From Richard H
Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Broughton Street - quite simply is a disgrace.

I lived there for the first twelve years of my life, and then lived in the near vicinity till I was 20 before moving away.

Recently I “came home” after about 15 years away and decided to go and have a look at my old haunts. To say I was horrified was an understatement.

The amount of general rubbish that makes both sides of the pavements unpassable is unbelievable. Surely the residents know that if there is an accident due to junk outside their house they will be liable for the public liability payment??

Also, how do they get away with this with the local council?
Surely they know and have seen this.

I remember when tourists used to come to take pictures of “our street” because of the unique back-to-back design. Now they would be taking pictures for a very different reason.

I’d like to make two suggestions

One – The Hebden Royd council demand a clean up to make both pavements passable – supply a bin to be used for this.

Two – Limit the amount of “foliage” grown at the side to 1-2 plants per house and not a forest. Old sinks belong in one place - the tip not on the pavement.

Also on closer inspection Victoria road and Foster lane should be treated the same way.

Put a stop to this now, clean it up before it becomes an even bigger eye sore.

From Tom Standfield
Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Broughton Street is one of my favourite streets in Hebden Bridge. OK it's not all neat pretty with steps washed every morning. But it's colourful. When I am in that part of Hebden, I could walk along Victoria Road or Foster Lane but nearly always choose to walk through Broughton Street.

I love the washing, the plants, the bikes and the atmosphere. The greenery outside the front of the houses is really attractive and colourful in spring and summer. And actually, twenty years ago there was even more than there is now.

What is a problem for all of us who live in terraced houses without gardens is all the junk Calderdale make us leave outside our houses for recycling. These boxes really clutter up the streets far more than sinks full of plants. Couldn't we have communal areas where we could leave stuff for recycling?

So give Broughton Street a recycling corner - not stone cleaned gentrification.

From Richard H
Friday, 13 November 2009

Tom, I tend to disagree with you wholeheatedly. I lived in the near vicinity during the time frame you mention and categorically tell you it was nowhere near the disgrace it is today.

The pavements were accessible – not now.
The foliage was under control – not now.
There was no general rubbish – not now.

I walked along Victoria road yesterday, it was littered with general rubbish and actually had to pull my son away before he stood on broken glass on the footpath.

Just disgraceful, and I’m generally sorry to say it.

As for your comments regarding a recycle corner??
Why give Broughton Street preferential treatment over other streets? It should be the resident’s duty and pride to keep the upkeep of the street but, it seems that there is no pride there anymore.

I remember the street parties, the “running round the block” through plastic paddling pools in the summer and the very well kept daily swept doorsteps.

A plea to the residents of Broughton Street, “clean up your street, start to take some pride in your street and love the street like the people did in the 70s and 80s."

From Graham Barker
Friday, 13 November 2009

Like Tom, I think Broughton Street is very pleasant - much more so than other stretches of pavement I could mention, where some residents seem to assume that the whole width is theirs to use as storage.

Tom identifies one problem - the amount of pavement clutter generated by Calderdale’s waste collection shambles. In aesthetic terms alone this is having a major detrimental effect. I’d like to see the sort of communal system used in parts of France and Spain - plentiful on-street skips that are emptied every two or three days. Waste isn’t left festering and is much easier to collect. The trade-off is a regular short walk to dispose of household waste.

Another likely factor though is that families can’t now afford to move or disperse as easily as they could. This means a rise in home occupancy, which means more pressure on internal space. When you have no private external space, the pavement may be your only option - though I’m with Richard in that this is no excuse for a lack of consideration for passers-by.

Perhaps if we’re going to have another ‘tourism is good’ onslaught, help to create tidier streets and pavements is something to put on the agenda.

From Paul D
Wednesday, 18 November 2009

I think Broughton Street captures the essence of Hebden and maybe a bit of grit mixed in. It hasn't been gentrified, the houses aren't really desired by too many yuppies, it's sometimes noisy, sometimes messy - great stuff.

I almost bought a house there for 8 grand but was pursuaded by Mr. Jolly (in the old corner shop) that it was too much. Living on Victoria Road our kitchen window was underground and light came in via a grille onto Broughton Street's pavement. It was common for kids to pee down the grate and depending on their gender, the volume of liquid discharged and their sense of mischief and/or direction, they could sometimes hit the kitchen sink.

Lovely place, lovely people - exactly those being forced out by our ethnic cleansing council and it's desire to turn us into a theme park.

From Sutti N
Thursday, 19 November 2009

I must admit to agree with you 100% Richard H. I used to live in the area and have seen some of these streets. I think it started in the early 80's, the odd plant pot then the very odd chimney pot, then the kitchen sink. Is 2010 the year of the crapper??

I can remember in the 60'/70's when everybody cleaned their pavements and the old lady's next door. We didn't wait for the council to do it, we didn't expect anybody else to do it.
We could go AWOL and end up playing at Fairfield or Dodd Naze, these were also clean tidy places, they even had gardens to grow plants. Every now and then whilst playing we might not just behave in the right manner, our parents would know about the problems before we got home. Now that to me is community. Lets have some respect for the streets. I wish Sainsburys and Mr Oliver would have taken the time to look at the real Hebden Bridge instead of the false square.

From Richard Holden
Tuesday, 24 November 2009

I think the issue is here is this “the essence of Hebden Bridge”.
I’m sorry but Hebden is a very different place to what we knew back in the 70s and 80s.

We hear a lot on this web site about the lack of affordable housing in Hebden Bridge and that is because HB has changed.

It is no longer a haven for hippies and transients but becoming a fairly trendy mid point to Leeds and Manchester where people with cash are coming to set up home.

Like it or not that’s the way it is and is only going to get worse.

I still maintain that Broughton Street, Foster Lane and Victoria Lane are a disgrace and really they are the last remaining bastion of hippydom that HB has.

Residents that make these street pavements unpassable should be punished by the local councils.

If they want a garden go up the road to the once pristine Delph. Now a haven for want to be gardeners that seems to have taken over the once “private” allotments and turned it into yet another mess.

Come on Residents of the 3 worse streets in HB, have some respect for your street like I and the likes of Sutti did and clear up your junk.

From Zilla Brown
Thursday, 26 November 2009

Oh come on, where's the famous Hebden "liberality"? Are there street snoopers about? It seems now that anyone who doesn't strictly conform to some people's ideas of tidyness or belongs to an earlier generation of Hebden "trendiness" is now fair game for pot shots to be made at them.

Like Paul D I too enjoy the informality of these streets. They are bustling and full of life. Long may they remain so. Live and let live for goodness sake.

From Tom Standfield
Thursday, 26 November 2009

Walking along Victoria Road, I see they have now knocked down the two old mills. I couldn't help reflecting upon the coincidence that this sudden concern about tidyness of our back to back Victorian terraced houses comes just as they ready to build a whole load of new houses on these plots.

Could someone be worried that the more colourful neighbourhood of Broughton Street, Foster Lane and Victoria Road (Windsor Road?) might just affect the prices of the proposed new houses, houses which will undoubtedly be too expensive for our children to afford.

From Jim S
Thursday, 26 November 2009

What a lot of hot air! and such a waste of life time. Broughton street is fantastic. I Lived on Windsor View for 2 years (another ace street) I loved walking down Broughton Street on my way into town and back. I'm not sure I go for the conspiracy theory (but nothing would suprise me), really guys use your energy doing something that requires it.

From Dave Hanson
Friday, 27 November 2009

Some of the issues raised in this thread are very interesting.
Richard H has highlighted a problem which Calderdale Council already have plans in place to combat.

A close friend and employee of the council has previously highlighted a policy to make pavements clear and safe for people to walk down without obstruction.

The initiative to start next spring will target streets such as Broughton street and basically issue residents with a 7 day notice "clear to the curb" or have the offending items removed.
It looks like the days of neat terraced houses on tidy streets will be returning!

From Fred Stein
Friday, 27 November 2009

Quote;- "The initiative to start next spring will target streets such as Broughton street and basically issue residents with a 7 day notice "clear to the curb" or have the offending items removed.
It looks like the days of neat terraced houses on tidy streets will be returning!"

So what about all the recycling paraphernalia? No room for it in most houses so it has to go on the kerb! - any enforcement re clearing the kerb will probably result in lower recycling rates

From Richard Holden
Tuesday, 1 December 2009

May I ask here, was it not the ideals of “hippies” and “greenies” that we recycle?

The essence of HB was a greener outlook on life – No plastic bags for example….

Now we have the needs and means to recycle your not happy…
I think we need to take a look around and see that it’s not just the pots and sinks that are the eye-sore but general junk too, the broken glass etc.

On what Dave Hanson has stated here thank God for the local council making the stance!!! The only thing that bothers me is that why are the tax payers having to fork out for this… Local residence put it their, make it their responsibility to clear it up too.

As for the mills that have been knocked down – great I say, yes it will help house prices around the surrounding area and gets rid of two eye-sores in the process.

From Penny T
Tuesday, 1 December 2009

I lived on Victoria Road until last year, when we decided to move out. We had had enough.

It is not fair to judge people who leave boxes/bins/ plant pots etc outside on the pavement until you have lived in one of these houses. I can honestly say that we had our curtains drawn 95% of the time we lived there because of how you feel when a pedestrian walks by and glances in at you in your PJs watching TV. Market days and Weekends were worse when Victoria Road was clogged with cars displaced by the market. Once a woman parked infront of my window and had a telephone conversation using her car's bluetooth speakers. I could hear the other person talking so clearly, it was as if he was in my living room.

By putting a bench/recycling bin/flowerpot infront of my window and obstructing the footpath, it made people walk on the other side of the road, and made me a little more comfortable, and i felt more secure in the property.

I am glad the old mill and office are gone. They were a magnet for antisocial behaviour. in my last year on Victoria Rd i called the police 5 times after kids were breaking in and setting alarms off, or smashing windows, or busting water pipes or trying to break into cars parked in front of the mill. The last straw for me was the night kids decided to burn out a stolen car between the old mill and office. The look of fear on my partners face as the petrol tank exploded told me we needed to move. fast.

so before people judge others for trying to claim a patch of pavement outside their door, perhaps think why they are so keen to have their own defensible space.

We decided to move to Sowerby Bridge, where our neighbours have been welcoming and friendly, there are no action groups sticking their opinions on a leaflet through my door, and they have lovely coloured christmas street lamps

From Sutti N
Thursday, 3 December 2009

I am sorry Penny but I am a bit fed up but not surprised with your reply.

Did you not view the property before moving in? Did you not pass the market by vehicle or on foot? And the reply about the factories, well wouldn't it be nice for these to be producing something? It reminds me of an outspoken person that used to live on Victoria Rd. Once he had lived there for a few months he started complaining about vehicle movements to and from the factories. I asked him if the factories were there when he viewed the propery.

What would these people do when at 12 noon on a Friday 3 or 4pm people would leave work from these factories. They would walk on scrubbed clear pavements and look through squeeky clean windows. They may even pop into Bells or Suthers shop.

Some of these things have changed with the times, but like I was told years ago soap and water don't cost owt so when the local council is offering money to local groups to "spring clean" why don't the people of Victoria Rd, Broughton St, Foster Ln,Windson Rd, View, Unity St etc take part and tidy these dumps up?

From Richard B
Friday, 4 December 2009

Is it fair for those living in one part of the town, to criticise how those in another part of the town choose to live? Isn't it entirely reasonable for the residents of Broughton Street to decide for themselves how it should look and be maintained?

Personally speaking, I would be more likely to criticise Hebweb here for allowing a contributor to publicly describe the homes of others in the town as 'dumps'. This is not only obscene, mean spirited and untrue, but it's a sad indictment of the kind of problem which the gentrification of the town has brought. Problems which have been encouraged here by publishing such a nasty comment.

From Felicity Potter
Saturday, 5 December 2009

All honour to the women who used to keep their pavements spotless, but apart from a few diehards we don't any longer have the smoky chimneys that turned the streets, walls and curtains black and made it necessary. I've always used the rule of thumb that even in "the good old days" pavements were blocked to the width of a dustbin - but that usually leaves room for pedestrians even when the outer side is blocked with parked cars. So I have plant holders that are narrower than a dustbin.

As a pedestrian, I'm not getting any younger and I do find it difficult if people have stuff on the pavements beyond this width, especially if I'm carrying shopping, or dragging a suitcase on wheels to the station. I imagine people with buggies have the same problem. If you can't use the pavement, you usually have to get down the kerb, go round a parked car, and then get back on the pavement the other side. People who drive everywhere probably wouldn't think of this.

There are other pavement-blocking problems going on elsewhere of course - pavement signs for shops and cafes, and bods stood fumbling for change at parking meters with their car doors open. I usually end up walking in the road outside the parked cars down Hangingroyd Lane and Old Gate on my way to work.

From Sutti N
Monday, 7 December 2009

I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding Richard B. I would never comment on a persons home, it is their decision how they live. I feel I can comment on the public streets. At one time a person was keeping chickens on Broughton Steet. It was some time ago but I think there should be a line drawn somewhere.

Again Felicity the good old days you mention where different, not better or worse. The dustbins you mentioned were carried from the cellars on bin days, then returned to the damp cellars with the coal.
People undersood they lived in a different landscape to other places in the UK and didn't have the luxury of a garden. It is a classic example of a person visiting HB then comming to live here because they like the place, then changing it.

Please lets have some spring cleaning. a bit of soap and water will remove the green on the pavements and lets all be good custodians of the streets of Hebden Bridge.

From Sarah A
Monday, 7 December 2009

Broughten Street, Victoria road, Windsor Road and that whole area in Hebden is definitely my favorite area to walk through because of all the interesting houses and pavements. Why does it matter that the pavements are blocked on Broughten Street anyway becouse i I very, very rarely see cars drive down there. I love the atmostphere you get on these streets and especialy in the summer they are a lovely place to be. Much better than boring 'clean' generic houses with no personality.

From Rick Holden
Friday, 18 December 2009

Sarah A

So please tell me what the plentiful old people and disabled people of the area are supposed to do when trying to walk in these streets?

My Father is now disabled. What is he supposed to do when walking along the already overcrowded Foster Lane, walk on the road?

Your comments are really un-thought out and very poor.

Clear the streets and make them accessible

From Jimmy W
Monday, 22 February 2010

Well I love Hebden and think Broughton Street is a lovely little number with bags of character all over the pavements.

As far as walking on the pavement goes, I think that this is rather petty. People should probably try and start enjoying the finer things in life rather than worrying about missing out on a bit of pavement. I would understand if it was next to any sort of busy road, or a road with through traffic, but pretty much any car on that street is about to park or just setting off. Therefore the little cars you get on the road are driving very slowly. It also feels polite to not walk directly past someones window where possible. There is not much room inbetween a car and a kerbside box and feels slightly intrusive. I live on Crimsworth Terrace. We all have a pavement outside the house but it is not practical for people to walk on - they walk on the road. This is not a problem! It is slightly different on Broughton Street I admit, but on Crimsworth you actually get fast cars driving past. This is all fine though, just as Broughton Street is.

Lets not make it look sterile, conformist and boring that is not “the essence of Hebden Bridge”. If that's what you're looking for then maybe somewhere like Clitheroe should be be on the cards? I am sorry to say this but if you don't like the place you live in the traditional thing to do is move. But saying that we are British, so you go ahead complain first.

I always loved Broughton Street. But thank you Richard for making me appreciate it much more by pointing out that there are not many streets left like this one and they should be cherished.

Oh and how could I forget Sutti N. Thankyou very much for the 2010 crapper idea. That beauty is down to me, I have actually spotted another in a skip so things are looking up for Broughton! Bring the chickens back, that sounds amazing, shame I missed that one - very quirky, very Hebden.

From Kat W
Saturday, 27 March 2010

Hi. My family and I are moving into Broughton Street in mid April, any advice or comments people?