19. The Future of Shotton
Perhaps in a decade or so from now Shotton may no longer exist as an independant town. To those who pass through en-route to their destination, it may be nothing more than a district of the "City of Deeside"
Already, newcomers to the area are unaware of the true boundaries of the town, as Shotton blurs into the neighbouring towns of Urban Deeside.
"Deeside" has existed as the generic name of the area for a long time, but in recent years it has threatened the individual identity of the town of Shotton, as never before. New businesses in the town often include "Deeside" in their names in preference to "Shotton", and Shotton is no longer recognised as a postal address by the Post Office.
Perhaps this is the price to pay for progress and for many, the change means no more than that. But for those who have grown up and lived in the town, some for more than 60 years, Shotton is the framework around which their lives were woven. The buildings, many demolished and many defaced now by the vandalism of an unappreciative generation, are the places where these people were born, educated, worked, courted and were married.
Times have changed and so has Shotton, some would say for the worse. As more of these buildings disappear or lose their character another piece of the jigsaw is lost of the way Shotton used to be, and with it goes a piece of history. If this history goes unrecorded, it will be lost forever as, no doubt, much already has.
Although the memories of many people have helped to compile this web site, it is not a collection of reminiscences. Rather it is a factual historical record of the buildings and main events within the town. All who have resided in the town for a number of years will have their own personal memories of the places and events mentioned in this work.
My aim is to help preserve the memories for the younger generation, whilst bringing pleasure to those of the older generation as they reminisce about an age gone by.
In 1987 a public exhibition was staged to show the proposed route of the Plough Lane Link Road. There have been numerous delays in the construction of this road, which is intended to relieve traffic congestion from the Main Chester Road. Many believe, and environmental campaigners hope, that the road will never be built.
Shotton Town Councillors are currently in discussion with the French Village of SEMUSSAC with a view to "twinning" with Shotton.
History is being written even as I write these words
Probably the greatest challenge to face Shotton since the closure of Shotton Steelworks is the question of how to prevent the shopping centre from dying. Following the closure of the Tesco supermarket in May 1999, quickly followed by another long established business - Mr. Bevan - Shotton faced a crisis. To view the newspaper reports of the fight to keep Shotton alive, please follow the link below.
Copyright © Keith Atkinson 1998 - 2006
You may print out the pages of this website for your own personal use. I do not sell this material in any printed format and therefore if you are offered this for sale, please contact me at shotton@postmaster.co.uk
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