What is so good about Sheffield City Centre?

[Longcol 604]

It was - especially around the Piccadilly gardens area. There was a huge effort made a year or so ago and it's vastly improved now.

 

Or maybe not. Article dated 11 May 2018.

 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/piccadilly-gardens-manchester-your-thoughts-14646534

 

Angela Hogg described the area ‘an absolute eyesore’.

 

“Piccadilly Gardens and the surrounding area is drab and filthy,” she added.

 

“Every morning I walk past it. It’s full of people taking Spice shouting at each other and there’s rubbish strewn around.

 

“It needs knocking to the ground and starting again.”

[paula4sheff 10]

Or maybe not. Article dated 11 May 2018.

 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/piccadilly-gardens-manchester-your-thoughts-14646534

 

Angela Hogg described the area ‘an absolute eyesore’.

 

“Piccadilly Gardens and the surrounding area is drab and filthy,” she added.

 

“Every morning I walk past it. It’s full of people taking Spice shouting at each other and there’s rubbish strewn around.

 

“It needs knocking to the ground and starting again.”

 

Oh dear! Doesn't sound ideal does it?!

 

I must have visited just after one of these clampdowns and got lucky!

[lesserthan1 10]

So the other day I had the misfortune to walk down to castle markets to get something from b and m. Jesus. Talk about a bunch of mutants! Blokes walking around looking like they were spoiling for a fight, a tramp actually shouting at pigeons, many people who looked like they were familiar with the smack wandering about off their faces. Absolutely shocking. Looked like the last half hour of threads had actually come true. They probably had a full set of teeth between the lot of them.

 

So, why do this end of town up? Anything we do will be wasted by the lower classes, and anything we try will surely result in bad publicity for Sheffield. If it was up to me I'd just seal it all in concrete and dump it in the North sea, people included. God I hate town, if it wasn't for work I genuinely wouldn't go there.

[Guest makapaka]

It was - especially around the Piccadilly gardens area. There was a huge effort made a year or so ago and it's vastly improved now.

 

---------- Post added 04-07-2018 at 00:47 ----------

 

 

How is Meadowhall a factor on the number of empty retail units in a city? It's full of retail units....all/most of them full, so impacts positively on the per centage statistic. As well as the fact that most cities now have an 'out of town' shopping centre so Sheffield isn't unique in that aspect by any means.

 

What other reasons are there for Sheffield having the fourth biggest amount of empty retail units in England, other than the fact people aren't choosing to spend their money there?

 

The other things myself and other people have been saying are all examples of why people aren't choosing to visit Sheffield city centre to spend their money.

 

There's not really an argument here - Sheffield is struggling. Saying it isn't is flying in the face of the information we have.

 

One of the reasons I believe it's struggling is that it isn't inviting and pleasant as a place to shop - there will be others, but this will doubtless be one of them.

 

I'm not too sure what else there is to say - the empty shops aren't empty for no reason...and the percentage is far higher than in other towns/cities in the same region.

 

Why argue with those points? There's really nothing to argue about - it needs sorting out, so it becomes a more desirable place.

 

The stats you posted are based on city centre retail units so Meadowhall wouldn’t impact positively on the percentage at all would it. Don’t you read the information before you post it.

 

You don’t really have information - you have opinions - how many of the empty shop units in town are in the area around pinstone street / Charles street / moor area which is currently being redeveloped?

 

Which other cities have an out of town shopping centre the size of Meadowhall 15mins bus/tram ride away?

[Foodie90 10]

Sheffield City Centre has started to really improve over the last couple of years. You just have to look at all the cranes towering around to realise there are big plans to improve it! It's exciting time to live in Sheffield and hopefully it continues to improve and attract more big businesses.

[Michael_N 36]

Sheffield City Centre has started to really improve over the last couple of years. You just have to look at all the cranes towering around to realise there are big plans to improve it! It's exciting time to live in Sheffield and hopefully it continues to improve and attract more big businesses.

 

The one thing I don't like is they have closed or reduced the capacity of the local road network through the city, gone are the multiple dual carriageways that were fully segregated from pedestrians and now we have roads that are that narrow that 2 buses can't pass each other (Charter Row). Or there are that many crossings that it causes all local surrounding roads to become backlogged due to that many pedestrian crossings (Arundel Gate).

 

One of my main bug bears is the junction of Charter Row and Rockingham Street. They have condensed 3 separate bus stops into 1 bus stop, with a lay-by that small only 1 bus at a time can fit in, if another turns up it sticks its arse out in the carriageway and blocks the full road, right on the junction of Rockingham Street. Clearly very clever planning on behalf of Sheffield City Council.

 

The same will happen down the other end of the city soon enough at Fitzalan Square when those changes come into effect. Left turning buses will block Commercial Street when sticking their arse end out to turn right onto Angel Street at Castle Square as the turn will be that tight and too short a distance!

[Cyclone 10]

I've never seen Arundel gate busy at all, never mind causing surrounding roads to back up.

[Michael_N 36]

I've never seen Arundel gate busy at all, never mind causing surrounding roads to back up.

 

Can't have travelled on their during rush hour then? Charles Street junction where both the bus lane and car lane merge into 1, just before the traffic lights outside Hallam University that spend more time on red than green - causing traffic to back up to Furnival Gate Roundabout and then subsequently onto Furnival Gate and Eyre Street and also coming the other way where the o2 Academy is, with those 3 sets of lights at Norfolk Street, causing traffic to back up round to Commercial Street and onto Park Square its self.

[gerryuk 10]

It was - especially around the Piccadilly gardens area. There was a huge effort made a year or so ago and it's vastly improved now.

 

---------- Post added 04-07-2018 at 00:47 ----------

 

 

How is Meadowhall a factor on the number of empty retail units in a city? It's full of retail units....all/most of them full, so impacts positively on the per centage statistic. As well as the fact that most cities now have an 'out of town' shopping centre so Sheffield isn't unique in that aspect by any means.

 

What other reasons are there for Sheffield having the fourth biggest amount of empty retail units in England, other than the fact people aren't choosing to spend their money there?

 

The other things myself and other people have been saying are all examples of why people aren't choosing to visit Sheffield city centre to spend their money.

 

There's not really an argument here - Sheffield is struggling. Saying it isn't is flying in the face of the information we have.

 

One of the reasons I believe it's struggling is that it isn't inviting and pleasant as a place to shop - there will be others, but this will doubtless be one of them.

 

I'm not too sure what else there is to say - the empty shops aren't empty for no reason...and the percentage is far higher than in other towns/cities in the same region.

 

Why argue with those points? There's really nothing to argue about - it needs sorting out, so it becomes a more desirable place.

 

You have to remember that cities like Leeds and Manchester have literally thousands of people commuting into their respective cities each day for work, most of which will be well paid professional jobs. Thats a lot of potential customers already in their city centers daily, for store owners.

Sheffield has a fraction of the workers that Leeds and Manchester has, hence why the city center is struggling. With fewer people going into the city center daily it stands to reason why a lot of the big brand stores give Sheffield a wide berth and will not locate here.

[Nijinsky 10]

gerry has it spot on. Billions invested in Manchester, the national media hype city, similar in Leeds, the local media hype city. Oh, have a couple of call centres they said to Sheffield, thank you Sir we said.

 

We suffer as we are not a media centre. Years of other towns being promoted constantly, other towns derided at every opportunity. You have to understand how the media works.

[Cyclone 10]

Don't blame the media, blame the local council, until recently they've done everything they can to turn away business.

[Detetcive 10]

So the other day I had the misfortune to walk down to castle markets to get something from b and m. Jesus. Talk about a bunch of mutants! Blokes walking around looking like they were spoiling for a fight, a tramp actually shouting at pigeons, many people who looked like they were familiar with the smack wandering about off their faces. Absolutely shocking. Looked like the last half hour of threads had actually come true. They probably had a full set of teeth between the lot of them.

 

So, why do this end of town up? Anything we do will be wasted by the lower classes, and anything we try will surely result in bad publicity for Sheffield. If it was up to me I'd just seal it all in concrete and dump it in the North sea, people included. God I hate town, if it wasn't for work I genuinely wouldn't go there.

 

It's called poverty. Don't be frightened.