"Once again this survey has been used by those who
wish to run our town centre down, but it does not bear any relation to all that is going
on in transforming our town centre.
"The Council has been at the forefront of encouraging
everyone involved in the town centre to work together in partnership and those efforts are
bearing fruit. The last two years have seen the number of empty shops halved from 16% to
8%, significantly better than the national average.
"Visitor numbers are increasing and plans have
recently been unveiled to create a new Visitor Centre and Town Trail which will cater for
their needs during and after the Rugby World Cup in 1999. This is again the result of
working together in partnership.
"The new Rugby Art Gallery, Museum and Library will
open next year and represents investment in the town centre of over £5 million. It will
offer something new and encourage more people to stay longer in the town centre.
Earlier this year, the Council hosted a workshop which
brought together many of the organisations and individuals involved in our town centre.
The workshop examined how the success of the last few years could be developed further and
an action plan was agreed, which will ensure the momentum for the revitalisation of Rugby
will continue. Those who want to knock our town do a great injustice to those who are
working so hard to improve it for everyone."
