A town councillor has called for parts of Nantwich to be designated for “Street Art”.
In a Notice of Motion to the town council, Cllr John Priest believes areas of the town could be made more attractive with artwork.
And he identified locations for large art murals such as the indoor market hall, Airman’s Grave and the Morrisons supermarket wall on Pillory Street.
He said: “When you look around Nantwich, it has fantastic history and culture, apparently the fourth happiest town in the country!
“On a serious note, how can we build on that and draw more people into the town and give it more publicity?
“We could have artwork in under-used areas in the town, and as a starter we could have a mural at the market hall.
“There’s also near the Airman’s Grave by the railway bridge, which is a dark and neglected area.
“So I’m looking for support to fund the initiative.”
Cllr Arthur Moran questioned how much the idea would cost and the suggested areas.
He added: “There needs to be questions asked about conservation areas and whether artwork would be in keeping.
“It would be good to consult with Nantwich Civic Society and we may need permission from Cheshire East Council as there could be a planning issue.”
Cllr Caroline Kirkham suggested there should be a working group to scope out how feasible the idea is first.
She added: “I’m all for the motion if we do a working group and scoping this out before funding something we don’t how much it will cost.
“Let’s do that scoping exercise and have a consultation with other partners.”
Cllr Peter Groves quipped it could lead to the creation of a Nantwich “Banksy”.
Cllr Riddell Graham said: “Councillors may have some doubts over the locations and themes of the artwork.
“I suggest this working group considers all these issues to allay any concerns before committing.”
Town councillors agreed unanimously to “approve in principle” to new street art murals and to set up a working party to explore the idea further.
In July 2024, Nantwich pupils worked with an artist to create colourful artwork for the shelters at Nantwich railway station (pictured)
It depends on the subject and quality of the art work,there is no denying that there is some very talented artists.
But the lack of decent public toilets and the state of the paving around the town would be my priority.
Just what Id expect from these useless Labour councillors we now have. They dont respond to residents issues meanwhile the town is noticably going downhill
Might be OK during pride month but otherwise just looks tacky. Only a few weeks ago people were complaining about the vape shop being yellow, smh.
Its really great that the place has no problems at all for the councillors to deal with. Nope nothing needs doing at all. Its like Utopia.
Its good to see them coming up with ways to spend time and money making the place look even more urbanised in spite of the fact that it is and should remain a rural market town.
Give em all pay rises I say!
Can’t think of anything worse for our lovely mediaeval town than garish graffiti
I think it’d be a great addition to an already lovely looking town. Drag yourself out of the history books and take a good look around. You might appreciate it
The Artful Fox art trail in Tarporley is a couple of years old now but this was a community driven initiative. The BT boxes around the town were beautifully painted. Still worth a visit.
What an idiot, another stupid councillor with more stupid ideas. It’s just going to attract vandals and illegal graffiti.
If you want to make the town look nice try cleaning it, plant some flowers and fix the roads.
Save it from sleep walking in a ghost town
Looks cheap and tacky to me.
What are you trying to do to our historic town?