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Ramsey's decline continues


BallaDoc

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Unfortunately, the Isle of Man Government seem to completely misunderstand the meaning of the word Regeneration. Paving 200 metres of road in cheap granite and road bumps, accompanied by a couple of new benches is not going to regenerate the place. I've yet to hear anyone say to me "Oh I know, let's go to Ramsey today because they have a nice bench outside the old Courthouse."

 

Sorry but that's not correct. Central gubmint are a little limited in what they can do. The buildings are all privately owned and the only thing they could do was give the road etc a bit of a makeover. They've also installed proper crossing points for wheelchair users, which double up as speed bumps. I don't have an opinion on Market Square but it doesn't seem to have been as apocalyptic as some made out. I can get through it easily enough and the odd occasion when I've needed to, I've found a parking space.

 

I suppose the alternative could have been to leave as was and give the fund to the property owners by way of improvement grants or loans. I'm not so sure about that however and given the comments about property owners in this thread, it seems they're all a load of greedy barstewards. The street improvements seem to have been the only real option.

 

 

Real generation can only really happen if the largest employer on the island, the government, was to allocate more jobs island wide. That would ease the roads and also give the Dandarland generation somewhere nearer their homes to work.

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As I said before, Ramsey had a buzz as a shopping destination in the 70s/80s, later replicated at Tynwald Mills.

 

It could get it back, but it will need a bit of imagination, and needs to gain a reputation for specialist shops.

 

There are still some market towns in England which have not got the multiple 'identikit' town centres and Ramsey is in that category. It just needs someone with vision to make it financially attractive to specialist shopkeepers and to market the whole town.

 

That is your mission Mission.....

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Ramsey missed a massive trick when Hemmings was looking to develop in the town. That could have incorporated a Marina with a little buit of foresight but the usual "who shouts loudest and longest" people like Wilf Young ensured he probably just couldn't be arsed in the end. Once in a generation type opportunity.

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.............might have worked IF they had just used the old river and put PROPER lock gates between the swing bridge and the shipyard and used lock gates similar to Padstow and St Helier. Flap gates are ridiculous and high maintenance, just check the actual costs if you can find them, including constant dredging of the depression the gates flap down into............

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Great positive post, Mission. A happy new year to you!!

 

I like Ramsey. Not sure about the new road layout to be honest, and there are still parts that could do with sprucing up a bit, but you have so much there for the size of the town. Plenty of places in the UK five times the size without half of the amenities. And to top it all you have the jewel that is Mooragh Park, a model of how municipal parks everywhere should be tended.

Does anybody know why they seem to have started cutting the palm trees down in the park? 😟

 

ETA there's at least one outwardly healthy one been dropped this week. Are they not protected in some way?

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Ramsey marina wouldn't have worked, it would have silted up quicker than Peel.

That was a problem that could have been managed.

 

However, too many backward facing idiots preventing progress put an end to that sort of thing.

 

Marinas in the real world are rarely built at a river outlet. It's a fundamental design consideration.

 

In the book MARINAS FOR Dummies, I believe it is on the first page.

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Mooragh Park is a great facility to have, but I am concerned about the botched repairs to the ornamental brickwork on the paths round the lake. When the bricks deteriorate, instead of replacing them with new bricks they fill the gap with concrete. They have done this in several places.

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Mooragh Park is a great facility to have, but I am concerned about the botched repairs to the ornamental brickwork on the paths round the lake. When the bricks deteriorate, instead of replacing them with new bricks they fill the gap with concrete. They have done this in several places.

 

might be due to being unable to get the same brick?

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