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Rank: Horsham Forum Kingpin
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Lexana (29/09/2007)
Thanks for the welcome dotnetwebs, ive been lurking on here for a few weeks now ,so i'm not very new.  I was surprised their was so much in the county times about the swans, i thought i was just being sentimental but alot of people feel the same as me. The health and safety issue appears to be fiction. Yes there are three full, highly condensed, pages of letters, emails and text messages published in the County Times this week. All of them reflect the sentiment that has been expressed in the forum so far and not a single one has even the remotest support for the idea. To be honest I am amazed that the Owners of Swan Walk did not predict this reaction. I am also surprised that the County Times also initially took a very ‘neutral’ stance on this issue. I think this decision could have wider-reaching consequences for Horsham Shopping. Several of the letters reflect one of the opinions I have already expressed. e.g. Mr A Little says ”Swan Walk will revert to a featureless boring small town shopping mall of which there are hundreds around the county”. Many of the people I know who shop in Horsham Town Centre regularly are proud of their town and given the choice between shopping in Horsham and shopping elsewhere will choose Horsham out of loyalty to ‘their’ town. They like the fact that Horsham has a high number of independent shops and many features that are unique to Horsham. People visiting are often impressed by the uniqueness of the town that offers something different from your run-of-the-mill shopping mall. As much as Horsham Town Centre regular shoppers love ‘their’ town I am sure that we they would all admit that other nearby town centres have a wider range of ‘mainstream’ shops and services. If we take away all the unique and independent bits of Horsham what will remain will be a cut down version of what is on offer nearby. If this is allowed to happen what incentive will ‘loyal’ Horsham shoppers have to continue shopping in Horsham? One of the letters in the County Times already carries an ominous warning of this changing sentiment. Mrs Short says “I really don’t know what this town is coming to. We must be thankful that Crawley’s County Mall is not to far away". it is clear from the letters in the County Times that surrounding the swans by an eating area was never a popular move in the first place. One solution to this and the current ‘swans' problem (that I have independently heard from several people and also occurs in some of the letters in the County Times) is the following: 1. Move BB’s to the vacant restaurant space opposite Wilkinson’s. If the area was refurbished perhaps other businesses could be added creating a ‘food court’ at that end of the mall. This would also have the added bonus of increasing passing traffic to what is currently the quieter section of Swan Walk. 2. Leave the Swans in position but do whatever is necessary to remove the alleged health and safety ‘risk’. Either drain them or erect a simple low-level barrier, it can’t be that difficult!
--------------------www.visithorsham.co.uk | www.virtualhorsham.co.uk
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Rank: Horsham Forum Senior
 
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I agree with everyone on this forum. Leave the swans where they belong. Drain them if really necessary.
Twinkle
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Rank: Horsham Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 02 October 2007
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I've just had word that the swans have been removed already- from my step brother who took a photo but has no means to upload it as he's going away imminently I've no proof- but you'll find out for yourselves soon enough, I can't believe it's gone so fast- and health and safety issues? Pardon me but I don't consider BB's to be in a safe location, its surprising no one (at least to my knowledge) has had hot coffee spilt on them when passing through past the counter. It makes me wonder that it's a setup, it's more of a hazard now that BB's are there- the fountain was hardly a safety issue then before BBs, not saying that it really is now.
I reckon it's BB's and their want for more seating capacity, lets see how long it takes them to fill the gap.
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Rank: Horsham Forum Kingpin
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| I was in Swan walk at lunchtime today (sunday) and the swans were still there. I did notice on the boards surrounding the swans that someone had written on "Save Our Swans", and it had been roughly removed , I guess by the centre management. Gives you some idea of how people feel about such a well known landmark. Today would present them with a good opportunity to move them as the shops close at 4 pm and don't re-open until 9.30 tomorrow.This is the longest time that centre is shut all week. I will be waiting to see how long that space is free......
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Rank: Horsham Forum Newbie
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Here's a picture of the swans being loaded up onto a vehicle.
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Rank: Horsham Forum Kingpin
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| A very sad sight. Small minded people have won the day.But they had to do it on the quiet and against a huge swell of public opinion. If this is only to do with "environmental and health" issues then I do not believe it. This is to do with one issue only.....MONEY. I hope that Swan Walk management suffer the shame that they deserve in the Press.
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Rank: Horsham Forum Junior
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