ECCOnoob Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 My mrs and a friend had a day out in Chester last week . She came back and never stopped extolling it . Beautiful old buildings , high end shops , small independent shops , very clean . She actually said why cant Sheffield be like that. Now I know Chester is smaller than Sheffield but it shows what could be done with a bit of sensitive planning Because the Germans didn't bomb the crap out of it night after night. Because Chester has never been a city built on heavy industry. Because Chester was a well founded roman walled city as early as the first century. Sheffield meanwhile, other than sporadic discoveries was not really established as a city until several centuries later. Because Chester is at the absolute nucleus of one of the most wealthy areas outside London. Sheffield/Chester cannot even be put in even the same league for comparison. When will people accept that Sheffield was and still is an industrial city. Its never going to be pretty. Its never going to be on the top of the tourist maps for its architecture. Its never going to be filled with masses of historically important buildings. We have plenty of expensive brands for those who want it. We have independent stores for those who bother to look for them. We have trendy restaurants. We have cocktail bars. We have hipster cafes. YES, I concede not as many as places like Chester but that's for the very simple reason that Sheffield doesn't have enough people willing to pay Chester style prices. As for historic buildings which people scream absolutely positively must be preserved, with exception of those bombed out in wartime, how many really have the council had a direct hand in pulling down without merit. This preservation argument comes up time and time again but nobody seems to care about the actual economics. Buildings cost money to maintain and renovate. You cannot force a developer to move into one if its unsuitable. You cannot force a developer to spend money doing something up if its going to cost them 10x what a new build would. No matter how good something may be treasured, leaving it rotting empty isnt good either. If a developer wont pay to maintain it who should? Council tax payers? Cant see that going down very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest makapaka Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Because the Germans didn't bomb the crap out of it night after night. Because Chester has never been a city built on heavy industry. Because Chester was a well founded roman walled city as early as the first century. Sheffield meanwhile, other than sporadic discoveries was not really established as a city until several centuries later. Because Chester is at the absolute nucleus of one of the most wealthy areas outside London. Sheffield/Chester cannot even be put in even the same league for comparison. When will people accept that Sheffield was and still is an industrial city. Its never going to be pretty. Its never going to be on the top of the tourist maps for its architecture. Its never going to be filled with masses of historically important buildings. We have plenty of expensive brands for those who want it. We have independent stores for those who bother to look for them. We have trendy restaurants. We have cocktail bars. We have hipster cafes. YES, I concede not as many as places like Chester but that's for the very simple reason that Sheffield doesn't have enough people willing to pay Chester style prices. As for historic buildings which people scream absolutely positively must be preserved, with exception of those bombed out in wartime, how many really have the council had a direct hand in pulling down without merit. This preservation argument comes up time and time again but nobody seems to care about the actual economics. Buildings cost money to maintain and renovate. You cannot force a developer to move into one if its unsuitable. You cannot force a developer to spend money doing something up if its going to cost them 10x what a new build would. No matter how good something may be treasured, leaving it rotting empty isnt good either. If a developer wont pay to maintain it who should? Council tax payers? Cant see that going down very well. Excellent post - well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightrider Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Not sure what's going on with the central library but maybe SCC should take a leaf out of Salford council's book Well it certainly seems to be full of intrigue - enough to make a foreign newspaper take interest: http://www.atimes.com/article/another-uk-china-deal-ice-amid-secrecy-confusion// Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackey lad Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Well it certainly seems to be full of intrigue - enough to make a foreign newspaper take interest: http://www.atimes.com/article/another-uk-china-deal-ice-amid-secrecy-confusion// Very interesting , I had thought that they had gone very quiet on this deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylslinn Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Is the closure and conversion to a hotel still going to happen, it's gone very quiet on this subject or is that what the council were hoping for ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Arctor Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Because the Germans didn't bomb the crap out of it night after night. Because Chester has never been a city built on heavy industry. Because Chester was a well founded roman walled city as early as the first century. Sheffield meanwhile, other than sporadic discoveries was not really established as a city until several centuries later. Because Chester is at the absolute nucleus of one of the most wealthy areas outside London. Sheffield/Chester cannot even be put in even the same league for comparison. When will people accept that Sheffield was and still is an industrial city. Its never going to be pretty. Its never going to be on the top of the tourist maps for its architecture. Its never going to be filled with masses of historically important buildings. We have plenty of expensive brands for those who want it. We have independent stores for those who bother to look for them. We have trendy restaurants. We have cocktail bars. We have hipster cafes. YES, I concede not as many as places like Chester but that's for the very simple reason that Sheffield doesn't have enough people willing to pay Chester style prices. As for historic buildings which people scream absolutely positively must be preserved, with exception of those bombed out in wartime, how many really have the council had a direct hand in pulling down without merit. This preservation argument comes up time and time again but nobody seems to care about the actual economics. Buildings cost money to maintain and renovate. You cannot force a developer to move into one if its unsuitable. You cannot force a developer to spend money doing something up if its going to cost them 10x what a new build would. No matter how good something may be treasured, leaving it rotting empty isnt good either. If a developer wont pay to maintain it who should? Council tax payers? Cant see that going down very well. All excellent points. To those who continually extol the likes of Manchester and Leeds over Sheffield: why not move there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaytie Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Hopefully this abominable plan is dead in the water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackey lad Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 All excellent points. To those who continually extol the likes of Manchester and Leeds over Sheffield: why not move there? Shocking statement . I love this city more than most , proud to say I am a Sheffielder . The only thing I don't like are the bunch of blinkered amateurs ,posing as a council that run this fine city Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Shocking statement . I love this city more than most , proud to say I am a Sheffielder . The only thing I don't like are the bunch of blinkered amateurs ,posing as a council that run this fine city Put your money where your mouth is and stand for election, then you can influence change. If you're elected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackey lad Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Put your money where your mouth is and stand for election, then you can influence change. If you're elected. Standard reply ,when anyone dare criticise this glorious council Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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