Matthew Smith

Oct 18, 2024 | kingstoncourier.co.uk | Matthew Smith

Kingston riverside is “too narrow” to add street vendors, residents’ groups sayLocal resident associations have criticised Kingston Council over recent changes to street trading rules, which they fear will ruin Kingston’s riverside with overcrowding and litter. Under the new rules, agreed by Kingston Council’s Licencing Committee on Tuesday 8 October, street vendors can now apply for trading licences along a roughly one kilometre stretch of the riverside – subject to approval by councillors.

Jun 12, 2023 | thestar.co.uk | Matthew Smith

It is such a shame that some of the money being spent on the regeneration in the city centre could not have been spent on doing up some of the city centre’s forgotten treasures such as the old town hall. A huge attraction when visiting any town or city is the heritage buildings – the art galleries, central libraries, historic churches and so on. The canal basin in Sheffield is a real hidden treasure.

Apr 27, 2023 | thestar.co.uk | Matthew Smith

Up until the 1970s there were two railway stations in the city centre – Victoria and Midland – the former closed since 1970, the latter now simply Sheffield station – offering many more possible direct journeys by rail than possible at present. It will be very interesting to see if in years and decades to come the former Woodhead route to Manchester via Deepcar, Woodhead and Hadfield will reopen given the changing demographics of both Stocksbridge and society at large.