Mogster

There’s another big hole on the other side of Northumberland Rd that has been subject to attempted development that was abandoned. There’s often a good reason why high value land hasn’t been built on.

Interesting! Thanks for the info 🙂

Thanks for that, mystery solved! Definitely not drones but I didn’t get a good look at them, I was sat at the traffic lights in Woodseats with a very restricted view when they went over. And there’s nothing wrong with being a plane geek!

One of them looked like a drone to me but guess not if the pilots were visible!

Just saw two planes flying low in formation over south Sheffield but I didn’t get a good enough view to identify them, anyone know what they were? TIA

I’ve been taking my 68 Morris Minor to Valley Road testing station in Meersbrook for many year for both MOTs and general servicing and repairs. Across town from you but Alan who runs the place has always been brilliant. He definitely knows his way round a classic car is very reasonable. Importantly he’s not prone to mansplaining (this can be a frequent irritation when you’re female and have a classic car!). Good luck 😉

Picture House Social on Abbeydale Road. They drink the cocktails there. Never queue up at the bar behind one, you'll lose the will to live long before you get served.

There is always the issue of penalty clauses too - i.e. if the contractor fails to deliver, so what? I was in contracts a few years back & the penalty clauses for some public sector work were so soft that basically the contractor could deliver nowhere near what was agreed and get away with it. I would love to know what the penalty to the contractor would be if Streets Ahead didn't deliver to the agreed standards

I wouldn't make a sweeping generalisation and say 'yes' but the big utility & construction companies I've dealt with have many different subsidiaries that do different things, and for a really big contract 2 or more companies may link up and form a separate legal entity that they all have an interest in. I was involved in a PFI project a few years ago and the legal entity that won the contract was set up solely to deliver that work. So although I don't actually know because I haven't researched it, I would be very surprised if the bit of Amey that's delivering Streets Ahead is a long-established legal entity that is at the core of their business.

Sounds like Amey are overdue for a bit of Corporate restructuring, a name change and some rebranding

Really? my even more cynical side would point out that whatever legal entity Amey have created to deliver this contract could fold, leaving us with a mess. Wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. However I am slightly reassured by this

So more disruption which wouldn't be needed if the work had been done well, and the point still remains that these repairs will need to be paid for - by whom? I would love to know what the commercial arrangements are for this. If Amey are getting paid for maintenance as well as resurfacing, perhaps there is a perverse incentive for them to lay roads that will require lots of maintenance? Call me a cynic if you like but private companies seem to see the public purse as an easy cash cow and right now I have no confidence that my council tax is being spent wisely

Has anybody taken this to the information commissioner's office (ICO)? There is a presumption in favour of disclosure under FoI and a public interest test needs to be done, so if the public interest outweighs the adverse consequence of disclosure then the requested info must be disclosed. I can understand commercial confidentiality being a significant issue during tendering, but not so much now. I would think that the Council's stance on this could be robustly challenged

Thanks for that It's not all that reassuring though - having an outfit that can't seem to do a proper job responsible for maintaining the roads for the next 25 years does not fill me with joy! Remember we are/will be paying though the nose for this. I fear the Council Tax payers of Sheffield are getting shafted

Anyone else noticed how quickly some of the newly-laid roads are deteriorating? I was driving up through Walkey and into Crookes yesterday and noticed areas where the road seems to be slumping & breaking up, I'm sure it's affecting some areas that have been resurfaced. I was driving across town and saw the same on Abbeydale Rd South, Hangingwater Rd & roads around High Storrs and Dore that seem to have been only just been done. The road surface on Carterknowle Rd has also started to break up. Is this typical? If so, is there a clause in the Streets Ahead contract that means bad workmanship will get rectified at the contractor's expense?

Thanks for this There are a few 2nd hand boilers on Gumtree so I might give that a whirl - it's probably an easier option for me than eBay. I'm also considering Freecycle, I've never been on there before but I like the idea of it.

Cheers for the suggestion, I'll have a look

Because the boiler is in a stupid place, I need the space that the cylinder and header tank take up and I hate having to heat a whole cylinder full of water just to wash up (I have an electric shower & don't use hot water for much else). I am aware that combi boilers have more moving parts and are more likely to break down, but on balance I'd prefer to go down that route. ETA - I'd be grateful of this thread didn't turn into a critique of my decision making, frankly I don't care if people think I'm stupid but I would appreciate help in rehoming my old boiler!

Hi all, I was just wanting some advice. I have a conventional heating boiler (not a combi, it has a hot water cylinder) which is a good make (Vaillant), it was installed in 2009 not long before I bought my house in 2011. I've had a Gas Safe engineer service it annually, I've never had a problem with it & it works perfectly. However I am (probably stupidly) soon going to replace it with a combi and it seems like a shame to scrap the old one. Is there a market for 2nd hand boilers, and if so, could anyone suggest the best route to go down to try to shift it? I'm not after megabucks for it or anything - in fact if there was a charity out there that could move it on to a good home where it would be appreciated I'd happily donate it, apparently it's worth about a fiver as scrap. Any advice/suggestions gratefully received

It might get a bit complicated because I have a classic car & at least one insurance company I've used wouldn't even quote for it unless it was garaged. It's not good for the car though - far better for it to get some air around its undercarriage if you know what I mean Looks like I've got quite a bit of homework to do before I can make an informed decision but thanks for all your help

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I think if that was the case I'd have a car port instead (which is something I'm also considering - not as secure but better for my car, plenty of ventilation )

Architect I presume? It's corrugated white asbestos cement board so far from the worst sort (brown & blue asbestos are more hazardous). It's in good nick so would be OK if left undisturbed but it will need to come off which could release fibres if it's not dealt with properly. Definitely something I'd leave to a specialist

Thanks, might take you up on that

Just quick post to recommend Little London Bodyworks: http://www.littlelondonbodyworks.co.uk/ My Moggie has just been in for a new wing & front bumper, they have done a lovely job for a good price, no messing and the car was ready exactly when they said it would be. Cheers guys

Wow, what a great idea! I do have 2 cars but trouble is I think I'd have to sell one to afford it, and then I wouldn't need the stacker Hey ho!