SUPER DEBATE

Last updated 19:45, Thursday, 29 May 2008

IT looked like the mother ship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind had landed when Workington’s new Hub was hoisted above Washington Square yesterday.

It will certainly be a talking point, which is partly the objective of planting these modern pieces of art here in Workington’s new town centre.

We want our town to have its focal points, a reason for people to visit and remember it.

Of course, some people will greet The Hub as an alien concept - or, dare we say it, a waste of space.

Have these people forgotten the sterile, uninviting shopping arcade that was there before?

The other main objective of the Hub is to be a seating area and performance space; if it succeeds in that, it will be money well spent.

A space for music and dance can create a new buzz; go to any shopping area with this kind of activity, and it adds a spring to your step.

While we’re on the subject, well done to whoever chose an anchor as centrepiece of the revamped Northside roundabout. That really is an example of art in the right place.

We welcome Workington Town chairman Dave Bowden’s contribution to the debate about Super League ambitions in West Cumbria.

Our aim in raising this topic again is not to score points against our rugby league clubs; we acknowledge that Town’s fortunes off the field are much healthier and on a solid business footing compared to some years ago.

But, as Mr Bowden states, change is necessary to ensure that rugby league here prospers, and the game’s franchise system does allow a way forward.

We will continue to provide a platform for the clubs and their fans to debate the possibilities.