HONK! Still care about the Hythe?
Course you do, Comrades.
Which is why it is GREAT news that the Hythe Town to Port project is continuing to grow with a second phase consultation taking place this Saturday.
You may remember how the architectural group dp-q has been set the challenge by our friends from Colchester Borough Council to come up with an imaginative way to get more folk exploring (and spending) around the forgotten corner of Sunny Colch.
You need a theme; you need an incentive. You need something that makes the walk along the muddy banks of the Colne appealing for folk that sit outside of the dog walking demographic.
Easy, Bonzo.
Juliet from dp-q explains:
“Our brief is to connect Colchester with the Hythe, but also to think about the other direction as well with Wivenhoe and Rowhedge. We want to help to make the Hythe a destination place where people go for a walk or a bike ride. This will hopefully help to strengthen the identity of the Hythe, attract new people into the area and ultimately be the first step towards regeneration.”
A second part of the consultation between the design team and local residents has now been announced for this Saturday. Starting off at the Station Cafe by the Hythe between 11am – 1pm, Juliet and her colleagues will be canvassing the thoughts of any interested residents.
The afternoon will end between midday and 2pm at the splendour of the Light Ship, the crowning jewel in the Hythe’s cultural heritage.
The idea is simple: talk to folk about what routes and attractions that they would like to see around the Hythe. If all else fails then mince pies are being offered up as a possible incentive.
Work for the Town to Port project has been impressive since the first informal get together back at the end of October. The online mapping project is growing; there is also plenty of crossover and shared aims with the Hythe Forward project.
And so what would make your walks down by the muddy banks more appealing?
Funding is available. A suggestion of a new footbridge probably won’t quite reach that far with the finances.
Ideas?
You can follow the project on twitter @ShowmeHythe.
