Lib Dems would cancel multi-storey car park and build surgery at Old River Lane
Our vision for the Old River Lane site is a home for a large, state-of-the-art medical centre.
This would be large enough to accommodate both present town-centre GP practices, with space for their ancillary staff such as practice nurses, blood-taking nurses, chiropodists, counsellors, physiotherapists and pharmacists.
The council would own this centre and lease it out to the practices. There would be scope for expansion if needed.
The new centre would not be designed to cause closure of the satellite surgeries at Thorley Park, Bishop’s Park and Herts & Essex Hospital, as these provide useful choices for patients, and appointments there often involve less travelling.
We would ensure that buses would come around the Causeway/Link Road and stop at the existing bus stops so that it would often be possible to visit the centre by bus rather than always using a car.
We would put the plans for a 500-seat theatre on hold until we had carried out full research with theatre companies and agents as to the viability of this project.
We would like definite evidence that theatre companies would be willing to come to Bishop’s Stortford before we would proceed with spending £30m of council taxpayers' money on what could be a white elephant.
If such evidence is not forthcoming, we would take legal advice about withdrawing from the contracts which the Conservatives may have signed already. If possible, we would withdraw, and we would scrap the project for this big theatre.
We would not proceed with the six-storey car park at Northgate End, but we would continue the financial support for Rhodes Arts Complex.
If space allows, we would like to create a little town square, where there would be no traffic, but a tranquil seating area – with benches, trees, flowering shrubs and possibly a fountain – where people could sit, rest and talk.
We would keep the existing car park as it is, with possibly one more deck on top, and another, smaller parking area beside the medical centre, with a drop-off section and disabled spaces. All pavements would be wide, with dropped kerbs at crossing points. These plans would make much better use of the allocated £30m.
We would not wish to create any competition to the existing main shopping street or market, but it might be possible to accommodate one small café or coffee shop on this Old River Lane site.
We would not wish to provide anything which would threaten the viability of existing shops, restaurants, coffee shops and other community facilities.
We would seek to provide “something different”, which would enhance the amenities and attraction of the town.