Out with the old and in with the new...
2016 was another year of growth as The Crescent began to fill
LAST YEAR’S review was all about construction work, new beginnings and regeneration of the town.
And that is pretty much the same for 2016 although perhaps on a smaller scale.
The Crescent opened to the public on November 4 2015 when Sainsbury’s started trading.
The locally owned independent bar Elbow Room followed soon after while Cineworld opened on December 4 just in time for the new Star Wars movie and Christmas.
2016 has seen a steady stream of further openings in The Crescent which included Simply Gym, TK Maxx, Poundland, GHM!, Burger King, Costa Coffee, Prezzo, Loungers, Rosini, Wed2b, Superdrug, Fab Noodles, Mobility & Lifestyle and Select. Meatcure is set to open early in 2017 and the restaurant chain Wildwood has just been announced as well.
These arrivals have been coupled with a number of new shops elsewhere in the town including Poundtsretcher on Hawley Road.
The town has never had so much positive news and the shop vacancy rate is now around 5% which is one of the lowest in the country.
In fact, the biggest problem for most potential retailers today is finding a space big enough for them to open.
Just four smaller units remain on The Crescent and, we are told, numerous interested parties are looking at them.
Many mocked the news that Hinckley was on the shortlist of three for the best Large Market Town category in the Great British High Street awards.
But it is quite right that we were on the list - even if we did not win in the end. Compared to similar sized towns, Hinckley has made massive strides in recent years while most other towns are on their way down.
And our independent storescontinue to grow at a rapid pace. There are 51 of them at the top of Castle Street alone.
If you compare Hinckley with Nuneaton, then we have now moved above them in the pecking order despite being quite a bit smaller.
The footfall figures also show business is booming in town. These are cameras which accurately measure how many people are in town so this is not just guess work.
The number of people using the town is up 20%. Few other towns can boast this kind of success.
The Co-op has been one of the main headaches that needed solving in 2016.
The department store closed in January and so did the much-used 116 space car park.
This lack of parking was blamed for a desperate downturn in activity for businesses along Upper Castle Street, with some retailers fearing for their livelihoods.
A petition and lobbying from organisations such as the Hinckley and District Chamber of Trade helped press the matter as a priority for the council.
They took the brave decision to buy the car park and building in October.
The car park re-opened soon after which is good news for all.
The council is now looking at plans to develop the rest of the site. It is so large, it could support a number of uses. There are differing views of what should be there. Some have suggested it is probably too big to support just shops and that some kind of housing will need to be included.
Moving slightly away from the town centre, just by a few hundred metres, Hinckley’s new £15 million state-of-theart leisure centre opened in May. The facility was designed and built by Places for People Leisure (PFPL) and will be run by them for the next 20 years.
The building is expected to have a lifespan of 40 years.
The 6,500ft centre has an eight-court sports hall, an enhanced gym with a range of new equipment and varied classes for all ages and a large cafe area.
The centre also includes a 25m eight-lane swimming pool plus a large learner pool, both with movable floors, disability access, poolside spectator seating and a separate wet play area dubbed the ‘splash pad’.
It features luxury comforts including a sauna and a steam room.
Taking just over 20 months to build, the new facility on Argents Mead replaces the 1977-built facility on Coventry Road.
Demolition work on the former leisure centre on Coventry Road started in August and the work is now almost complete.
Tragedy struck the town in November when three bodies were discovered by police inside a house in Welwyn Road in Hinckley.
Two children were found dead inside the house after a man and woman were barricaded inside.
Following several hours of negotiation, officers from Leicestershire Police gained access where they found the man dead.
During a search of the semidetached home, the bodies of two children were also found.
The mum was taken to hospital and released a few days later.
Distraught residents turned up in their masses to pay their respects to two young children whose lives were cut tragically short.
A vigil of light and prayers was held at St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Hinckley in memory of the five-year-old and his brother, 11.
More than 300 people turned up to say farewell. Candles were placed beneath a statue of Jesus, children tied coloured ribbons to metal chains and people wrote heartfelt messages in a book of condolence which will be passed on to the family.
Father Frank Daly, of St Peter’s Church, opened the vigil by saying: “What we have come here for today is summed up in two words: silence and solidarity.
“This evening is a perfect opportunity to come together quietly and share in the comfort and friendship of each other.”
In the biggest sporting shock of all time, Leicester City clinched the Premiership title in early May. The town helped to celebrate with many Hinckleyans travelling to Leicester for the open-topped tour of the city and subsequent gathering in Victoria Park which included a small set from Leicestershire band Kasabian.
Jamie Vardy may have enjoyed a few decent gettogethers in his time but this was the mother of all celebrations, a victory parade for the triumphant Foxes through Leicester city centre, culminating with a Glastonbury-scale festival on Victoria Park.
Our reporter Rachel Parrish was able to enjoy the moment.
She said: “You know it’s been a good party when you end up dancing next to a giant fox pumping a bottle of Bud into the air in time to a live performance of Kasabian’s Underdog.
“Police officers in full riot gear headed footballs with