Traditional ‘Main Street’ centres, once the focus for bustling community life, are back in favour with a trend away from large shopping centres and malls. Many people prefer to shop in the local ‘main street’, finding it offers more personalised service and a friendlier environment with a sense of community and local ‘character’.
In response to this, the City of Stirling has transformed the Inglewood Town Centre back to its former attractiveness and popularity. The move recognises the vital importance of such centres in building ‘sustainable communities’. The result is a popular Centre with a mix of shopping, services, employment and community activity in an attractive environment, easily accessed by walking, cycling and public transport as well as by car.
The project also sensitively handled the Town Centre within the Inglewood ‘Heritage Protection Area’. The old Civic Theatre clock tower and the inter-war heritage character of the buildings already gave the Inglewood Town Centre a distinct character. The project aimed to unify these elements into a coherent precinct through consistent landscaping, decorative paving and public art, as well as through design guidelines for new development.
The Town Centre improvement project has built on the Centre’s existing strengths and revitalised the area, creating a more functional and exciting focus for community and business activity.
