Could Sheffield be revived like Liverpool was by Michael Heseltine?

[Anna B 1,401]

I was in Liverpool this last week. It is difficult to imagine this was the same run down city that Derek Hatton led in the 1980s. Michael Hesseltine was given the freedom of Liverpool by the Labour Council because of his efforts in creating the transformation.

 

Last week the place was alive. During the day folks sat outside pubs and cafes all over the city. Liverpool 1 was buzzing. The docks area was filled with folks. In the evenings the city centre was packed. There are still scruffy bits but the opptimism of the locals is fantastic.

 

The transformation was incredible. Could the same be done in Sheffield?

 

Yes, of course the same could be done for Sheffield. It has so much in its favour and great people. I think the council, hard working as they might be, let it down by failing to grasp opportunities and failing to listen. There have been far too many embarrassing failures laid at their door for it to be a coincidence.

 

If this 'megacity' idea is to go ahead, (linking Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Hull - Sheffield once again being left out of the loop,) we need to think about stealing a march by opening up the railway tunnels through the Pennines and organising a high speed rail link through to Manchester.

 

And we need to raise Sheffield's profile, rather than let it lose out to Leeds.

[Riannon 10]

A frame with glass in it built into a wall is a window regardless of where the wall is.

 

I accept that as you live in Derbyshire you probably still have the window tax and so most of yours are still bricked up, even allowing for most buildings near you being barns, but a spade's a spade and a window's a window.

 

You do seem to want to make this personal. But if you want to live in a flat with no windows to the outside world that's up to you. I suppose if that's what you are used to then why not. No one else would live in it. No one would build it and no planners would allow it. But you knew that all along.

[Alan Ladd 10]

I was considering the effectiveness of rioting, it worked for Liverpool and for Brixton, could it work for Sheffield?

 

To be effective the populace would need to get fit, as I write this I am looking into Fargate, it is populated by enormously fat people who waddle around presumably looking for another snack, if we are to overthrow the status quo, we must make our shock troops fit for purpose.

 

I do not think that we could, for instance gather a crowd together in the Wicker for a march on the Town Hall, they would be out of breath before they got to the top of Commercial Street.

 

In order to kick start our revival, I will be holding get fit sessions in secret locations around the city as a precursor to the overthrow of the established order. Watch this space. (Try not to eat anything while you are waiting).

[alchresearch 214]

let us know when the docks are full of ships exporting all over the world

 

They are:

 

http://www.peel.co.uk/activities/ports

 

The Port of Liverpool is one of the busiest and most diverse ports in the UK handling over 30 million tonnes of cargo every year and serves more than 100 destinations around the world.

 

You're confusing the old docks - Albert Dock - which is now a tourist attraction, with the real docks further up the coast at Seaforth or down by the airport.

 

---------- Post added 31-07-2014 at 13:02 ----------

 

Sheffield got Meadowhall, Manchester had to get the Trafford Centre etc.

 

I'm not sure when work on Meadowhall started (all I can find are details of the opening in 1990) but Trafford Centre was planned in the 80's. It was delayed due to public enquirers. So, I don't think you can accuse Manchester of copying.

[Obelix 11]

That area will probablly do better once the grubby markets are knocked down. Sheffield had an arena, Leeds had to get one. Sheffield got Meadowhall, Manchester had to get the Trafford Centre etc. Maybe people just like to knock Sheffield because they're not from here and think they're better than us, maybe that sort of attitude is being to rub off onto Sheffielders

 

Leeds has no significant shopping centre like Meadowhall or Trafford - all we have here is White Rose and it's hardly enthralling.... yet Leeds is booming. York has the Designer Outlet close to excellent parking and a shuttle bus but that's dead despite being a good shopping draw. I'm not especially sold on big flash retail developments being a good or bad indicator of how well a cities fortunes are doing as they don't seem to be a good bellweather.

[truman 10]

Leeds has no significant shopping centre like Meadowhall or Trafford - all we have here is White Rose and it's hardly enthralling.... .

 

Aren't you forgetting this?

 

http://trinityleeds.com/shops

[Obelix 11]

Not really since it's only just opened, and Leeds was doing very well before that. Also it's still not a patch on Meadowhall or the Trafford Centre in my opinion, although it does have the benefit of being right in the centre of course. Perhaps if Sheffield council got it's backside in gear and got something like that on the Moor or Fargate...? Who knows.

[geared 303]

Leeds hasn't let their city centre go to rack and ruin tho, so it does get the footfall and it is quite vibrant.

 

If the place is a manky mess then people and business aren't going to want to go there.

[poppet2 13]

That's pretty easy to answer. Buildings only have windows on the outside. So when you convert a warehouse into flats you need to divide the space so rooms have windows. This inevitably means huge warehouses have to be converted into flats with large , usually open plan rooms. Big flats means they are not suitable for low cost housing.

 

No it doesn't.

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/classifieds/houses-flats-for-rent/converted-warehouse-london-rent.html

[truman 10]

Not really since it's only just opened, and Leeds was doing very well before that. Also it's still not a patch on Meadowhall or the Trafford Centre in my opinion, although it does have the benefit of being right in the centre of course. Perhaps if Sheffield council got it's backside in gear and got something like that on the Moor or Fargate...? Who knows.

 

It's a chicken and egg situation isn't it? Do you "Build it and they will come" or do you wait for the city centre footfall to reach a target and then build it..?

[Obelix 11]

It's a chicken and egg situation isn't it? Do you "Build it and they will come" or do you wait for the city centre footfall to reach a target and then build it..?

 

Well quite.... that's why I'm rather ambivilent of using them as a barometer for success. Building them certainly helped Birmingham say with the new Bullring. It's had stuff all effect in York... Leeds, perhaps Trinity will help but they were good before. Wakefield has done well out of it's revampings, but Coventry is still a bit of a pit....

 

I don't know if it would help, but I know that the current state of the Moor and bits like the old post office building etc in Sheffield don't help one jot. At least they made the station area look nice - but most shoppers are not going to arrive by train...

[Riannon 10]

No it doesn't.

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/classifieds/houses-flats-for-rent/converted-warehouse-london-rent.html

 

So if that's your definition of low cost housing there isn't a problem. :hihi: