£5m needs to be spent on attracting shoppers

Michael Douglas actor, and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones actress, Felicity Kendal, actress, Mark Hamill, actor,

Michael Madsen, actor, Heather Locklear, actress, Ronnie Whelan, former footballer and manager, Will Smith, actor, Olivier Dacourt, former footballer, Declan Donnelly, presenter, Jodie Kidd, model/TV personality, JUST read the article in the Examiner 19th September on ‘A £5m council plan to spruce up Huddersfield town centre.’

What a lot of rubbish! Points listed for my reasoning: 1) Have any of the planners actually been to Huddersfield lately? The amount of empty shops is unbelievable. 2) What are they thinking about, expecting people to walk around a town centre looking at works of art, trees etc? 3) Surely we need people to spend money in our shops to bring the town back to life, bring down rents and rates for the shops so that more individual shops can be opened. 4) The Piazza (pictured) has less than 60% of business premises occupied. 5) Nothing is mentioned in this article with reference to encourage more footfall in the town.

I agree that the walk ways are in a bad state with uneven paving slabs, but there will be less footfall in the future if the empty shops are not addressed.

If people want green spaces they will visit the many parks that are situated in Kirklees. Cross Church Street is a disgrace with too many cheap eateries and homeless beggars.

I am ashamed to take any of my friends into Huddersfield.

We have a football team in the Premier League with supporters bringing their partners to shop, but what a joke the town has become.

Although I no longer live in Kirklees, I do go to Huddersfield most weeks and notice the decline of the town.

Spend ratepayers money by all means, but get your priorities sorted before we are a laughing stock.