to some of the machiavelian masterminds who inhabit these forums!

I used to dip the conkers in varnish. It seemed like a fool proof method of achieving conker world domination. Problem was that there was no conker safe enough from the fool (me) and as much as I tried I never seemed to get beyond a tenser. A tenser being a conker that had achieved 10 glorious wins for all the philistines out there. So sadly I never joined the British sporting elite but I had plenty of fun trying. Well apart from when my mates used to take massive swings trying to shatter my varnish infused masterpiece and used to whack me over the knuckles with their conker!

It feels like Christmas is coming! Of course you don't always get what you want on Christmas morning.

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything about the Lions Garage Showroom being converted into a store.

Tescos closed in April and the site was sold around Julyish. I would have thought that although plans don't come together overnight, we would have heard something as we head into October. It's been nearly 3 months and no members of the public seem to have been consulted. If consultation is followed by plans and then planning permission and then the inevitable planning protest and then building work, we may have something by 2020. So please get a move on. I seem to recall a couple of months ago that the plans would included leisure, retail and homes and that they wanted to revitalise the Market Place and they would encourage town centre living. So a lot more housing it seems with a bit of retail and a smidgeon of leisure. Homes, homes, homes........ nothing changes.

Any idea when the new Co-op opens at the Ridge Farm. It's a bit of a hike from my place but because of the lack of shopping options, it's one I shall make.

With the residents of Bedlington about to be served by a second food supermarket (the Co-op), I am sure the powers that be sense no urgency to get cracking on developing the Market Place and doing something positive with the location. If the Lidl plans get green lighted then I suspect the gap site will be put into cold storage until the inevitable 2028 Bedlington Olympic bid which will be heartbreakingly denied at the last second by the Minister of Sport Ian Lavery confirming Ashington being the selected host.

I have a couple of laptops. One runs Windows 7 and the other Windows 8.1. I upgraded the 8.1 laptop to Windows 10 and am happy with the result as I was never keen on 8.1. I have just left the Windows 7 laptop alone though and will decide in the coming months if I will upgrade that one. So thumbs up so far for Windows 10.

I originally joined this site to try and find out some information on what was happening with Tesco's and thought my best chance was a local forum. Needless to say a forum is only as good as the people who use it and I was happy to find that the users of this site are a well balanced knowledgable group who have the towns best interests at heart. Everyone seems to share the same frustrations about Bedlington's issues but its wonderful to see that the towns strong points are highlighted. What may appear at first minor improvements like flower planting, railing paintings and new seats do improve the town and these have been rightly flagged up for praise. Hopefully potential investment will arrive and everyone who has done their bit for the town should feel proud. There are parts of Bedlington that depending on where you stand are pretty and picturesque. ( I don't recommend facing Tesco's, the gap site or Elliotts garage.)

Thanks for the info. I just got confused, not for the first time, that there is still a for sale sign on the building.

I know that Tesco's are not flavour of the month in Bedlington but does anybody know what's happening with the properties that they own in the Market Place. Back in May it was stated that "The agreement to purchase the properties is in principle and subject to both Tesco and Arch board approval in June and the sale is expected to be completed by the beginning of July." Now unless my calendar reading skills are misguided, we are now in August and yet the Tesco property still has a for sale sign attached. Has the deal for Arch to purchase the land fallen apart? Hopefully not but its Bedlington so we can't rule anything out.