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Scruffy Liphook - Dave (4th Jun 2018  12:18:48) Someone who came to stay this weekend mentioned how scruffy the village is looking since she last visited. Living in the village it is easy to get used to things so I had a walk around this morning with a critical eye and I have to admit Liphook is looking particularly grim at the moment. I know there are many generous and hardworking members of our community like the Liphook in Bloom crowd who go above and beyond to try and make our village attractive but despite their best efforts, things beyond their control are dragging the image of the place down. The Square is looking particularly shabby with The Royal Anchor needing redecorating and Lloyds Bank and the Anchor Garage both looking particularly grim. The top of London Road looks a mess and now that Countrywide have closed the station area is looking quite sad. I wish I had some answers, maybe the Parish Council have some redevelopment initiatives to suggest.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Dave mcgrath (4th Jun 2018  13:58:58) Hello mr negative! Well talk about knock your own village! Have you got a magic money tree to buy the anchor hotel and the garage or country wide!? If not then don’t criticise the village for poor investment! I suggest that your friend visits somewhere else if liphook isn’t good enough for them! Stop knocking our village!

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Willo (4th Jun 2018  21:48:16) Great opportunity for some hopefully local businesses to take up some of the empty shop space.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Paul (5th Jun 2018  09:01:55) I agree with the original poster, and it's not about knocking Liphook as others have said. I thought the same thing myself the other day when walking through the Square. I got the feeling that some parts are beginning to look a bit 'run down'. A query and it's an open question - does the Parish Council have any ability / powers to try and attract retail business into Liphook, or any targets / deadlines to achieve this? I don't know - hence it's just a question. And before someone comes back with the obligatory 'oh great when will you get out your paint brush / get elected onto the Council' yes thanks and well-done in advance if you go down that unoriginal route!

Re: Scruffy Liphook - liz (5th Jun 2018  11:39:49) It's the combination of a large number of empty retail outlets (which is happening across the country) plus, unfortunately, the Anchor is looking extremely tatty. It is a listed building so I'm sure the local authorities can insist on some repairs. I had heard that some repairs were planned and the sooner the better as far as I can see. I felt very sad this morning going through the village looking at the flower beds beautifully laid out by Liphook in Bloom, but overshadowed by the Anchor in such a state and the twig that is our new tree. Greene King should be ashamed of themselves.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Tracy (5th Jun 2018  14:20:22) I Think a thank you to Dave at the tearooms who in his spare time, over the weekend has painted the whole building at the top of London road and removed all the weeds around tweeneys and painted that building too at least someone is making an effort. If the old shed shops got removed it would make all the difference. Thanks again Dave

Re: Scruffy Liphook - andy (5th Jun 2018  16:44:11) Mr mcgrath either overeacted or is blind, as on the 250m walk from the Kebab shop to Happy Valley you will pass by over a dozen empty business premises. There are however only 2 primary offenders 1. Whomever owns the kebab shop and the big green paint shed (am told its the same guy) sitting on them till they get planning to flip their investment? any truth in this? That green shed is terrible looking, pull the thing down at least, its been in that state for many years. 2. Greene King & Anchor. Am told they do a BBQ dip for their chicken wings, you just need to rub the chicken wing on the carpet to get the sauce! Both inside and out its in a state. The place probably pockets hundreds of thousands of pounds of our money and it looks like a right dive. A lick of paint isnt going to stop it falling over. Greene Kings fat cats couldnt give a toss as long as the cash pours in.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Lips (5th Jun 2018  17:21:35) Sad that the village is in this state, sad that Dave and others are sad about it, but the saddest thing is users on this forum that can't take criticism on its constructive value - immediately assuming a defensive aggressive stance... Dave has raised a valid point that needs discussion, not an exchange of blows.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Jan (5th Jun 2018  18:21:11) Maybe the village should send a letter to green king about the maintenance and up keep of the pub this is the heart of the village and should be 100 percent at all times this village is a historic village let’s try to maintain it

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Rachael (5th Jun 2018  18:38:08) Very odd reaction from Mr McGrath! As residents we care about our village and commenting on the current tattyness is not being negative. And his comments about visitors staying away is just childish!

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Richard (5th Jun 2018  20:03:27) Have to agree with others here. Being honest about some of the dilapidated of Liphook should not unleash some of the criticism that has been here. However, those that have criticised have come across rather League of Gentlemen. 'This is a local town for local people. There's nothing for YOU here'

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Dave mcgrath (5th Jun 2018  21:46:48) Points taken from all and we all have our views! Difference between me and some of you is I had the b——s to give my full name! Actually have to concede that I may have overreacted but not afraid to put my head above the parapet and just give my Christian name, I do care about the village, just wish some people had answers sometimes instead of always asking the questions,

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Peter Shepherd (6th Jun 2018  08:25:17) It is all well and good to highlighting an untidy Liphook, but it seems doing something about it is another matter it seems! Granted the London Road near the shops does seem to be full of weeds, but the weeds are outside shops that are unoccupied, so we have a situation where nobody is directly responsible. So if it’s offending everybody so much it would take someone 25 minutes to remove the lot! Why don’t we all take a leaf out of David Nichols book who took time out of his day to clear up the Cobblers shop and put a nice eulogy in the window on the day of Don Cooks funeral. Top Work David, I doff my cap!!!

Re: Scruffy Liphook - ian (6th Jun 2018  08:37:56) Looking forward to some answers then Dave M!

Re: Scruffy Liphook - liz (6th Jun 2018  10:14:57) Peter Just because the shops are unoccupied doesn't mean they don't have owners. However they may not be local or they may not care. I don't have any answers for the empty shops problem. Improved parking and access would help but that is a problem in itself. These issue are being address by the Local Plan which hopefully will encourage the planners to take a more holistic approach.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - oldie (6th Jun 2018  11:09:38) I don't know what the local plan can do when the government isn't providing any money, the council is skint (like all councils) there is no money, the new developments are to use a horrible phrase 'facts on the ground' and what did Liphook get in return? So unless the local plan is planning on a new round of house building already (isn't that the government's intention?), with some kind of communal payback (that'll be the day I'll eat my hat) the decline will accelerate, it is a slippery slope we are declining into with no safety net, we are up a creek without a paddle and in I'm all out of metaphors, so have a nice day! PS, oldie is not my real name but my user name!

Re: Scruffy Liphook - jack (6th Jun 2018  17:46:54) Someone owns the Green Paint shed, that person is responsible. Someone owns the Kebab shop, that person is responsible. I was told not sure if true that the Kebab people were forced out by a huge rent increase which stinks of developer with a long game in mind. The green shed is the worst, its been in that state for the 4 years I have been here so who owns it and what is their plan with it? I do think there is some credence to the idea its some fat cat developer sitting on it tickling the planning till they can flip it for more coins, which is fair enough but they don't give a hoot about how it looks and should be held to account for it. Yes there are other empty shops, most are not in a bad state and its normal to have a few, there is new shops, new development going on which will in time absorb those. Parking etc might be a high level consideration but its not an easy win to solve the issues. I think the other poster is right, the main offenders need to be dealt with as that approach will be alot easier, the Green Shed, the Kebab place and the Pub are the man culprits letting the side down. A few posters on public ground outside the pub and a few campaigners getting signatures for Green King to sort it out might be enough negative publicity to build something for them to consider. Someone needs to organize something to tidy the worst bits up. Finally Dave, adding your family name adds zero credibility, this site does not enforce an identity check so your name whilst am sure its probably you could be used by anyone able to type it. Some users including me respect our own privacy, if we meet as strangers in the pub we are not forced to reveal our full names in other to discuss anything, furthermore given the common backlashes on here many prefer not to fully id themselves if and when the spitting starts. Am fairly confident Russian hackers hiding their real names arent using the liphook forum as a means to get us to vote for whatever by way of statements with regard to anything that does require a bit of local knowledge.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - david (6th Jun 2018  19:44:10) Thanks peter but I'm afraid I cant take credit for the eulogy that was the good people from liphook in bloom that water the flowers . I cant even take credit for cleaning all the weeds up from the front of all shops from the madhuban to the old kebab shop that was my brother and he don't even live in liphook he's a Bordon man. he was helping me paint the front of our new shop and I told him I was going to paint dons old shop to brighten it up because that's the only one out of them shops that's not being knocked down.so off he went for nearly 2 hours cleaning up all the weeds because the mess bothered him so much . he didn't take to the internet to moan he just got it sorted. however I can take credit for painting the shop and when I found out it was dons funeral today I wanted to get it done beforehand as a sigh of respect for don cook. like peter and the man that water the flowers for liphook in bloom says ,its a small village and we need to work together and look after it, it only takes a short time out of our lives but boy do you feel better for it. someone said to me last year liphook is like a b+b people come hear to sleep then off up town for the day. I'm not knocking them because every one has to work but be apart of the community as well and support the local shops and perhaps they wont be so many empty. sorry to rant on but please don't just take to these sites and rant (Actions speak louder than words )

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Vlad (8th Jun 2018  07:25:35) Jack, I vouldn’t be so sure. Ve are using this forum to study ze English online culture, so vun day, ve strike. So far, ve are very confused. Heppy Veekend, Cheers, Vlad Vinchie

Re: Scruffy Liphook - liz (8th Jun 2018  10:32:37) Yes, Talkback is England's secret weapon!

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Anon (12th Jun 2018  10:26:38) It has recently been said that Liphook is looking a bit shabby. I have lived in the village now for 31 years and I think it is up to the individuals who own or rent the shops to keep their premises in order. OK there are a number of empty premises which could be made more of which detracts from the ambience it normally has. Lloyds Bank?...not their fault that it was ram raided, unfortunately because of the state and age of the building it is taking more time to rectify the problem. The Liphook garage?....presumably this is to be kept as a garage and the owners haven't had any takers. I could go on but every person has a different opinion on the village's state. The Liphook in bloom people do a brilliant job and for anyone to say that they think Liphook is shabby after looking at the flower beds etc wants their head tested. I lived in Grayshott for the first 26 years of my life and recently went back to see what changes have occurred, compared to Liphook, Grayshott is definitely the worse for wear, so please when you are complaining about Liphook think of all the people who try to make this village a nicer place for everyone to live.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - liz (13th Jun 2018  14:10:33) Anon People ARE thinking of all the people who work hard to make the village look attractive. Liphook in Bloom and the local shopkeepers do a fantastic job but their efforts are being undermined by landlords of the empty premises and, perhaps more significantly, Greene King, who have let the Anchor decline into such a state.

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Lizzy (13th Jun 2018  14:35:38) Hello Whilst you’re on this subject I have often wondered who is meant to be maintaining the roundabout by the entrance to Sainsbury’s. More recently I have also wondered about the maintenance of the roundabout in front of the new estate, Maple Park? I ask this question as I find it a real shame, when all the other borders, beds etc are kept so very beautiful by Liphook in Bloom. Lizzy

Re: Scruffy Liphook - Rölli (13th Jun 2018  16:34:49) I think what we are seeing in Liphook is evidence of the general crisis in the high street caused by Brexit, internet shopping etc. Regeneration is going to be needed but where will the money come from? Liphook in Bloom do a brilliant job by the way and hats off to Andys Armory who is always sweeping the pavement outside his shop to do his little bit

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