The post you are reporting:
It may well be a chicken and egg situation Terry, but at this present moment it is like a getting a quail to lay that egg. It isn't as if we have 'missed out' in this case
We should really drop this obsession with bowling alleys and ice rinks, these are just things that adults think young people need, but in reality only serve a small proportion of society. Interaction between young people isn't the same as previous generations, something the older generations forget. This is why older people think bowling alleys are the answer to anti-social behaviour, thinking all young people want to be 'socialised', ice rinks do not fix this!
The reality is that places like bowling alleys become the destination for courting age couples, families (both groups easily able to drive to Ashford) and old people. If these establishments succeed in attracting young people (which is not what they want as they don't spend much money) then the other groups, such as the older people, do not go.
Bowling alleys don't have to be these big money making warehouses (look at the 4 lanes at Roly's), I think it's about looking at how to accomplish facilities realistically within what we have. I think it would be quite nice to see some of the lawn bowls clubs giving up some of their (often ample) land to build 2/4 lane alleys. The 2 things are very similar and I feel this would give manageable (and sustainable) numbers of young people something to do, creating respect between the different age groups and also insuring future generations of lawn bowlers.
The screen is a positive thing. Again I will admit it is not where I would position it and I'm not a fan of watching sport on TVs, but that is not to say it is a bad idea (it's not just all about me (a common Conservative outlook)) Is the Marine Concert being broadcast on the BBC? If not, how do you suggest this happens? If this is rehtorical and you are suggesting that it should (even though you know it is not) Then are you suggesting that people should watch local events on a TV rather than going to support them, first hand?