How Sheffield is portrayed. Why did they kill the city centre?

[E-Man Groovin]

For the small number of SF members who don't read The Economist regularly, here's a short piece about the hollowing out of city centres, focused on Sheffield.

 

http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21633907-britains-largest-cities-are-centralising-smaller-ones-are-doing-opposite-empty-centre?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/empty_centre

[1978]

The effects are not uniform across the country, but are indeed very similar.

 

Just had a trip to Manchester to ride the Metrolink system. It's superb!! Takes folks from all round the region to Manchester's core really smoothly and quickly. Excellent if you live near the tram network. What will happen after it links in with the Trafford Centre is anyone's guess but central Manchester can probably stand it.

 

Newcastle's centre has coped well with the competition from the Metrocentre thanks to the Metro going right to the centre from Sunderland and towns many miles away. (Visitors are surprised to discover the Metro and Metrocentre have nothing to do with each other!)

 

However, looking at old centres like Oldham, Rochdale, Eccles, and Altrincham is a bit depressing. Once proud towns, their past glories have largely gone, and what's left is struggling. It's similar around Tyneside. Peripheral streets in the centres and smaller shopping centres are being destroyed by competition from big out of town centres designed for car access. The internet is a killer blow for many who'd survived against the odds.

 

Portas initiatives were no more than a personal PR stunt. Water can be made to flow up hill, but may require more pumping than it's worth. We have to adapt. If we want thriving centres we need more living space near the centre, populated by people with money to spend. That will be of greater help than any other gimmickry.

 

Maybe the real point is that we've all got used to travelling too easily, for business or leisure. And also getting too many goods from too far away, whether in manufacturing or retailing. I like my car, holidays and buying online. I don't vote Green, but I can see where they're coming from.

[ECCOnoob]

What a load of horse crap. The sentiment was in the right area but what a complete hash of an execution.

 

Numpty from the Economist has a quick wander around with a photographer and manages to only take a shot of a street which is currently shut up awaiting a major redevelopment. Why bother to take pics of Fargate, Peace Gardens, Barkers Pool, Division Street and Tudor Square.... you know places where people actually walk around.

 

How do they know that the populus of Debenhams was more than the entire central high street. Which one would that be. That's the thing about cities. they have more than one street. Did they actually go walking around and counting up people. My backside they did.

 

As for the laughable comment about "office blocks" lit up and joggers on treadmills on "ground floor gyms".

 

That would The Source right? ONE office block - which is nothing more than a glorified training centre and ONE gym, which surprisingly is one of the smallest and least used ones.

 

Jesus what was this journalist on. Maybe stand at the top of fargate or peace gardens around 4.00 in the afternoon and see how many buzzy office blocks are lit up.

 

***Correction: I have just noticed that the photograph used with this article is nothing but stock images from the Guardian's library. Im starting to wonder if this writer has actually even stepped foot in Sheffield.

Edited November 22, 2014 by ECCOnoob
Correction

[Jeffrey Shaw]

Is it not however true that the dereliction caused by the Hammerson scheme's failure blights Sheffield?

[Walkley0 Mum]

Its just typical of the lazy journalism we get today. Sad.

[muddycoffee]

The spectator tends to have a right wing stance, the article is in a typical house style referencing only Labour Run councils to try and make a point. I wouldn't take much credence from their journalism the same as I wouldn't consider "socialist Worker" to be an ideal reference point for their coverage of "Royal family" stories.

[LeMaquis]

Is it not however true that the dereliction caused by the Hammerson scheme's failure blights Sheffield?

 

It blights that bit of the city centre where Sevenstones was due to be built but go a minute from there and the Peace Gardens, Fargate etc, are hardly blighted. The Christmas Market on Fargate at the moment is lovely to wander round.

[Jeffrey Shaw]

It blights that bit of the city centre where Sevenstones was due to be built

It's quite a big 'bit'!

[truman]

The spectator tends to have a right wing stance, the article is in a typical house style referencing only Labour Run councils to try and make a point. I wouldn't take much credence from their journalism the same as I wouldn't consider "socialist Worker" to be an ideal reference point for their coverage of "Royal family" stories.

 

It's "The Economist" not the "Spectator"..or have I missed a bit...?

[LeMaquis]

It's quite a big 'bit'!

 

Is it? Businesses have closed on Cambridge Street but there are other places still open. A fire station has been knocked down and is bringing in revenue for the council as a car park. The BT building is being taken down. But round it Debenhams is open, as is John Lewis, and the council is going ahead with Plan B instead of just whinging about blight.

 

Of course some people are naturally miserable buggers and only see the downside of everything.

 

---------- Post added 26-11-2014 at 17:28 ----------

 

It's "The Economist" not the "Spectator"..or have I missed a bit...?

 

How long has The Economist not been right-wing?