I've just been catching up with the City Lofts discussion during whhich Sheffield City Council was criticised for allowing Meadowhall to be built and then moaning about it's adverse effects on city centre trade. In fairness it should be pointed out that Meadowhall was devised and planned by the Sheffield Development Corporation [SDC], a Thatcherite creation given carte blanche to do what it wanted with the Lower Don Valley. There were a couple of local councillors on the SDCBoard but they were overwhelmed by the (mainly) men in suits. The Council at the time did in fact point out that Meadowhall would not be good news for the city centre retail trade but had absolutely no powers to stop it from happening.

meadowhall recently put in an application to extend onto the overflow carpark but the council refused saying they didnt wanna take anymore business away from the city center

part of the reason they refused an ikea.........idiots

Did you know Meadowhell was designed as a prison??
if meadowhell failed this is what it was going to be, look at the out lay you can see it has different wings like a prison, the walls inside are re-inforced and about 3feet thick between stores.

Not sure if this is common knowledge, i know other people that worked on the building are aware of this.

Yet another urban myth. In fact this thread is only 3 posts old and it has quite a few of them.

- The SDC was a quango deliberately appointed to speed up regeneration of the LDV - It worked a treat and transformed a dead / dying industrial wasteland into the thriving industrial centre that it is today.
- Meadowhall had nothing to do with Thatcher.
- Meadowhall doesn't take trade form the city centre. In fact the city centre's retail figures went up.
- Other provincial cities manage quite well with edge of town / city shopping malls / parks. EG, Leeds, Manchester, Bradford, Newcastle - Derby, etc, etc, etc. Heck, even Doncaster!

The problem is Sheffield, and the long incumbent council have to take a large part / majority of the blame. This argument has been done to death to be honest.


Oh yes, one last thing - it's designed as a shopping centre, not a prison. :roll: None of the following quote is true... if meadowhell failed this is what it was going to be, look at the out lay you can see it has different wings like a prison, the walls inside are re-inforced and about 3feet thick between stores.

No evidence like, but I have heard the prison story and it seems feasable to me.

Now I are not saying it was designed as a Prison, as you say it was designed as a shopping mall, but just looking at the layout you can see that it would be easier to convert into a Prison than build from scratch...

As the Americans found out these Malls dont always work out (the Mall used in the Blues Brothers movie was a real Mall that closed just a few years after opening, and at least upto a couple of years ago stood empty).

It's got to be good business sense to have a plan B, just in case.

Just to continue the Meadowhall Urban Myth a mite longer. Thatcher may not have personally built Meadowhall, but her government funded the Sheffield Development Corporation which gave planning permission for Meadowhall. So I feel she does have some "ownership" of it and its effects.

Originally posted by telboy
Just to continue the Meadowhall Urban Myth a mite longer. Thatcher may not have personally built Meadowhall, but her government funded the Sheffield Development Corporation which gave planning permission for Meadowhall. So I feel she does have some "ownership" of it and its effects.

I'm no fan of Thatcher, but I do feel Meadowhall and the SDC was on the whole a sucess. A dead industrial wasteland has been transformed into somthing worth having with Meadowhall, the retail park, the Arena and then all the spin-offs like Ice Sheffield and the IES. How many thousands of Sheffield people (myself included) have found work at Meadowhall?

Yes, the city centre has its problems, but you can't blame Meadowhall for those. Start looking a bit closer to home - the people to blame for the state of Sheffield are the council, the shop keepers and Sheffield people.

another one for u ponds forge was originally going near meadowhall this is true as i was told by someone who was involved in the planning

I go to Meadowhell, every now and again. Lets face it, if it's bad weather - you're under cover. No drunks or scum-bags - the security soon shift them. No problem (well not usually) parking and no parking charges.

Meadowhell attracts shoppers from areas out of Sheffield who would ordinarily not go to Sheffield centre.

As for the city centre, it's a bit of chicken and egg. There are few decent shops (with the exception of John Lewis) so no reason to go into Sheffield for many. There won't be any decent shops because not enough people use the city centre.

Sheffield Council needs to reaslise that being very anti-car - without providing suitable/reliable alternatives - will result in less people making the effort to go into the City centre if they can go elsewhere.

Originally posted by telboy
Just to continue the Meadowhall Urban Myth a mite longer. Thatcher may not have personally built Meadowhall, but her government funded the Sheffield Development Corporation which gave planning permission for Meadowhall. So I feel she does have some "ownership" of it and its effects. And if any other government had been there instead of Mrs thatcher they'd have funded it too !
So yeh, news flash, the government funded Sheffield Development Corporation.

I think for someone with just two posts you do come up with a random load rubbish, go and hide in that Labour den of yours :gag: :gag: If you'd only registered to come up with that unobjective fact I wouldn't be surprised.

Originally posted by xpaddyxuk
Did you know Meadowhell was designed as a prison??
if meadowhell failed this is what it was going to be, look at the out lay you can see it has different wings like a prison, the walls inside are re-inforced and about 3feet thick between stores.

Not sure if this is common knowledge, i know other people that worked on the building are aware of this.

The walls between most of the smaller shops are made of plasterboard on metal framework- er, that'll hold back the prisoners then eh?

It seems a bit odd to be replying to such an old thread, but I just came across it via a Google search for something else.

Meadowhall was given outline planning permission by the Sheffield City Council in 1986 two years before the SDC was constituted as the temporary planning authority for the LDV. At the time, the council was most keen that the SDC should not claim any credit for the scheme which was actually underway and being built during the early months of the Development Corporation.

People should really check their facts before sounding off.

People should really check their facts before sounding off.

Doesnt normally stop people on the forum :)

It seems a bit odd to be replying to such an old thread, but I just came across it via a Google search for something else.

Meadowhall was given outline planning permission by the Sheffield City Council in 1986 two years before the SDC was constituted as the temporary planning authority for the LDV. At the time, the council was most keen that the SDC should not claim any credit for the scheme which was actually underway and being built during the early months of the Development Corporation.

People should really check their facts before sounding off.

Nice one!

Meadowhall is one of the few successes in Sheffield planning, access though is still a pain.
The city centre now has some beautiful features, but access is always the biggest problem. The Rail station as mentioned on another thread being a prime example. I know Sheffield, like most UK cities is hampered by old fashioned narrow streets but radical thinking must be done in design for the future. When properties become old and dilapidated instead of knocking down and rebuilding more thought should be given to access than just simply rebuilding in the same small space, whilst the population grows, and the roads get log-jammed every day.

I've just been catching up with the City Lofts discussion during whhich Sheffield City Council was criticised for allowing Meadowhall to be built and then moaning about it's adverse effects on city centre trade. In fairness it should be pointed out that Meadowhall was devised and planned by the Sheffield Development Corporation [SDC], a Thatcherite creation given carte blanche to do what it wanted with the Lower Don Valley. There were a couple of local councillors on the SDCBoard but they were overwhelmed by the (mainly) men in suits. The Council at the time did in fact point out that Meadowhall would not be good news for the city centre retail trade but had absolutely no powers to stop it from happening.

Maybe its not the fact its taking business away from the centre its just that the city centre is crap and doesn't have enough variety.

Sheffield seems to still do well, the worst place since Meadowhall has come about to suffer is Rotherham. Used to be a thriving little compact town centre, always bustling with people from far and wide, including us when living in Sheffield who used to visit on a regular basis and now there's nothing left. What can you expect with Meadowhall 2 miles to the west and Parkgate 1 mile to the north!

Sheffield seems to still do well, the worst place since Meadowhall has come about to suffer is Rotherham. Used to be a thriving little compact town centre, always bustling with people from far and wide, including us when living in Sheffield who used to visit on a regular basis and now there's nothing left. What can you expect with Meadowhall 2 miles to the west and Parkgate 1 mile to the north!


A lot of time and money is being pumped into Rotherham but like Meadow hell and sheffield, there is parkgate and rotherham!

Thank the lord they built meadowhall or sheffield would be even worse.

I think blaming a shopping centre is just an excuse for a failing city centre management. Manchester and Bolton do very well even though the Trafford Centre is on their doorstep.

Southport is starting to whinge about Liverpool One taking away their business, but Southport has been resting on its laurels for a long time and the shops are starting to become boring and dull, catering mainly for seniors. Liverpool One has a completely different clientèle.

Did you know Meadowhell was designed as a prison??
if meadowhell failed this is what it was going to be, look at the out lay you can see it has different wings like a prison, the walls inside are re-inforced and about 3feet thick between stores.

Not sure if this is common knowledge, i know other people that worked on the building are aware of this.

a prison has walls... Meadowhall has walls.

a prison has windows... Meadowhall has windows...

A prison has stairwells. Meadowhall has stairwells,

yes, I can see the resemblance.

What a stupid rumor.
Meadowhall is not designed as a prison.

Thick walls between shops... as if prisoners would get cells in excess of 30x30? Too much wasted space in the walkways for it to be a prison and how many prisons have railway stations and glass ceilings? :)

:hihi:What a stupid rumor.
Meadowhall is not designed as a prison.

Thick walls between shops... as if prisoners would get cells in excess of 30x30? Too much wasted space in the walkways for it to be a prison and how many prisons have railway stations and glass ceilings? :)

i can think of one place but it didnt have glass ceilings but it had a railway station..

all jokes aside i actually think this is a pointless thread the council dont no their right from their left and the way they look after the city centre is amazing i got asked to walk my push bike past city hall because they didnt want tyre marks on the floor i mean come on how pathetic is that and on sunday even better i was in the peace gardens with my mates and i was sat on the wheel of my bike and i was asked to get off the bike or leave the gardens in handcuffs...

again as for meadow hall being a prison if i was ever sent to jail i would ask to go to the meadow hall jail because you dont get many prison with a mcdonalds in it lol:hihi:

I think blaming a shopping centre is just an excuse for a failing city centre management. Manchester and Bolton do very well even though the Trafford Centre is on their doorstep.

Southport is starting to whinge about Liverpool One taking away their business, but Southport has been resting on its laurels for a long time and the shops are starting to become boring and dull, catering mainly for seniors. Liverpool One has a completely different clientèle.

quite agree their, its about supply and demand. if Meadowhall caters for a certain group then the city centre should concentrate on the remainder of the market. i dont actually like meadowhall as a day out as such.