Re-Designing the Durham Marketplace

As a part of Durham's 2020 Vision project, they are thinking about (and probably will be) re-designing the Marketplace. Apparently the council have allocated £5.2 million for this project which extends from Fowlers Yard on the west side of the peninsula to the east side of the peninsula. The aim is to make the Marketplace more spacious, more up-to-date, and  to repave and increase the lighting of the vennels.

www.durhamcityvision.co.uk/page/708 Visit this link to access the proposed ideas.

The Marketplace has been the central hub of the city for hundreds of years. It is lined by several listed buildings such as the Guild Hall and St. Nicholas' Church. The market is the hub of all the pedestrian traffic in the city, it is the place all the tourists go to first even if only on their way to Palace Green. With all the shops and sites, it is essentially the heart of Durham.

There has been considerable controversy over the proposals. Indeed, there is even a facebook group! Shock Horror! www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=68561121207&ref=nf  They are complaining that everything will be ripped down. On the contrary, the council are not changing any of the buildings, and are proposing only to move the statues. Everything else is quite minor.

I am not one for change, generally... And I like the Marketplace, generally... But I have to say, after reviewing all the several Mb pdf files on the Durham Vision website, I think they're onto something.

So this is what the council wants to do:

First, they want to move the two statues: The Marquis of Londonderry statue up to the top of Silver street, and the Neptune to in front of St. Nicholas' Church. I think this will increase the usable area of the market, and will allow the re-design of the pedestrian and traffic thoroughfares and event spaces.

They want to repave the market and all the vennels with new sandstone or granite. Fair enough. I think repaving and opening up the vennels is a great idea. OK, a lot of people like the cobbles in the market, but I would rather the entire area by repaved with nice stone than what we currently have, which is cobbles and stones, patched with ugly tarmac. They also want to deal with the slope of the marketplace by creating some curved steps in the pedestrian area, and making the main central bit completely level. As long as it's done well, I cannot complain, and having a large level central area will increase the functionality of the area.

New lighting. As long as the lamps they install are in keeping with the medieval character of the market, again, with this I have no qualms. I also think by adding new lighting to the vennels, they will increase their functionality greatly.

New benches and signs. Again, as long as they are keeping in character, fine. Signs for instance should be brushed antique brass instead of plastic...

I sent the council my thoughts, begging them to please keep everything in character. I can see them really butchering this, but I can also see it considerably improving the Marketplace. To be honest, I think it looks a bit grubby at the moment and can do with a revamp.