Transforming Travel In The City Centre

[redruby 290]

Just now, AndrewC said:

 

Do you really consider every 30 years to be 'on a regular basis'?

A previous post mentioned that it wouldn’t be surprising if the current work on Fargate would be dug up in 10 years time.  To which Planner1 responded to the effect that city centres need ‘regular refurbishment’.  I replied it was ridiculous to ‘refurbish’ a city centre with same frequency as a fitted kitchen.  To which Planner1 responded that ‘people expect this’ (see my reply above).  

[SheffieldForum 1,035]

People a few years ago:

 

"Fargate is looking run down and awful, the Council need to do more to refresh and regenerate the area!"

 

People now:

 

"How dare the Council try and refresh and regenerate Fargate?!"

 

 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

 

[SheffieldForum 1,035]

How some of the changes will look:

 

 

 

[redruby 290]

25 minutes ago, SheffieldForum said:

People a few years ago:

 

"Fargate is looking run down and awful, the Council need to do more to refresh and regenerate the area!"

 

People now:

 

"How dare the Council try and refresh and regenerate Fargate?!"

 

 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

 

Not really.  It’s more - do a good, high quality job, in consultation with local people.  Do something built to last that can be maintained through generations.  Not waste resources (monetary and environmental) on projects which are flavour of the month and look nice for a bit but then will look shabby within a relatively short timespan and the whole cycle starts again and again and again.  In this day and age shouldn’t we be looking for sustainable, long term plans  - not something that in effect has a ‘sell by’ date .

[hackey lad 4,093]

33 minutes ago, SheffieldForum said:

People a few years ago:

 

"Fargate is looking run down and awful, the Council need to do more to refresh and regenerate the area!"

 

People now:

 

"How dare the Council try and refresh and regenerate Fargate?!"

 

 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

 

Not really , all I remember is people complaining about the spice heads , beggars and charity collectors . 

[pfifes 314]

9 minutes ago, hackey lad said:

Not really , all I remember is people complaining about the spice heads , beggars and charity collectors . 

That’s right.  And even if the end result of this latest project looks lovely, it won’t stay lovely for long or be a destination people want to visit if every time you go there you get asked for money (beggar or chugger), have to avoid street people fighting, drinking, drug taking, using it a toilet.  

Hopefully that won’t be the case but let’s wait and see.

 

 

 

 

[SheffieldForum 1,035]

3 hours ago, hackey lad said:

Not really , all I remember is people complaining about the spice heads , beggars and charity collectors . 

That’s far more recent.

 

I remember about five years ago where loads of people were complaining about Fargate itself being run down and dated.

[hackey lad 4,093]

2 minutes ago, SheffieldForum said:

That’s far more recent.

 

I remember about five years ago where loads of people were complaining about Fargate itself being run down and dated.

Its not more recent 

[SheffieldForum 1,035]

7 minutes ago, hackey lad said:

Its not more recent 

It’s either more recent, or separate to the complaints. Either way, people were complaining about Fargate being run down just a few years ago.

[hackey lad 4,093]

10 minutes ago, SheffieldForum said:

It’s either more recent, or separate to the complaints. Either way, people were complaining about Fargate being run down just a few years ago.

Ok .

[Irene Swaine 1,074]

6 hours ago, Planner1 said:

So pushing the refreshments trolley on a train gives you a better insight into  planning highway works than those who do it for a living? Do give it a rest with your ill informed twaddle.

 

It’s not a vanity project at all. It’s utilising specific government funding to regenerate a city centre area that wasn’t doing too well. The paving and public realm is just one part of it and it is important to businesses and investors who are looking for somewhere to locate.

Where in the post you quoted did I say my career as train crew gave me an informed opinion on said subject? Your attempt at making a connection there is rather humourous!

 

New paving slabs won't help. The replacement will just make the area even more undesirable for the time they are laying them and putting fencing here, there and everywhere! What it really needs was more attractive leasing agreements on retail units, an outright ban on chuggers and Leopold Street reopening to bus services. I don't know which shops on Fargate are leased from the council or not but the crux of the decline has been leasing issues.

[Irene Swaine 1,074]

6 hours ago, AndrewC said:

 

Do you really consider every 30 years to be 'on a regular basis'?

It's un-neccessary. We aren't talking replacing signage with an updated font or modernising streetlamps. It's an intensive project that causes major disruption. The circa 1997 paving stones aged well and didn't show dirt. They looked fine. They gave Fargate a quaint feel. You can't just keep replacing paving and hoping it will breathe life back in to a declining city centre. That's like having a car with a bust gear box and hoping respraying it a different colour will make a change. 

 

The problems with Fargate are more fundamental. There are issues surrounding leasing that put off even the big boys from setting up shop there. Banks such as HSBC moving to The Moor will only stifle footfall. Ofcourse, the liquidation of businesses such as Thornton's doesn't help but big name brands such as Next have upped sticks and gone to The Moor. One has to question what is making Fargate undesirable to retailers. I highly doubt it's the paving slabs!