The population of Thornbury is around 12,000; over 15,000 if Alveston and the surrounding villages are included. Is that big enough to justify a Minor Injuries Unit, a good choice of supermarkets and a range of chain stores alongside local shops, a theatre, and so on? With whom should we be comparing ourselves?
Let's consider the following towns:
- Glastonbury, recently trumpeted by BS35Local in Meet The Neighbours as a town from which Thornbury should learn. A somewhat smaller population at less than 10,000 including many with New Age leanings, swells to more than 150,000 when Festival hits town.
- Yate combined with Chipping Sodbury has a population of 27,000 or so and may be considered by some to be a step too far for Thornbury though it illustrates what can be viable in a community that size.
- Bradley Stoke with a population around 28,000 is still developing the facilities that it needs and is rapidly catching up with Yate/Chipping Sodbury.
- Cirencester, with a population approaching 20,000, is an old market town with a tourist trade founded on its Roman origins. It hosts the Royal Agricultural College. It has a 24/7 Minor Injuries Unit with X-ray facilities and an out-of-hours GP service for emergencies. The Sundial Theatre was opened in 1998 as part of Cirencester College; with seating for up to 275 it hosts drama and musical events by community groups and professional touring companies.
- Portishead has grown rapidly over the last decade from 17,000 in the 2001 census to 22,000 today. It had a long history as a fishing port before the docks expanded rapidly in 19th century; two power stations and a chemical works created employment in first half of 20th century. A marina and housing have sprung up where the docks and power stations were demolished. It boasts several supermarkets and a wide range of high street names. It's now unashamedly a dormitory town for Bristol and the surrounding area and probably has a strong case for reinstating the passenger rail service to Bristol along exisiting lines. It doesn't have a Minor Injuries Unit; the nearest is at Clevedon (pop. 22,000) 6 miles away.
- Dursley, a small market town with a population of about 6,000, still suffering from the decline of employment in engineering and manufacturing.
It seems that we have aspirations for Cirencester with the characteristics of Dursley!
Thornbury needs to find a niche and fast. Can we expect tourism to bring a major influx of visitors and income when we compete with the likes of Cirencester? How can more employment be brought to Thornbury? And if opportunities are limited here, shouldn't we be comfortable with a proportion of our working age population commuting to Aztec, Filton, Yate and Bristol?
We need to stop saying no to every detail and start looking at the wider picture. If we don't grasp opportunities they will be eagerly snatched by Yate, Filton and Emerson's Green.
