Clown Shoes Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 The Star does have a tendency to come across with a rather negative view of many council plans, I seem to remember the articles about the new market hold up being less than nice and the rather rapid response to what was initially a slow pick up of units being taken up. This forum to has a few outspoken, loud but decidely ill-informed users who call council officers names or insinuate they can't do their jobs without having the vaguest notion of how planning and design works. For example I've actually met John Mothersole and heard him in a few meetings and he's not an idiot or only in it for the money, he came up through the ranks so to speak and so knows what he is talking about, I've also found his office quite helpful if people can be bothered to actually contact them So do you think that there will be an announcement about the project at the end of the month as stated by the council in The Star last week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penistone999 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 So do you think that there will be an announcement about the project at the end of the month as stated by the council in The Star last week? Of course there will , along with an announcement that Elvis is doing 3 sell out concerts at The Arena in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallBuilder Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 So do you think that there will be an announcement about the project at the end of the month as stated by the council in The Star last week? I might give them a little leeway but would expect something to be out in the public realm fairly soon. If there isn't then not only have I got an email address for John Mothersole but also the guy named by Johns office who is dealing with the sevenstone development. I'd prefer to know even if it's bad news with of course a plan of action from the council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleboy Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) Lets hope that the council pay heed to the Centre for Retail Research report that suggests 60,000 shops could close over the next five years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22686180 But, but, but, but that doesn't conform to SCC's brilliant* plan for the city centre and is therefore to be ignored by all right-thinking** people. I'm sure planner1 will be along in a bit to confirm the correctness of the above sentence. Time to revamp "The Plan"? Before it goes even more pear-shaped. * doomed to fail ** gullible Edit: Wow, this is MASSIVELY worse than I thought http://www.retailresearch.org/retail2018.php they're predicting a 26% drop in Y&H. SCC REALLY need to look VERY carefully at "The Plan", it seems to be totally out of touch with harsh reality. Edited May 28, 2013 by mapleboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoroB Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 But, but, but, but that doesn't conform to SCC's brilliant* plan for the city centre and is therefore to be ignored by all right-thinking** people. I'm sure planner1 will be along in a bit to confirm the correctness of the above sentence. Time to revamp "The Plan"? Before it goes even more pear-shaped. * doomed to fail ** gullible Edit: Wow, this is MASSIVELY worse than I thought http://www.retailresearch.org/retail2018.php they're predicting a 26% drop in Y&H. SCC REALLY need to look VERY carefully at "The Plan", it seems to be totally out of touch with harsh reality. I've no problem with the council having a plan and suppose that I would be disappointed if they did not have one. However, the one they have is inflexible and not fit for purpose. We have a city centre with too many poundshops, Greggs, bookies, mobile phone shops and pawn/money lenders that deters quality retailers from investing. The plan and new proposed masterplan relate only to the city centre and excludes all other areas of Sheffield. We have two quality retailers who want to invest millions but are being driven away by the council because they want to build on wasteland that has been derilict for several years and not the city centre where no suitable sites exist. I could understand the council objecting if there were industrial users lining up to invest where Ikea amd Next want to build but there aren't, haven't been for years and will unlikely be in the future. Its time for the council to go back to the drawing board with regards to its plans for the city and work with quality investors who want to invest in the city. Failing to bring Next and Ikea to the city should not be an option for the council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECCOnoob Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) Of course there will , along with an announcement that Elvis is doing 3 sell out concerts at The Arena in July. OK OK we get it. Another cynical comment (again) about what the Council clearly are NOT going to be doing. Right, you have made your point - the council are talking a load of crap. Clearly you are convinced that nothing is going to happen with this project, never has and never will and obviously Hammerson has got us over a barrell and have been poking SCC with a stick for a past 10+ years. So what now then? What's your bright solution to sort out the decaying city centre in the middle of a global recession and lets face it, in a city where for most of the population anything so much as a Waitrose or a Browns is seen as "posh" "poncey" "rip off" "stuck up". I dont see Selfridges rushing to open a branch just yet. PS: Dont bring up the words Ikea or Next because they are not city centre developments which is the topic under discussion here. They would only be of benefit to out of town so are completely irrelevant. ---------- Post added 28-05-2013 at 21:38 ---------- I've no problem with the council having a plan and suppose that I would be disappointed if they did not have one. However, the one they have is inflexible and not fit for purpose. We have a city centre with too many poundshops, Greggs, bookies, mobile phone shops and pawn/money lenders that deters quality retailers from investing. The plan and new proposed masterplan relate only to the city centre and excludes all other areas of Sheffield. We have two quality retailers who want to invest millions but are being driven away by the council because they want to build on wasteland that has been derilict for several years and not the city centre where no suitable sites exist. I could understand the council objecting if there were industrial users lining up to invest where Ikea amd Next want to build but there aren't, haven't been for years and will unlikely be in the future. Its time for the council to go back to the drawing board with regards to its plans for the city and work with quality investors who want to invest in the city. Failing to bring Next and Ikea to the city should not be an option for the council. If poundshops and Greggs are the only tenants we are attracting what is the council supposed to do? A filled unit is better than an empty decaying one. Also, have you not stopped to think why these pound shops, greggs, bookies etc are booming. Its because we the public are using them and using them a lot. You cannot argue that these are detracting from quality retailers. Quality retailers know full well that no bugger would buy from their stores even if they did open. I have said before many times. A brand new shiny harvey nics could open up with maybe a Vivienne Westwood next door and all that would happen is that the locals would flood in to gorpe in awe and laugh at the price tags. 6 months later its gone. We have HAD designer shops in the city before but trends/budgets and people change. There still are a handful left particuarly on division streert and in the forum. However, they are catering for a small market and know how to keep their customer base tight. As for our quality Department Stores - even they all seem to have stock cast offs of the other more prosperous cities. Even the great "Meadowhall" with its upmarket end still seems to be a cast off version of other stores in other cities. House of Fraser and Boss particularly seems to be stocked with the reject and seconds that the other franchises didn't want. What has created this? The Council? The retailers? NO. Its us the consumers. We demand and they supply. If there was a genuine long term demand for something the retailers would get wind stright away and deliver. Its clear that they do not get the impression. Yes people whinge and moan about there being 27,000 greggs in the city. But the serious point is this - If we were not buying they would have no need to keep opening them. I can fully sympathise with the Council on the whole Next/Ikea issue. The City Centre which - whether you like it or not - is the flagship for any Council is slowly dying on its backside. To allow two retailers to open further out of town shopping would just be another huge hole in any chance of regeneration. Its been a tough call but I can fully understand their reasons. Just how can they have a hope in hell of doing anything to try and improve the centre by allowing two MORE attractions to drag people away from it. Look at what we have and what these two companies would offer. A giant Next Home and Garden - so that's just a like another type of Homebase or B&Q then and a Ikea so that just like a type of Harveys, CSL, DFS, SCS, Pondsfords, Tesco Extra, Sainsburys, Asda Living, Pondsfords, Barkers, Furniture Village then. Two more nails in the coffin for the city centre. I get the point about jobs but having these new companies would cause even more closures to the already crumbling city centre high street. So any "new jobs" woud mostly one would hope be filled with the recently redundant. Really, lets think about the bigger picture here (one assumes the Council already is). With all that lot already witin the city boundaries, plus two under cover malls and at least seven retail parks.... maybe it is the correct time to focus one a centre for a change. Edited May 28, 2013 by ECCOnoob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleboy Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) So what now then?Some good suggestions here from people who know what they are talking about: http://www.retailresearch.org/retail2018.php Why is the city centre to receive preferential treatment over the rest of the city? Geographical location is NOT a valid reason. Edited May 28, 2013 by mapleboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECCOnoob Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 In my opinion with these arguments the bottom line is this. We are a working class city with working class roots. A handful of high earners prop up one end with the rest of the populus on mid to low incomes. The shops across the board be in Meadowhall or City cater for that. The real real poshies might pop into a John Lewis or House of Fraser every now and then and buy something just for round the house or for those casual days out but when they really want to splurge they will be off to some boutique in the middle of derbyshire or have a boozy shopping day with the girls in Manchester or London. The rest of us will the majority of the time buy from lower end chain stores which is why we have such a heavy supply of them. Yes, occasionally we will splurge on something a bit more pricey for a special occasion from one of the dept stores or higher end shops - That's how a handful survive but its nowhere near enough to warrant an influx of the quality high end retailers that everyone seems to be demanding (despite knowing full well they will never use them). Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Chester are cities where, like it or not, there are enough of the first set of people to warrant high end stores being there. There are the stereotypical ladies who lunch, to poncey boys in their ferarris and astons. That's something we dont have enough of in this region let alone city. I personally think far far too much of our regeneration/proposals/developments be them in or out of town has been based on what OTHER cities have. It smacks of pure jelousy. That's the wrong thought process. It should be about what WE as a city want. What WE as a city will use and spend out money in. Not just "ooh look what they have..." ---------- Post added 28-05-2013 at 22:05 ---------- Some good suggestions here from people who know what they are talking about: http://www.retailresearch.org/retail2018.php Why is the city centre to receive preferential treatment over the rest of the city? Geographical location is NOT a valid reason. Personally I think its because it the focus point. Its the first thing that people see. It is still a prominent place where people have to work, interchange, study, visit for business thus it makes it a flagship location. Since the 70s and 80s the council spent time and effort regenerating whole sections out of the city. Meadowhall happened as did the don valley as did townships and developments such as Crystal Peaks. Focus was lost about the city and the rot started to set in. In the 00s - thanks to some Millenium funding some parts were improved. The current phases stalled due to the recession. Personally, I would like to see them see it through. Its too much of a shame to leave it unfinished. I noted quite an interesting part of the link you posted... ...to turn failing and empty shops into good residential accommodation, create more service/entertainment/leisure outlets, and/or provide offices, doctor's surgeries, classrooms/meeting rooms or other facilities for which there may be a local demand... That seems - according to the Moor plans, Castlegate and TJ hughes plans that mixed use is on the proposals. Maybe the Council are taking this more seriously than some on here think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
master_p Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Who is this 'we' you refer to? Sheffield is no different to any other city, there are mix of people that populate this city, whether they are rich or poor in monetary terms. The whole point of a city centre is that it caters for and is attractive to all including visitors. There is too much of this we are all paupers so just need pound shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planner1 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I wonder..have the folks in charge of project Sevenstone at SCC taken a bonus home every year Would this be pubically available information? Council officers don't get bonuses. They don't get pay rises or incremental progression either at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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