UNIMAGINATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO MORECAMBE'S FUTURE
Posted 9/1/05

Dear Editor

Well done Chas Ambler for speaking up about the 'regeneration plans' for the West End of Morecambe (read his article here).
They once again demonstrate that locally we are governed by one of the most unimaginative and narrow thinking council's in the country.
For some reason LCC and its consultants believe that the former guest houses and hotels in the resort cause most of its ills having been turned into houses of multiple occupany filled with people on benefits. Their Lilliputian logic follows that by sending in the bulldozers to knock these properties down, it will solve many of the area's problems.
This is classic municipal myopia.

Go to any former run down urban area that has enjoyed a 'renaissance' and find out which type of property is now most sought after. Believe it or not places like Notting Hill and Didsbury in Manchester were once considered very down market but now their large Victorian properties are highly desirable. Urban Splash's Tom Bloxham has described Morecambe as potentially the 'Brighton of the North' but visit Brighton and where do most people want to live? Yep, in beautiful apartments in the big former guest houses near the sea front. Ask yourself, will this type of renaissance ever happen in Morecambe if they've replaced the big old houses with the type of vapid, anodyne housing you find in new estates across the land? You might as well re-name the resort Slough-on-Sea.

Can I suggest that before another few million pounds are poured into 'regenerating' Morecambe only for it to get no better (or in some cases worse) the council be bold, forward-looking and imaginative and consider the following ideas.

1) Encourage more asylum seekers to move Morecambe.
Before I get a barrage of 'outrage' from the British National Party and it's blue-rinsed UKIP acolytes hear me out. Find a street in Morecambe with lots of empty shops (err, that's most of them) invite say Chinese asylum seekers to move here and set up businesses and restaurants rate free for five years. In fact, give them start-up business grants as well, stick a decorative pagoda at one end of the street and you've got yourself a mini China town. It's got to be better than picking cockles and I bet you the area will flourish far better than any agency or council-led initiative.

2) Declare Morecambe a council tax free zone (for all proven artists and craftspeople who relocate to the resort)
It's easily administered and will give the resort a distinct and progressive reputation. It's a policy that worked a treat in Ireland, which now has many artistic communities that are flourishing and boosting the wider economy. Think about it, take a look across the Bay. What is Morecambe if not a continual source of inspiration for artists! It's an inexpensive idea too. If the scheme attracted say 300 creatives - that's only £300,000 in lost council tax revenues - cheap as chips in terms of regeneration money.

3) Declare Morecambe a 'slow town'
Make it the first town in the UK to sign up to this 'enlightened' philosophy of local development which originated in Italy and is now ascribed to by more than 100 towns and cities across Europe. Resist crass commericalisation, enhance and support the resort's inherent strengths and unique features (it's Art Deco period style, it's bird watching appeal, it's suitability for cycling and walking, etc) Put it this way, if Morecambe was a slow town and the City Council wanted to turn large sections of the promenade into something like perhaps, a big car park, they would be politely told to go away and keep taking the tablets. OK, they've already done that, but if a developer were to come along and say we want to build a discount supermarket right on the seafront they would be told to go away and keep taking the tablets. OK they've already done that. You see what I mean - make Morecambe a slow town now before it's too late!

4) Declare Morecambe the festival capital of the north.
Bring on the punks, bring on the Goths, bring on the Scooter boys and mods, bring on the line dancers, the Elvis impersonators, the gay bikers on acid...any colourful minority who wants a party...let them have it here in Morecambe.

I'm sure there's loads more good ideas but if I go on I'll have to invoice LCC for a £5,000 consultancy fee.

I'm going to conclude by getting a bit sentimental (why not, Morecambe's great, I went there on holiday as a kid and loved it)

Metaphorically, Morecambe's a bit like an old lady who's been mugged and fallen on hard times. Lots of people who claim to want the best for her only pick her pockets or pinch the family silver (mostly those people who say they'll do anything for Morecambe)

Now it seems the authorities want to carry out risky major surgery that's likely to finish her off or leave her on a life support machine with an opiate dependancy.

Maybe the eccentric old girl just needs a reason to live and some tender loving care.

Call off the bulldozers! Stop the municipal vandalism!

yours

Derek al Zarahri

FEEDING THE OLD LADY
Published 11/1/05

Dear Editor

The 'Old lady who's been mugged and fallen on hard times' needs feeding.

I was delighted to read some creative, original thinking on the future of Morecambe in Derek al Zarahri's recent and well-argued letter. I like his ideas, which focus on the creative opportunities, rather than greed-driven, PFI profiteering. I do hope his proposals will generate some positive debate -- particularly among the people of Morecambe and in the City and County Council chambers.

So let me start by picking up on and add some ideas to his fourth point: 'Festival Capital of the North'.

As a foodie, I was particularly struck by his notion of generating a 'Chinatown'. Such a thought is inconceivable without food. The prospect of decent Chinese and Oriental cuisine (and I do not mean more takeaways) will no doubt appeal to many in the immediate area who enjoy good food and, properly handled and marketed, could attract business from a much wider area.

But why not take this notion further? This could be only one part of a 'food capital' initiative for the area. The Lancaster and Morecambe area does not have many really first-rate, distinctive restaurants, and for really good food one has to travel to the Lakes or to the Preston hinterland and beyond.

This is a shame, because the all the resources are here already. The sheer quantity, range, quality and variety of locally-grown produce in this area make up a real asset not found in many parts of the UK. We have farmers' markets (though there is no really decent local bakery, wine merchant or delicatessen), and the logical thing to do with good local foodstuffs it to cook it locally too.

But why stop at Chinese and local cuisines? Let's have more choice (as most of the political parties are advocating nowadays) and, building on the recent Diversity Festival, continue the celebration of our local diversities by, say, encouraging our local Polish and Bangladeshi communities to open restaurants in Morecambe. There aren't many Polish restaurants north of Watford!

And let's keep going. The Scandinavian, South African, Greek, Irish and Portuguese culinary traditions are some ideas that spring to mind -- anything, in fact, that is different from the ubiquitous American, Tex-Mex and Italian restaurants that can be seen nearly everywhere in Britain. Cheap and nasty cafés are a thing of the past.

Tax breaks and enterprise investment are effective stimuli. There are success stories across the UK: Bradford and Birmingham for curries, Leeds, Manchester and Brighton for top-class restaurants as part of urban regeneration. It need not cost the earth: the very best 'gastropubs' and smaller cafe-bars need not charge a fortune (see this national Guardian story for a recent, local example - registration required). Look, too, at The Gregson's reasonably-priced menu.

Tempt people with good food, and they will come and do other things in our area. This would fit well with Derek al Zarahri's notions of an arts community and a 'slow city'. Morecambe and Lancaster can do very good Festivals -- these could be another important ingredient in the wider recipe.

The Midland project would be an ideal staring point for the 'culinary capital'. There is no shortage of suitable properties - just count the former hotels, boarded-up shops and run-down cafes. The 'plant' is already there.

There should not be a single new building development or fast-food outlet permitted. Nor any international chains. They are not part of Derek al Zarahri's ideas, nor my thinking either.

These plans for regeneration are based around things that people enjoy doing, and are good at, are distinctive and er, FUN. Yes, unashamed FUN. That can stand as the main incentive. We have the infrastructure, we have the talents hereabouts -- do not doubt that! -- and the net result will be visitors, income and a revived -- and refreshed! -- community. Ironically, ideas such as these follow Morecambe's historical roots in the tradition of hospitality, entertainment and tourism - and put them an exciting contemporary context.

I am feeling hungry already...

Best wishes to Derek al Zarahri and his ideas,

Michael Nunn
PS Can I have a slice of the consultancy fee please?

SOCIAL CLEANSING IN THE WEST END
Published 20/1/05
Dear Editor
Whose side is the council on?
The city council aims to "improve" Morecambe by knocking down the houses of undesirable types (presumably to encourage a better class of resident). I know the English used this method to "improve" Ireland in the 19th century,
but I thought it had fallen out of fashion after Hitler gave it a bad name in Eastern Europe.

Just who are the council "improving" Morecambe for? It can't be the residents, or they wouldn't be wanting them to leave. Surely the council has a duty to all its local residents, not just the ones it likes the look of.
By this logic, we could improve hospital efficiency no end if we kept out all the ill people, and schools would be much easier to run if they only accepted well-educated children.
Ken Walton