Page 28 - Booklet_Design_Bury_Park_Revised_005

There’s so much opportunities for ladies to learn English and improve their skills. There are also activities for ladies. It has
just transformed into a little city where there is an opportunity for men, women and children. There are also schools,
Islamic schools nearby. In Bury Park, there is a dentist, there’s pharmacy, there’s doctors, and there is opticians. There is
just everything which provides for the whole community. In Burry Park, if you are quite happy, there’s no need to go any
further as everything is there.

There’s so much work and awareness activities that takes place in Bury Park where we address issues such a, Mental
Health, self-care, health issues, healthy diet, improvement of housing etc. Through my own voluntary work with
wellbeing clubs, I am aware that these activities take place in Bury Park especially for the elderly in our community who
are isolated.
Jamuben Patel

Initially there were challenges when
we first started, there was a thing
that we couldn’t open the shop case
there’s fight during match days. There
were a lot of difficulties; there was a
rule that we are not allowed to trade
on Sunday.”

I have a large independent shop on the main road, which is a family owned business and has been running since 1979.
Previously it was a holiday store which dated back 1950s. It’s DIY store, hardware retail shop in the name of home
improvement centre which is on Dunstable Road it’s in the heart of Bury Park.
Burry Park is today it’s a very changed area for business. I’ve seen many, many changes, starting from 79, the business
owned by the English community were lot more and now there are a lot of Asian shops. The percentage ratio that
were owned by the English community was 80% to 85% were owned by the English community and then slowly
working through 84 it has been taken over slowly by the minority. They are now mostly owned by the ethnic minority
communities.

The challenges we face at the moment is difficulty of parking, that’s a big issues and nothing has been done with that.
Also we have this major situation with the football ground that is stuck in the middle of very vibrant shopping business
But even those and even under those methods, we still carry on, because it’s got a very vibrant location outside.

I think we need a lot of help, the council, to bringing about changes, about the current traffic and parking issues we
face. Because, being in the area for such a long time in Bury Park that we have been forgotten, on how the streets were
and that people live there, lot of people come from different places to Bury Park. We think that it is not given the right
care and support it deserves. The area is given to very little support. It’s almost like feels like it we are forgotten. The
area gives back a lot to the Town and to be given and to be given not much in return doesn’t seem very fair.

The people of the area very deprived. In our meetings, in our business forum, we suggest what should be done by the
council, but very little is done, that’s made a difference. The area needs cleaning up, there littering, other improvements
needs to be made and I don’t see many. There’s lot of mess everywhere, they should think of ways of trying to control.
Luton has got a lot going for, it’s gateway to the airport. It’s a very multicultural society there and it’s wonderful place
live and work in. The area has lot to offer to people who live in it and for those who travel from outside.

Pradip Kotecha

28