Wonders of Stowmarket - No.5 - Street Furniture In order to have a Regeneration Project, you must first have De-Generation. To create the latter condition, the main street of Stowmarket was festooned with assorted hardware, apparently to stop cars parking there. The effect resembles the sort of obstacles placed on beaches to deter landing craft.

Ten years later, the same body who put it all there - Mid Suffolk D.C - are proposing to "regenerate" the town by removing it. Maybe they can install it in Needham Market, although car parking is not deterred there, as it is in fact free.

What goes around comes around. Regeneration looks to be a good career path round here these days.  ¶ 1:58 AM 1 comments

  Wonders of Stowmarket - No.4 - The Brick Circle A bold example of avant-garde design, this conversation piece in the centre of town is indeed a wonder.

Beloved seat for hordes of teenagers and pensioners alike, this architectural tour de force demonstrates versatility as an evening repository for cigarette ends, chewing gum and take-away detritus, and has provided a convenient place for the alcoholically incontinent on more than one occasion.  ¶ 1:53 AM 0 comments

  Wonders of Stowmarket - No.3 - The Leisure Centre Proof positive that Local Government has a lot to learn about real-life economics, this venue has been very well supported over the years but never made money.

At least the Council have admitted their lack of competence in this discipline by getting outside bodies to operate it, hopefully at a profit.  ¶ 1:50 AM 0 comments

  Wonders of Stowmarket - No.2 - The Shadow of the Maltings Thrown up a few feet from the traditional layout of the Maltings Entertainment complex, this building is clearly an exercise in establishing how much light you can legally (or illegally) take away from existing premises without incurring the attention of the Chief Planning (sic) Officer.

In which case, it has succeeded, and has had the additional disbenefit of blighting the whole zone with what looks like the back of a small football stadium.  ¶ 1:36 AM 0 comments

  Wonders of Stowmarket - No.1 - The Aldi Store Perhaps loosely inspired by some of the more barbaric temples of human sacrifice, this is a real minger in anyone's eyes - except, presumably the area's Chief Planning Officer,

Apparently rearing up on a plinth of black plastic bags punctured to accommodate a motley collection of weeds, the store is hopelessly out of scale and sympathy with its surrounds.

Of course, with Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Solar all within a stone's throw, we really needed another supermarket.  ¶ 1:28 AM 1 comments