MIDDLEWICH is set for an overhaul following the worrying results of a town questionnaire.

Middlewich Vision is determined to turn around the negative feeling in the town after a survey of 500 residents revealed that half the the population - 50.1 per cent - felt that within ten years Middlewich would be expanded and overcrowded.

The Vision has now come up with a draft action plan outlining projects for the town over the next few years - including developing more town centre events, addressing anti-social behaviour in a bid to bring locals back into the town centre at night and creating more leisure facilities.

Caroline O'Brien, from Middlewich Vision, is also keen to change people's perception of crime in Middlewich as it was revealed that 50.8 per cent of locals feel there is a problem with crime and 60.9 per cent do not feel safe walking the streets, despite the fact that 85.1 per cent of residents have never been victims of crime.

Caroline added: "We are not saying there's no crime, but the police figures are low and it is a safe place to live, but there is a public perception that there is a lot of crime and we have to look at that. Probably because there's not a lot of incidents, when there is one it's blown all out of proportion."

The results also revealed that 54 per cent of people felt that it was becoming a worse place to live and 50.5 per cent had seen no improvement in the facilities on offer for locals and the majority of residents - 38.3 per cent - only moved to the town for the affordable housing stock.

More and more people are heading out of town for facilities, with 97.9 per cent of people shopping out of town and 70.8 per cent of people socialising elsewhere, and only 6.4 per cent of people use the leisure and sports facilities weekly.

But on the plus side, education in Middlewich is thriving with 76.3 per cent of people using the town's schools and surprisingly 84.5 per cent of residents said they do enjoy living in Middlewich.

We can also reveal that Middlewich is a nation of Guardian readers with the majority of residents - 23.7 per cent - finding out what is going on in town through the Middlewich Guardian.

You can view the full results and the action plan online at middlewichvision.org.uk.

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