More shopping or lots more action?

WHAT kind of city centre do we want? A cheap 'n' cheerful, friendly sort of place, with fairgrounds and bouncy castles for the kids and homespun entertainment from the likes of morris dancers, buskers and the occasional summer brass band concert?

Or a chic, upmarket city centre, dominated by posh shops, pavement cafes and cultural events, that seeks to compete with Edinburgh and Florence rather than Sheffield's Meadowhall?

Or a bit of both?

That is one of the issues York's new £50,000-a-year city centre supremo is going to have to address when he or she takes up post in June.

The new chief executive's remit appears to be to galvanise York city centre, and to come up with a vision for the way to take it forward.

Nobody has even been appointed yet, so it is clearly far too early to draw conclusions about the direction in which York centre is heading.

But the possible axing of the popular fairground which traditionally sets up shop in Parliament Street at Christmas and in the summer may well provide a clue.

City bosses are keen to stress that no decision over the fairground's future has been taken yet.

But the Evening Press understands that the fairground would normally have been booked for the summer by now. That booking has been put on hold for the time being amid claims some retailers find the fairground "too tacky".

Labour councillor for Acomb ward Brian Watson fears it may be the beginning of another assault on old, friendly, traditional York.

He doesn't see why anything needs to change. "York is famous for its old face," he said. "And I don't think there is anything wrong with the city centre as it is.

"We've got everything going on there already that attracts the public and provides enjoyment for the kids - buskers, brass band concerts, morris dancers, the chess board." Plus, of course, for four weeks in summer and seven weeks during Christmas, the fairground.

One of the arguments for axing the fairground, at least in summer, is that it would free up Parliament Street for the four weeks of August to be used for other purposes - more concerts or even "living history" re-enactments, for example.

Isn't four weeks a little too long to allow the street to be dominated by a single attraction?

No, says Coun Watson: "It is four weeks of enjoyment. I'm a bit choked, to be honest. They say nothing has been decided yet, but what they mean is nothing has been rubber stamped yet. And I don't think we want to stand for much more of old York going in this way."

The new chief executive's job will be about much more than deciding whether the fairground in Parliament Street should go or stay, of course.

He (or she) will be responsible for co-ordinating the efforts of everybody involved in making the city centre what it is - from street cleaners and tourist information officers to shopkeepers and transport managers - to make it a livelier, more interesting place.

But part of the job will, almost certainly, involve coming up with a long-term vision for what kind of place the city centre should be.

Because not everybody agrees with Coun Watson that all in the city centre is as it should be.

A recent survey in which York ranked 19th out of 20 as a shopping destination among UK towns and cities with big-name stores revealed that all is far from well.

So how to put things right?

Adam Sinclair, owner of Mulberry Hall and chairman of York Business Pride, believes York should be more aspirational, seeking to attract quality new shops and upmarket brands rather than trying to compete with Leeds and Sheffield in the number of bog-standard chain stores the city has to offer.

"We need to be competing with Cambridge and Edinburgh and Florence, not Leeds and Sheffield," he said.

Not much room in that upmarket vision for fairgrounds and bouncy castles, by the sound of it.

"It is about increasing quality," said Mr Sinclair. "It doesn't have to be totally focused on markets and fun fairs."

Although events such as the food and drink festival certainly get his thumbs up - as do the occasional continental and farmers' markets. "They enhance the quality of the area."

Tourism Bureau boss Gillian Cruddas agrees that something needs to be done to improve what York city centre has to offer.

"There is tremendous competition from other city centres now," she says. "Visitors are becoming increasingly demanding, and expect good quality shops and entertainment, and a clean, safe environment." In particular, visitors expected something different, she said - something that no other city could offer. Such as?

More specialist markets, more festivals such as the Roman and Viking festivals, more outdoor concerts in the city centre in the summer and a livelier scene in the evening, for starters. And bouncy castles in Parliament Street?

"They are popular with families, but they don't always fit with the expectations of visitors."

Council leader Steve Galloway is reluctant to be drawn on how he sees the future of the city centre unfolding. It will be for the new chief executive to come up with ideas, he says. These can then be put out to the people of York for consultation.

But what kind of thing would he like to see?

"We have a marvellous city with a wealth of history," he said. "Perhaps we don't celebrate that history quite as well as we ought to." One possibility, therefore, would be to use Parliament Street for 'living history' events and performances that gave a taster for visitors of upcoming festivals or ongoing attractions at local museums such as Jorvik or the National Railway Museum.

The event in Coppergate over the Easter weekend, in which a Viking longship was 'moored' in the square and visitors could dig for Viking artefacts in imported sand was a good example of the kind of thing that may be possible, he said.

One thing is sure: whatever vision is decided on for the future of the city centre, not everyone is going to agree.

The new city centre chief executive will have a tough job. But they have one crucial advantage. The post is funded by a range of organisations, including Yorkshire Forward, the city council and local businesses.

That means whoever gets the job will enjoy a good deal of independence, says Brian Littlejohn, manager of York's Marks and Spencer. "This person will be able to work towards the best needs of the city centre and not have to play to any political tune or business bias," he said. "It is an independent role, working for the city." Good luck to them!

Views from street level:

IT was farmers' market day in Parliament Street yesterday.

Among the appetising fares on offer: locally made jams, honeys and cheeses - plus exotic delights like quarter-pound ostrich burgers and venison steaks.

Just the kind of market fare that York should be offering in the city centre, said Richard Spurr, in York for the weekend from his home near Wakefield.

"It is very nice," he said. "I think there should be a permanent market like this, perhaps three or four days a week.

"I visit York quite regularly, but I haven't seen anything like this for ages."

He agreed that a fairground probably wasn't right for the city centre. "I know there is nothing really for the kids. But they don't want to be here, anyway," he said. "They want to be out in the fields."

Sylvia and Geoffrey Watson, from Leeds, were equally enthusiastic about the farmers' market. "It smells very enticing," said Mr Watson, as he passed the ostrich-burger stand.

The Watsons thought a fairground "probably OK" at Christmas as something for children to enjoy - but not during the rest of the year. More specialist markets would be Sylvia's prescription.

"Something so that visitors can come and look around and see something a bit different," she said. Plus proper brass band concerts in the summer. "They are English, they are Yorkshire, and they draw people," she said.

Chris Fynes, from York, and his Brazilian girlfriend Lorrayne Paiva, pictured left, agreed something needed to be done to liven up the city centre.

Chris, who plays in a band, said he would like to see more live music.

And there definitely needed to be more happening in the city centre at night, added Lorrayne.

"In Brazil, we always have something going on in the evening."

Market traders in Jubbergate, meanwhile, had their own simple answer for revitalising the city centre.

Reduce city centre parking charges - and move the traders' market back into Parliament Street permanently.

Then add decent street entertainment, says Ian Ward, who runs a mobile phone stall.

"They could look at music festivals. Maybe a folk festival, a jazz festival, a classical festival.

Music will always bring people in."

Updated: 09:09 Wednesday, March 30, 2005