PARKING charges have come out as the top issue people want to tackle in Hucknall, according to a website survey asking how to improve the town.
A team of traders and residents from the town joined forces in May to create an I Love Hucknall group.
Its aim is to help revive the High Street and reinvigorate the town centre as a place to shop and visit.
The group's first step included putting a survey online a fortnight ago, asking residents what they think about the town centre and what they would like to see improved.
Stuart Pocklington, 33, who runs the I Love Hucknall website, said the site has received over 100 responses so far, with 50 per cent of them collected in the first few days – causing the website to crash.
He said: "We have a Facebook group and a Twitter account now too. We are getting a good reach and lots of positive comments.
"We are going to do a deep analysis on what people are saying. I am going to go to town with it as much as I can to get the message out."
The survey includes questions aiming to find out how often people go to Hucknall town centre, why they visit the High Street and what they would like to see changed.
Mr Pocklington added that so far most people have said they are put off by the parking charges in the town centre and feel the shops on the High Street lack variety.
On Wednesday, June 26, the Post reported that Sherwood MP Mark Spencer is looking to put free parking in Hucknall back on his agenda.
Sandy Singleton, 70, who is the group's volunteer public relations representative, said: "We need to know what people living here feel about Hucknall.
"It will give us an idea of the sort of things that people would like to see changed."
I Love Hucknall's chairman, Chris Thorne, who is also co-owner of Total Look hairdressers on the High Street, said that the group will present the findings to Ashfield District Council.
He said: "We are starting at the bottom. We are just hoping to achieve something but it is going to be a long uphill fight. We hope it will improve Hucknall as a town."
The group plans to start creating merchandise soon, including badges and stickers.
They also hope to get a stall at Hucknall Market at which they will hand out printed copies of the survey before results are collected at the end of July.
Hucknall residents can fill in the survey at www.ilovehucknall.co.uk or visit the Under One Roof centre, Vine Terrace, for a printed copy.