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

[alchresearch]

Mary Portas was in the news this morning:

 

High Street: Portas criticises government over 'token gestures'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30480438

[roosterboost]

Thank-you for your well reasoned answer and agreement with my point.

 

But, your last comment is a little loose. I'm sure you did not mean that the consumer wanted to destroy the High Street and the fact that 'places like Sheffield' have not responded proves nothing.

 

In after WW2 Green Belt legislation was brought in to stop urban sprawl.

In 1982 the legislation was relaxed.

 

It is in these ways enterprises are controlled and we are protected from the worst excesses of unrestrained capitalism. Just because people want a thing and/or it makes money is not justification for allowing it to expand without control.

 

In 1982. If the Thatcher Government had known that the town centres of the country would be destroyed would they have allowed this to happen?

I don't think so.

 

Who was it that gave planning consent for the Meadowhall development?

 

That would be Sheffield city planners. As the Meadowhall development was built on the site of derelict steel works it wasn't a greenfield development and not affected by any relaxation of greenfield rules. Indeed as they still can't get planning consent to build on Lightwood Aerodrome it doesn't seem any relaxation you talk about made any difference whatsoever.

 

What has made a difference is allowing the decline of Sheffield City Centre over the decades of propsperity has now reached its conclusion. The siting of the HS2 station out at Meadowhall is a clear signal that the city centre is no longer around High Street and The Moor. It has moved to Meadowhall.

 

The HS2 plans will result in development of retail, offices, moving out where parking is available and links to the airport, the motorways and HS2 are convenient. I suspect in 20 years the current city centre will be the preserve of student flats, student bars, and students.

[Cyclone]

The location of the HS2 station is due to geographical and practical reasons. There was no good argument or real prospect of it being in the city centre.

[999tigger]

Who was it that gave planning consent for the Meadowhall development?

 

 

What has made a difference is allowing the decline of Sheffield City Centre over the decades of propsperity has now reached its conclusion. The siting of the HS2 station out at Meadowhall is a clear signal that the city centre is no longer around High Street and The Moor. It has moved to Meadowhall.

 

The HS2 plans will result in development of retail, offices, moving out where parking is available and links to the airport, the motorways and HS2 are convenient. I suspect in 20 years the current city centre will be the preserve of student flats, student bars, and students.

 

Decades propserity? When would these have been? The 60s?

 

The siting of the HS2 station is due to practical considerations.

 

Nothing wrong with students, if it wasnt for the Unis then the city centre would indeed be devastated.

[roosterboost]

The location of the HS2 station is due to geographical and practical reasons. There was no good argument or real prospect of it being in the city centre.

 

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/hs2-report-highlights-need-for-sheffield-centre-station-1-6965581

 

Have you mentioned this to the counil in Sheffield who are still calling for it to come into the centre of Sheffield. Certainly siting it a Meadowhall is logical if you think Sheffield city centre has become irrelevant.

 

---------- Post added 16-12-2014 at 12:51 ----------

 

Decades propserity? When would these have been? The 60s?

 

The siting of the HS2 station is due to practical considerations.

 

Nothing wrong with students, if it wasnt for the Unis then the city centre would indeed be devastated.

 

The country experienced massive growth in prosperity for around 2 decades right up to 2008. Perhaps Sheffield chose to let that pass by the city.

 

Students are great. I was one myself. The only problem with students is poverty. They are mainly on student loans, and their priority is to get drunk, have a good time and obtain a degree. It isn't to buy furniture, cars, and high end goods. So a city centre full of students isn't really going to tempt Harrods or Harvey Nicks to open a store.

Edited December 16, 2014 by roosterboost

[999tigger]

On the one hand rooster boost you blame the Council for lack of development in the city centre and then you diss them again for trying to bring HS2 with its obvious benefits closer to the city centre.

 

Think youll find that the end of the 90s we were in recession and the growth during the 90s was far greater in other parts of the country i.e London than it was in Sheffield. It certainly wasnt enough to revive the city in the way you pretend.

 

With the students come other highly paid jobs of lecturers and a potential graduate workforce. My point was without the student money, then the city centre would be in a lot worse place.

 

Did you used to post as bedrock?

[roosterboost]

On the one hand rooster boost you blame the Council for lack of development in the city centre and then you diss them again for trying to bring HS2 with its obvious benefits closer to the city centre.

 

Think youll find that the end of the 90s we were in recession and the growth during the 90s was far greater in other parts of the country i.e London than it was in Sheffield. It certainly wasnt enough to revive the city in the way you pretend.

 

With the students come other highly paid jobs of lecturers and a potential graduate workforce. My point was without the student money, then the city centre would be in a lot worse place.

 

Did you used to post as bedrock?

 

Perhaps if the council had done more to revive the city centre in the last 30 years the planners of HS2 might have thought it worthwhile bringing the line into Sheffield. And perhaps you should ask yourself why during those years of growth in the rest of the country did Sheffield manage to avoid it. Take Liverpool as an example of a city that had lost its major livelyhood but over 2 decades has transformed into a vibrant city with a thriving city centre.

 

Students do bring lecturers to the city. Those lecturers live in the suburbs not the student flats in the city centre and like everyone else in the region have the option of shopping at Meadowhall or anywhere else.

 

Did you used to post as bedrock?

[Cyclone]

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/hs2-report-highlights-need-for-sheffield-centre-station-1-6965581

 

Have you mentioned this to the counil in Sheffield who are still calling for it to come into the centre of Sheffield. Certainly siting it a Meadowhall is logical if you think Sheffield city centre has become irrelevant.

It's logical because it has an appropriate space for it.

It has parking for it.

It has the space for it without doing huge amounts of demolition.

And it's only 5 minutes from the city centre.

[roosterboost]

It's logical because it has an appropriate space for it.

It has parking for it.

It has the space for it without doing huge amounts of demolition.

And it's only 5 minutes from the city centre.

 

So you can save 15 minutes on your journey to London by waiting 5 minutes for a tram, taking a 10 minute tram ride from the city centre to Meadowhall and a 5 minute walk to the station. Sound thinking as long as its not raining.

 

What would they have to demolish in the city centre? There is nothing there.

[truman]

So you can save 15 minutes on your journey to London by waiting 5 minutes for a tram, taking a 10 minute tram ride from the city centre to Meadowhall and a 5 minute walk to the station. Sound thinking as long as its not raining.

 

What would they have to demolish in the city centre? There is nothing there.

 

How would they get the track in...which route would they use?