sb74

Thanks for your reply. I had found an old planning application (from 2007) with a proposal for this. I'm glad that the area is 'on the up'. That stretch of Scotland Street has been a wasteland for as long as I've known it, which seemed such a waste with its proximity to the City Centre.

There's lots happening on Scotland Street at the moment. In addition to the construction of more student accommodation (15/01794/FUL) at the former Princess Works there is some work taking place on the old Queens Hotel and Robert Neill & Co buildings. I did try to include a street view link but I don't have enough posts yet - try S3 7BX. Last week, the entire frontage was covered in scaffolding. The windows have been boarded up, the boards have been painted black, and 2 ventilation grates have been added to every board. It looks like a very careful job, and it appears that great care has been taken to make the buildings as presentable as possible. There was considerable foliage growing out of the Queens Hotel, which has been removed, and a very large skip was filled with waste from inside and outside both buildings. I can't find any planning applications, so my first guess is that the developers of Princess Works are trying to neaten the area up, to improve the appeal of the student accommodation they are building. Does anyone know any more about the future of these two buildings?

I also live in the area, and the teenagers aren't as bad as the yobbos that descend on The Office pub most Friday nights... Boy racers in the car park, shouting and screaming, fighting, glass being smashed, and the owners don't seem to care one bit.

Totally agree - I never understood why the buses got it before the trams...

Rymans on The Moor (opposite the new market)

I always use Marston Garage in Crookes, behind the Admiral Chippy. He's a proper mechanic, so he's not the cheapest, but he absolutely knows his stuff and is very pleasant to deal with. As for MOTs, 'The MOT Centre' on Broadfield Road near Heeley, is very good. Fast, efficient service, and they don't do repairs so they don't have any incentive to rip you off.