larven Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 And this is why the city center is dead and buried and will never recover.The Anti car policies implemented by sheffield council have killed the city centre. No. Many cities in the UK and around the world have similar policies for their city centres. Some have banned them from the centre altogether. Their city centres certainly aren't dead and buried. The reasons for the city centre under performing are more complex than simply shutting a few roads off and charging for car parking. It's probably had a negligible impact at best taking into account other historic and ongoing factors, such as the initial impact of Meadowhall and the failure to bring forward any sort of major retail development for decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Q: why did SCC need Hammerson in the first place? This is a serious question, by the way; what special magic was the developer supposed to bring to the scheme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penistone999 Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 No. Many cities in the UK and around the world have similar policies for their city centres. Some have banned them from the centre altogether. Their city centres certainly aren't dead and buried. The reasons for the city centre under performing are more complex than simply shutting a few roads off and charging for car parking. It's probably had a negligible impact at best taking into account other historic and ongoing factors, such as the initial impact of Meadowhall and the failure to bring forward any sort of major retail development for decades. Making the city center car friendly will only be a positive move . The vast majority of visitors to the city centre drive , thats a fact , and if you make those people unwelcome then they will spend their money elsewhere . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFKvsNixon Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Making the city center car friendly will only be a positive move . The vast majority of visitors to the city centre drive , thats a fact , and if you make those people unwelcome then they will spend their money elsewhere . From my experience most city centres are pedestrianising more and more of their space, in fact they use this as a selling point of their city centres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planner1 Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Q: why did SCC need Hammerson in the first place? This is a serious question, by the way; what special magic was the developer supposed to bring to the scheme? Hammerson build and operate shopping centres. That isn't exactly the Council's core business. They have access to funds and expertise that the Council do not possess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larven Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Making the city center car friendly will only be a positive move . The vast majority of visitors to the city centre drive , thats a fact , and if you make those people unwelcome then they will spend their money elsewhere . No it won't. It's a regressive move for all the reasons l've given in my previous posts. Sheffield city centre already has more parking spaces than Meadowhall. We probably wouldn't be having this conversation at all if the city centre had all the attributes and attractions you would expect of a city the size of Sheffield. This magnifies the issues that are large irrelevant, like parking charges. There are far more serious problems that need to be addressed in the centre, namely the very poor retail offering relative to other nearby city centres. ---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 12:07 ---------- Which means that the city centre is now like any other area of the city, with a mix of activities happening in it. So why SCC concentrate on it's development and tend to expend a mere fraction of their effort on developing other areas of the city is beyond me. SCC focus their efforts on the centre because it is the economic driver of the city and the entire SY region. It is by far the most important part of Sheffield and SY and it is quite right that they focus on it because what happens there effects every other part of the city. It is the heart of Sheffield and if it falters then everywhere else will suffer too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawny1970 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Quote: Originally Posted by Penistone999 Making the city center car friendly will only be a positive move . The vast majority of visitors to the city centre drive , thats a fact , and if you make those people unwelcome then they will spend their money elsewhere . No it won't. It's a regressive move for all the reasons l've given in my previous posts. Sheffield city centre already has more parking spaces than Meadowhall. We probably wouldn't be having this conversation at all if the city centre had all the attributes and attractions you would expect of a city the size of Sheffield. This magnifies the issues that are large irrelevant, like parking charges. There are far more serious problems that need to be addressed in the centre, namely the very poor retail offering relative to other nearby city centres. ---------- Post added 02-08-2013 at 12:07 ---------- Quote: Originally Posted by mapleboy Which means that the city centre is now like any other area of the city, with a mix of activities happening in it. So why SCC concentrate on it's development and tend to expend a mere fraction of their effort on developing other areas of the city is beyond me. SCC focus their efforts on the centre because it is the economic driver of the city and the entire SY region. It is by far the most important part of Sheffield and SY and it is quite right that they focus on it because what happens there effects every other part of the city. It is the heart of Sheffield and if it falters then everywhere else will suffer too. i know, look how bad the city centre is and how much of a knock on effect its having on meadowhall.....ohh wait....nope silly me, meadowhall thiving Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Shoes Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 i know, look how bad the city centre is and how much of a knock on effect its having on meadowhall.....ohh wait....nope silly me, meadowhall thiving Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android People come from all over South Yorkshire to go to Meadowhall. Most of my friends including myself hate Meadowhall but it is mostly the only option. Meadowhall is filled with teenagers, families with prams & chavs who are bored. I like to combine my shopping with a bit of lunch & a few drinks which you cant do in Meadowhall. Like most professionals, student & younger couples. And you have to remember that a huge amount of people work in & around the centre and dont have time for meadowhall. A city centre shopping experience would certainly sway alot of people. Especially who live in the south of the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 People come from all over South Yorkshire to go to Meadowhall. Same with the Trafford Centre in Manchester. Always packed but not necessarily with locals, and it doesn't mean Manchester city centre is dying or losing out. When I lived in Manchester I hardly ever went there, and certainly not at weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewC Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 i know, look how bad the city centre is and how much of a knock on effect its having on meadowhall.....ohh wait....nope silly me, meadowhall thiving Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android I've very rarely seen you post anything that wasn't a snide dig or sarcastic response to someone making a perfectly reasonable argument. Also, I very rarely see you provide any comment of worth. At least people like Penistone999 actually provide a bit of substance to their arguments, even if I disagree with them. So, looking at it without a chip on my shoulder or a snappy attitude, I think part of larven's argument is that the Meadowhall area isn't a patch on what it could be if the region as a whole had a stronger economy and if the council backed it's development and progress more than they do now. Neither of those things are the reality, largely because the council focus on protecting/controlling the city centre too much - the city centre suffers because developers walk away from a difficult council, and Mhall suffers because the overall city region is weaker for not having a proper centre. Both town and Mhall could co-exist and prosper; it isn't a zero-sum game. So, you ridicule his point by pointing out Meadowhall is thriving - well, it may be a big, decent shopping centre but it's a poor, aging relation of many more modern centres and don't forget about the millions of pounds of investment in various commerical and residential developments on adjoining land which is currently stalled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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