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

[Cyclone]

From that quote it would seem that this particular journalist hasn't seen it at all and is making it up entirely.

 

---------- Post added 12-12-2014 at 11:11 ----------

 

Supermarkets have abandoned town centres? Have you been in one since the 70s?

 

You're not going to find a Tesco Extra or any other large supermarket in a town centre. Nor would you expect to.

 

Supermarkets don't drive town centre commerce. People drive to the supermarket, load up on groceries and then drive it home before the frozen stuff defrosts.

 

---------- Post added 12-12-2014 at 11:12 ----------

 

The supermarkets are the heart of the Town centre. They pump the blood (customers) to all the other organs (shops). So why did they abandon the Town centre's.

 

I blame Thatcher - easy to say but here's the evidence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_centre

 

Wikipedia - During the Thatcher government of the 1980s, a change in planning policy allowed competing out-of-town shopping and leisure centres to be developed. Examples include the Metro Centre in Gateshead, the Merry Hill Centre in Dudley, and the Gyle Centre in Edinburgh. Developments of this type have, in a number of places, resulted in a decline in traditional town centres.

 

Why did they do it?

 

Because it makes total sense to make shopping centres out of the congested city centre and close to the good communication links (ie the M1).

[alchresearch]

When it comes to business rates and letting commercial property in Sheffield, the council have made their choices. They would rather have 100% of nothing than a percentage of something. I hope you know what I mean.

 

I do. We have the exact same problems with our council on the Wirral.

 

---------- Post added 12-12-2014 at 11:17 ----------

 

You're not going to find a Tesco Extra or any other large supermarket in a town centre. Nor would you expect to.

 

Asda built a big supermarket right in the town centre of Birkenhead a year or two ago.

 

There's a big Aldi in the centre of Manchester (IIRC its on two levels). Ditto Liverpool.

 

And the M&S food stores in both towns are also pretty big.

[roosterboost]

 

Asda built a big supermarket right in the town centre of Birkenhead a year or two ago.

 

There's a big Aldi in the centre of Manchester (IIRC its on two levels). Ditto Liverpool.

 

And the M&S food stores in both towns are also pretty big.

 

Liverpool One is a fantastic shopping centre smack bang in the heart of Liverpool. No shortage of stores there, although to be fair there is a shortage of poindshops and betting shops in Liverpool One.

 

http://www.theretaildatabase.com/store%20list.php?ID=16

 

Look at the list Sheffield and eat your heart out.

 

---------- Post added 12-12-2014 at 14:14 ----------

 

 

 

Because it makes total sense to make shopping centres out of the congested city centre and close to the good communication links (ie the M1).

 

A bit like Oxford Street then?

Edited December 12, 2014 by roosterboost

[Cyclone]

Is Oxford Street (I assume you mean London) a recent development?

 

You Flanker7 asked why they were allowing out of town shopping to be built. What did you think Oxford Street had to do with the answer to that question?

 

---------- Post added 12-12-2014 at 14:18 ----------

 

Asda built a big supermarket right in the town centre of Birkenhead a year or two ago.

Just off the M53 you mean? So that people with cars can shop there.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe supermarkets attract people from outside the city centre, to battle through the congestion to park up, shop elsewhere, then collect their groceries and head home...

 

Or maybe for grocery shopping people drive to the closest supermarket of their preferred brand, shop and immediately go home.

 

I know which I do.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Cyclone

[roosterboost]

Is Oxford Street (I assume you mean London) a recent development?

 

You asked why they were allowing out of town shopping to be built. What did you think Oxford Street had to do with the answer to that question?

 

Well as I never asked the question in the first place you should perhaps ask your psychiatrist that one.

 

Does a successful city centre shopping centre need to be a modern development? I'm assuming that as Oxford Street was bombed even more than the Moor the buildings are pretty much the same age.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8937000/8937074.stm

 

The Moor was a main shopping street in Victorian times.

Edited December 12, 2014 by roosterboost

[Harrystottle]

They are stating the obvious though, aren't they? Drive somewhere new, park up for free and shop under cover. As opposed to parking away from the shops, paying and wandering round a dying city centre. Anybody who's been to somewhere like Wakefield can see what's happened. They ought to bomb that city's centre as an act of mercy.

Maybe you can bring city centres back to life by converting some of the empty shops into flats and bring customers to the doorsteps of the shops that way?

[L00b]

<...>Because it makes total sense to make shopping centres out of the congested city centre and close to the good communication links (ie the M1).

A bit like Oxford Street then?

That's quite a topical parallel to draw: Meadowhall was beating Oxford Street for Christmas shopper footfall for years and years (and the reason why M'hall units were amongst the most expensive retail leases in the country per sqm, for a correspondingly long time).

[roosterboost]

They are stating the obvious though, aren't they? Drive somewhere new, park up for free and shop under cover. As opposed to parking away from the shops, paying and wandering round a dying city centre. Anybody who's been to somewhere like Wakefield can see what's happened. They ought to bomb that city's centre as an act of mercy.

Maybe you can bring city centres back to life by converting some of the empty shops into flats and bring customers to the doorsteps of the shops that way?

 

You do have a point, but as mecky said earlier there is nothing in Sheffield city centre to make people want to go there. If you go to Liverpool One the place is bustling. There are decent pubs around. Things to see and things to do. They even have the lambananas. Sheffield has poundshops and bookies.

 

Folks shop at Meadowhall because it is convenient. They don't shop in the town centre because it is crap. While ever it is crap folk won't go, and whilst folk won't go no one will build anything of high end because it would be a waste of money. It is going to be difficult to turn around, but there again it should never have got to the point of decline in the first place.

[Flanker7]

Supermarkets have abandoned town centres? Have you been in one since the 70s?

 

Whats this meant to mean? -

1. Yes. Supermarkets have abandoned town centres.

2. Yes. I have been to dozens of town centres since the 70's!

 

Doh! was that sarcasm? Let me expand a little.

 

Supermarkets were not allowed to 'abandon the town centres' prior to the 80's, - planning permission decisions prevented out of town developments.

 

I answered the question , sort of. I would not say 'kill' because I don't think it was a deliberate policy but the decline of many town and city centres can be unavoidably linked to the proliferation of out-of-town shopping malls nationwide. I don't deny that the out-of-town malls are economically successful but casualties of this success are the town and city centres.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Flanker7

[Cyclone]

Well as I never asked the question in the first place you should perhaps ask your psychiatrist that one.

Or perhaps you should see the context in which things are said, and not make random unrelated statements.

 

Does a successful city centre shopping centre need to be a modern development? I'm assuming that as Oxford Street was bombed even more than the Moor the buildings are pretty much the same age.

Strawman much?

 

---------- Post added 12-12-2014 at 17:12 ----------

 

You do have a point, but as mecky said earlier there is nothing in Sheffield city centre to make people want to go there. If you go to Liverpool One the place is bustling. There are decent pubs around. Things to see and things to do. They even have the lambananas. Sheffield has poundshops and bookies.

 

Folks shop at Meadowhall because it is convenient. They don't shop in the town centre because it is crap. While ever it is crap folk won't go, and whilst folk won't go no one will build anything of high end because it would be a waste of money. It is going to be difficult to turn around, but there again it should never have got to the point of decline in the first place.

 

Well, I'm off out into the city centre to visit the many micro brewery pubs and then for a meal.

 

I'm sure it'll be totally empty though.