BoroB Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 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 ---------- 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. I totally agree that demand for shops is consumer led and that they dictate who and what stays/wants to open. They also decide where they want to shop and and have vote with their feet. The question is why does the councils city centre plan no accept and reflect this? The experts commissioned by the council as part of the Next development scheme are quoted by the council as: 'The recent GVA study has underlined that the health of the city centre is fragile, is not currently vital and viable in retail terms' The experts are stating what most people see - a city centre that is dead on its feet and has been for years. Instead of devoting time and money to trying to revitalise what alot of people see as a dead duck, why don't the council accept the facts and put emphasis into finding alternative uses for buildings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planner1 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I totally agree that demand for shops is consumer led and that they dictate who and what stays/wants to open. They also decide where they want to shop and and have vote with their feet. The question is why does the councils city centre plan no accept and reflect this? The experts commissioned by the council as part of the Next development scheme are quoted by the council as: 'The recent GVA study has underlined that the health of the city centre is fragile, is not currently vital and viable in retail terms' The experts are stating what most people see - a city centre that is dead on its feet and has been for years. Instead of devoting time and money to trying to revitalise what alot of people see as a dead duck, why don't the council accept the facts and put emphasis into finding alternative uses for buildings? Isn't that what Sevenstone is trying to do, focus the retail in a tighter area, freeing up the rest for other potential usage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoroB Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Isn't that what Sevenstone is trying to do, focus the retail in a tighter area, freeing up the rest for other potential usage? What Sevenstone wants to do and what is actually going to happen appear to be two completely different things at the moment. Its like the city centre masterplan document the council have out - it paints an ambitious scenario that I think in reality will be totally different. I asked my crystal ball what will happen with Sevenstone but unfortunately it just shattered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'd like to know if Sevenstone have the staff available, or are they all tasked onto other sites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clown Shoes Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'd like to know if Sevenstone have the staff available, or are they all tasked onto other sites? I think when your investing £300m. You can afford to employ a few extra people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawny1970 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 planner1, you just stated thats what severnstone WANT to do, are you stating publicly that severnstone is going to happen?, because your last post implied that severnstone are going to start soon, or is it actually a case that its what scc want?? Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planner1 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 planner1, you just stated thats what severnstone WANT to do, are you stating publicly that severnstone is going to happen?, because your last post implied that severnstone are going to start soon, or is it actually a case that its what scc want?? Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android Where do you read in my last post a statement that Sevenstone will happen? The whole idea of the project is to concentrate retail into more of a core area than is currently the case. By the way, there is no "r" in Sevenstone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penistone999 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Where do you read in my last post a statement that Sevenstone will happen? The whole idea of the project is to concentrate retail into more of a core area than is currently the case. By the way, there is no "r" in Sevenstone Why would the council want to make the retail area in the city center smaller. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planner1 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Why would the council want to make the retail area in the city center smaller. ? I believe the idea is to have more of it in a central position, to overcome the issue some people have with Sheffield in that the main shopping area is strung out over a rather long distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penistone999 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I believe the idea is to have more of it in a central position, to overcome the issue some people have with Sheffield in that the main shopping area is strung out over a rather long distance. But then you end up with a large area with nothing there if most of the shops are condensed into a small area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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