As much as Stroud faces the same challenges of all towns, it is a relatively vibrant hub during the day. The farmer’s market draws large crowds on Saturdays and while the rest of the week isn’t as busy, there are always people about.
Unfortunately, evenings haven’t felt so vibrant. Often, even on a Saturday night, the streets can feel quite empty.
While there is a balance to be struck in ensuring residents aren’t unduly disturbed I can’t help but feel that we could do more to make the town centre better. Until about six months ago there were very few dining options.
This has been rectified with the openings of Peanuts Deli, Juliet and Daikoku Ramen and with extended hours at the Five Valleys shopping centre.
Sitting along existing options like Sorentos and the Curry Houses on Gloucester Road we now have a much better selection. Similarly new bar openings like Holy Water and the King Street development on the site of the former M&S department store will provide more drinking options in addition to the Queen Vic, Town owl Taphouse, Galgos Latino, The Retreat, Brodys, the Lord John and Golden Fleece.
We have some great venues in the town. The Subscription Rooms are often full throughout the week and SVA and the Cotswold Playhouse bring their own crowds as well but could we do more to promote what they have on to those outside the town?
What else could we do? A few things I would like to see.
- Better public transport links between Brimscombe, the town centre and Ebley. The recent addition of a late bus from Stroud Brewery back into town on weekends is welcome and further initiatives of this type should be considered so that people can move between these key eating and entertaining hubs. It should be entirely possible for example to have dinner in town and then go to the Longtable or Studio 18 and then return later in the evening.
- Similarly, better late-night train links between Stroud, Gloucester and Cheltenham. I think we could attract many people from neighbouring towns and vice versa if they could get back after events at the Subscription Rooms or after a meal.
- Better taxi coverage. Particularly after midnight it’s incredibly difficult to get a cab from Brimscombe to town making a late night either difficult. Uber seems to be coming more into the area but it would be great to see more taxi services in the areas offering a post-midnight service as well.
- More lighting on the canals. If these walks felt safer at night I’m sure more people would use them to get into and out of town.
- Better promotion of what is available. The Chamber of Commerce have recently produced a leaflet for visitors to highlight what is available in the town at night – this information is crucial in a town which has winding streets and where specific venues can be hard to find. Similarly, Good on Paper does a great job of highlighting events but needs funding to ensure it is available throughout the district to bring more visitors in.
- Better use of the Subscription Rooms forecourt in the summer. In many European towns in the summer there is live music and big sporting occasions televised on the streets. Could we do more to provide a focal point and keep people in town? Another option would be making more use of the pedestrianised area on King Street on the weekend.
All of this must be balanced with the needs of residents but I can’t help but feel that we aren’t being ambitious enough in creating vibrancy in the town once night falls. To do so would make people happier, bring money into the local economy and ensure our town thrives. What changes would you like to see to make our town more vibrant in the evenings? Do leave your thoughts in the comments below or drop me a line…
Tom Berry is chair of the Stroud Chamber of Commerce and Trade and owner of independent record shop Sound Records.
