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Gloucester,
Cirencester and Cinderford in the Forest of Dean are on the shortlist
for the £60 square usually occupied by the Old Kent Road area
of London in a new customised version of the game to be released
in October.
It's not us who have chosen them - it's all about the people
of Gloucestershire telling us what makes up their county and
what they believe are the landmarks and features that should
represent it on the squares of the Monopoly board. |
| David
Summer, Winning Moves |
The
company behind the game, Winning Moves UK, has asked people living
in the county which place they think should take the Old Kent Road
spot.
The
three towns are currently in line for the dubious honour after polling
the lowest number of votes so far - and that has sparked
strong feelings from locals, especially as the exact locations put
forward to take the traditional 'cheapest' square have not been
revealed.
Furious
city council leader Bill Crowther says Gloucester's nomination is
"ludicrous, a damning indictment of Gloucester" and "totally
unfair".
He
added: "I am particularly offended by this."
But
Winning Moves says it is better to be on the board than off it,
and the Old Kent Road spot is very high profile.
 |
| High
spot or grot spot? The cathedral is a Gloucester landmark |
David
Sommer says there is "always a great deal of consternation"
during voting for board places in the regional variations of the
game his company produces.
But
he pointed out: "It's not us who have chosen them - it's all
about the people of Gloucestershire telling us what makes up their
county and what they believe are the landmarks and features that
should represent it on the squares of the Monopoly board.
"It's
not to say that Gloucester doesn't feature elsewhere - it's a big
place and there are many different landmarks, but it does seem at
the moment that one of those landmarks is in the running for the
Old Kent Road."
Reaction
has been mixed among the other nominated towns.
In
Cinderford, Leonie Seabourne, co-ordinator of the locally-based
East Dean Initiative, said: "If you replace 'cheapest' with
'affordable', certainly Cinderford is affordable.
We have a lot in common with the Old Kent Road - it was a historic
market place and also had a very strong community and you would
have to say the same about Cinderford. |
| Leonie
Seabourne, East Dean Initiative |
"I
think it's quite prestigious to appear on it and we have a lot in
common with the Old Kent Road - it was a historic market place and
also had a very strong community and you would have to say the same
about Cinderford.
"It's
a gorgeous place to live as well."
But
in Cirencester, Jane Miller from the town's tourist information
office was "flabbergasted".
She
said: "Cirencester is the capital of the Cotswolds and was
the second largest town after London in Roman times and there are
so many beautiful features of the town - we really should be the
Mayfair not the Old Kent Road!"
And
Richard Dennery, city centre manager for Gloucester, was
more philosophical than council leader Bill Crowther about the vote
and what it means for the city.
There
are so many beautiful features of the town - we really should
be the Mayfair not the Old Kent Road! |
| Jane
Miller, Cirencester Tourist Information |
If
it's a question of notoriety, Richard reckoned the county's Old
Kent Road square should be occupied by should by traffic blackspot
Crickley Hill on the A417 east of the city - where lorries break
down and cause huge tailbacks almost daily.
"You
could stay there a LONG time," he joked.
But
Richard added: "I think it's good fun, a good way to generate
publicity - wasn't it showman PT Barnum who said it doesn't matter
what they say about us as long as they spell it right?"
Old
Kent Road is still up for grabs but which county landmark will land
the prestigious Mayfair square?
Wasn't
it showman PT Barnum who said it doesn't matter what they say
about us as long as they spell it right? |
| Richard
Dennery, Gloucester city centre manager |
Voting
has already ended for that spot though Winning Moves won't announce
the 'winner' until Gloucestershire Monopoly is officially launched
in late October.
But
David Summer does reveal: "Gloucestershire also has a great
landmark in the racecourse that people have been nominating many
times over."
Gloucester
Cathedral and Kingsholm, home of the city's Premiership rugby club,
are also believed to be in the running.
Polling
ends on September 30, the day before the game goes to press.
Where
do YOU think should be the county's answer to the Old Kent Road
- Gloucester, Cinderford, Cirencester or somewhere else entirely?
Fill
in the online form below with your nomination and we'll pass your
comments to Winning Moves and publish them here.
Have
your say or submit more nominations on our Gloucestershire
Monopoly messageboard
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