What is happening to our city centre?

[dazzler4]

Captain_Scarlett has probably not even been and see it with his own eyes, but it doesn't stop him whining about how bad it is! The whingers on the "Big Wheel" threat are testament to this.

 

Some people are quick to condemn other cities, but if they actually went to them it would open their eyes to see what a rut Sheffield is in, and not just geographically, but culturally.

 

And their only comeback is "if you like it so much, go and live there".

 

tell me about it, general thoughts on here are for Sheffield just to become one big green open space!

 

 

I have lived in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and London. I have an idea of how sheffield could look from the times i have spent in those. Sheffield has lots of potential!!

 

I now choose to live here because my OH is from here originally.

[Naylor]

This is Sheffield, not Sir Alan's ugly canal-side penthouse.I'm not willing to compromise and have ugly buildings such as Liverpool One, Arndale or Frenchgate in town. A "normal" city or town centre is not a mall.

Each to their own, the Peace Gardens are terrible, the old ones were actually gardens. Tudor Square is no more and the plans are laughable at best. The digital Campus is an insult to Sheffield, whoever thought these cheap prefab, multicoloured, odly shaped tat would be the "entrance to the city2 so many crave for? The metal wall outside the station is equally as short-sighted, it blights the view to and from the station. the Wicker was an absolute waste of money and time, it's desolate and impractical for bus, car users and pedestrians. The bus stops straddle the new ring road, cars can't use it and it's ugly.When I see plans like Sevenstone put forward I wonder if people should be allowed to have visions. With other cities allegedly having taken the lead we know what to avoid to:

• Not be a clone of other cities
  
• Create a unique and organic shopping experience; with streets and shops, not malls.
  
• Do something with taste; blue neons and shiny bubbles is not tasteful.
  

 

Get real!! The peace gardens are ugly? Don't think so. Apart from attracting drunks and the like when they were the original peace gardens, they are now more aesthetically pleasing. It's about having structure and communal areas that appeal to the minnions of this city. Back in the day, people were afraid to go on the peace gardens because of the p**s heads. WHY are people so opposed to change. Like I said in my previous post, you must be happy to keep the delapidated old markets and the moor. In fact, I'd be certain to predict that you would like to flatten the whole area, bring back the egg box, get rid of the trams and tunnel out the old hole in the road with it's rank, vandalised subways. I cant believe there is a petition to downing street to oppose the new developments. Your lives must be pretty boring and meaningless if that's all you have time for. (Do I sense a grouchy old person doing these posts?)

 

Personally I think the road developments around the wicker with the new trunk road are a major improvement. It now takes far less time to get into the city centre, and its actually easier once you get used to navigating your way round. As for parking being extortionate, does anyone use the victoria quays car park. Its £3.50 all day parking.

 

As for doing something with taste, there are plans to flatten the castle market and expose the old sheffield castle that lies underneath. This area will be green, surely an improvement on the over imposing rank buildings that currently stand there. The only premises on that side of haymarket that are going to be left standing is the Wilkinson building. The BHS has been planned to be redeveloped into retail units and offices.

 

It's like the bloody numpties who have slapped a preservation order on the old co-op building on angel street. Now thats damn ugly. What planet do these people live on?

 

There's so much Sheffield has to offer, but it is going to be SO much better. Personally I say bring it on and to he*l with the miserable moaning sods who cant stand change.

[goldenfleece]

As for doing something with taste, there are plans to flatten the castle market and expose the old sheffield castle that lies underneath. This area will be green, surely an improvement on the over imposing rank buildings that currently stand there..

 

Now THAT would be superb, and it would also be a major City centre tourist attraction. Not on the scale obviously as Nottingham castle or similar other City centre historic buildings, but a great foundation to create a major historic attraction with the right marketing and appeal. Certainly a welcome change to the eyesore than covers up the site. In this instance, the future is clearly in the past, and the exposure of real historic 12th century (?) remains

 

I am all for tearing down eyesores for the renovation or exposure of ancient buildings and sites, but NOT faceless concrete apartments and modern crap. I am sure there are many more historic sites under the city centre........the castle would have a moat for example, part of which I believe forms a section of the river near there, and what a great project that would make to help furnish a truly thrilling slice of Sheffield history and make it available to the public.

Edited May 28, 2009 by goldenfleece

[bigsiqc]

This is only true for a small part of teh city centre. The empty shops elsewhere have nothing to do with Sevenstones. The Council couldnt (and shouldnt) step in to subsidise private businesses.

 

I agree but neither should their actions unfairly prejudice private business. their decisions, but mainly their lack of planning and lengthy time to respond are doing just that.

[C3PO]

I agree but neither should their actions unfairly prejudice private business. their decisions, but mainly their lack of planning and lengthy time to respond are doing just that.

 

 

This is the point that "forumer" seems to forget. its the Liberal Democrat councillors who refuse all the Sevenstone applications... what did Hammersons say? if we cant get an application through the planning board were basically going to have problems... they refused to agree to any of the planning applications last year when they went to board and basically the recession hit about 6 months later. If there had been a permission maybe we would have seen some building work by now. the banks must have been ready to pay out at that time but the Lib dems are so indecisive.

 

Couldnt organise a p*ss up in a brewery as far as I can see

[alchresearch]

How can a city be in a rut geographically?

 

What a stupid statement.

 

It's surrounded by hills. Look at it from any of them and it looks like the city is in a crater.

[bigsiqc]

This is the point that "forumer" seems to forget. its the Liberal Democrat councillors who refuse all the Sevenstone applications... what did Hammersons say? if we cant get an application through the planning board were basically going to have problems... they refused to agree to any of the planning applications last year when they went to board and basically the recession hit about 6 months later. If there had been a permission maybe we would have seen some building work by now. the banks must have been ready to pay out at that time but the Lib dems are so indecisive.

 

Couldnt organise a p*ss up in a brewery as far as I can see

 

I don’t want not make my point political. The current administration have been tardy and have not showered themselves in glory. But this scheme is 10 years old. The previous administrations have equally failed to make any contingency plans for delay and it is the current council that is left holding the baby.

 

Equally council officers, many of whom are highly qualified in this field, failed to raise concerns over lack of contingency plans. I know we are in a recession, but isn’t this a re-run of previous schemes in Sheffield affected by a recession.

 

I agree the delays at planning have been unacceptable. Hammersons were talking to Sheffield and Leicester at the same time and Leicester’s project is build and working.

[forumer]

This is the point that "forumer" seems to forget. its the Liberal Democrat councillors who refuse all the Sevenstone applications... what did Hammersons say? if we cant get an application through the planning board were basically going to have problems... they refused to agree to any of the planning applications last year when they went to board and basically the recession hit about 6 months later. If there had been a permission maybe we would have seen some building work by now. the banks must have been ready to pay out at that time but the Lib dems are so indecisive.

 

Couldnt organise a p*ss up in a brewery as far as I can see

 

That is total and utter rubbish. Your just making things up now.

 

Not one single planning application regarding Sevenstones was refused. Also, even if there had been a delay, which there wasnt, the building work was never due to begin until way after the recession hit.

 

Throughout this whole thread you still havent actually suggested anything extra that the Council should do.

[forumer]

Hammersons were talking to Sheffield and Leicester at the same time and Leicester’s project is build and working.

 

Again, that is factually incorrect. Leicesters project was always scheduled way before Sheffields.

[Ousetunes]

I was having a good look at Picture Sheffield's website the other day and I swiftly came to a conclusion that the city of today is an absolute pile of junk compared to the city of the 1960s and 1970s. Developer after developer, planner after planner and councillor after councillor has managed to ruin a decent city centre by turning it into a mess.

 

I am of the opinion that the biggest **** up of all was closing The Moor to traffic, ensuring that that ridiculous decision could not be reversed by way of building the hideous monstrosity of what was formerly known as the Manpower Services Building at Moorfoot. It severed the city centre from London Road and Ecclesall Road and even the promised footbridge to connect Moorfoot to these areas was never built.

 

In the thirty years since The Moor was pedestrianised it has been fast-tracked into nothing more than a sewer selling items at less than a pound, shoddy, unkempt market stalls and an already demolished bandstand getting in the way of any shopper foolish enough to take their business there. It leads nowhere once you get to Moorfoot; you simply do a U turn and once again walk past boarded-up premises or shops whose wares are verging on the embarrassing.

 

The decent shops - yes, we had some - soon caught on and got the hell out of the place. Somehow, Atkinson's and Debenham's remain but for how long, who knows? Our council built dual carriageways and underpasses to circumnavigate The Moor. These no longer remain, the council having had yet another (expensive) change of heart.

 

But this is it: councils of whatever standing deter motorists and this is the outcome. I recall bus rides and car journeys down the Moor and it was a totally different place. You could continue up Pinstone Street to Fargate where there were more decent shops. Rackham's, Schofield's, C & A, Cole Brothers (in its original guise), Wilson Peck et al. Now, walk up Fargate and it's mobile phone shop after mobile phone shop and pestering canvassers.

 

If that wasn't bad enough, successive councils killing the city centre, they built a tramline which took customers to a privately-run shopping centre four miles out of town! A centre which not only catered for motorists but did so without expecting them to pay half their monthly mortgate costs simply in order to park their cars.

 

"Oh bugger", they must have said, "everyone's decided to go to Meadowhall, sir."

 

Take a look at some of the pictures on Picture Sheffield, be it Castle Square, The Moor, Fargate or Barker's Pool. Look at the businesses which have cleared off, look at the extent to which planners will go to confuse, irritate and *result* turn away the motorist and his business by way of one-way systems, no-through roads, pedestrianised areas, bus- and tram-gates and of course, their Joker Card, endless red lights.

 

Finally, I'm beginning to like the ugly tower block which has gone up and totally ruined our Victorian Town Hall. It's like a huge single finger, raised as a gesture toward the incompetents in the Town Hall Beneath.

 

Saves me the effort of having to do the same as I pass on my way to buy five flannels for 99p from that sole-remaining shop on The Moor.