Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => Politics & Current Affairs => Topic started by: Nearly Sane on February 16, 2021, 04:42:27 PM

Title: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Nearly Sane on February 16, 2021, 04:42:27 PM
... is Stockton the future of Britain?

Well, it's certainly something


https://amp.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/feb/11/is-this-the-future-for-britain-stockton-on-tees-park-high-street?CMP=share_btn_tw&__twitter_impression=true
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Aruntraveller on February 16, 2021, 06:56:30 PM
It is something that is likely to become more and more common.

Nottingham is currently trying to fill a big Intu shaped hole in the city centre. One of the latest plans was this one:

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/new-broadmarsh-plan-revealed-could-4760679
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Nearly Sane on February 16, 2021, 08:16:31 PM
My home town has been dying by inches.for years. Even before Covid that was accelerating. As with so many places it was becoming charity and betting shops.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Roses on February 17, 2021, 11:45:24 AM
Many people prefer to shop on-line these days, so we have to adapt to the  changing times.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Steve H on February 17, 2021, 12:31:43 PM
Many people prefer to shop on-line these days, so we have to adapt to the  changing times.
Not everybody can shop online, so bricks-and-mortar shops can't disappear just yet.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Nearly Sane on February 17, 2021, 12:39:48 PM
Not everybody can shop online, so bricks-and-mortar shops can't disappear just yet.
And yet patently are reducing substantially which leaves us with empty buildings with no purpose in the centres of towns and cities. It also then impacts council services as rates revenue will reduce.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Aruntraveller on February 17, 2021, 12:44:29 PM
Not everybody can shop online, so bricks-and-mortar shops can't disappear just yet.

I agree, but change to our city and town centres has to come otherwise they are going to be half deserted. In Nottingham's case(above) the city had two shopping centres. One was in the process of being pulled down and replaced when Intu went bust. Looking at this from the experience of the Covid crisis and the effect of on-line shopping it makes much more sense to look at alternative ways of using that city centre space in Nottingham for something other than retail units - there is already a surfeit of empty properties without the addition of more.

Using the space as a green open area with a few cafes, open spaces for public performances, etc makes much more sense in terms of the environment and in re-balancing and re-purposing the city centre. Probably won't happen but I live in hope.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Harrowby Hall on February 17, 2021, 01:42:35 PM
Hi Trent

One was in the process of being pulled down and replaced when Intu went bust.

It's a long time since I have been to my native city. Are you saying that the Victoria Centre was being pulled down?  Or was Broadmarsh already dead?

I have to admit that wheras I did like the Vic I avoided going into Broadmarsh. But then, the Vic had been a magnificent railway station ...
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Steve H on February 17, 2021, 01:50:07 PM
Clothes and shoe shops will probably survive, at least: people want to try things on first. Also food shops: you can order online, but unless you know exactly what you want, that's no good, and I don't know exactly what food I'll buy till I'm in the shop. In short, online shopping only works well if you know exactly what you want in advance.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Nearly Sane on February 17, 2021, 02:10:40 PM
Clothes and shoe shops will probably survive, at least: people want to try things on first. Also food shops: you can order online, but unless you know exactly what you want, that's no good, and I don't know exactly what food I'll buy till I'm in the shop. In short, online shopping only works well if you know exactly what you want in advance.
Again no one is suggesting that all shopping will be online but there is a rather obvious over supply of real estate for it focused in town centres.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: jakswan on February 17, 2021, 02:15:00 PM
During lockdown we kept our stores virtually open.

https://www.cotswoldco.com/online-personal-shopping/
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Aruntraveller on February 17, 2021, 02:38:52 PM
Hi Trent

One was in the process of being pulled down and replaced when Intu went bust.

It's a long time since I have been to my native city. Are you saying that the Victoria Centre was being pulled down?  Or was Broadmarsh already dead?

I have to admit that wheras I did like the Vic I avoided going into Broadmarsh. But then, the Vic had been a magnificent railway station ...

Broadmarsh was the one being demolished. But over the last few years it had become the refuge of pound shops and mobile phone cover salesmen from little stalls. Very depressing.

And your right about the railway station. I may have posted this before (apologies if I have):

https://www.facebook.com/NottsVic3D
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Harrowby Hall on February 17, 2021, 02:46:50 PM
Greening the High Street.

As we all know now, Philip tried that. BHS, Debenhams, Top Shop, Burtons, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins ...
And he tried to take over M&S - twice.

What's the betting that he will lose his knighthood?
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Harrowby Hall on February 17, 2021, 03:00:43 PM

And your right about the railway station. I may have posted this before (apologies if I have):

https://www.facebook.com/NottsVic3D

I haven't seen that before. Thank you. It took me back to my childhood.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Roses on February 17, 2021, 03:24:33 PM
Clothes and shoe shops will probably survive, at least: people want to try things on first. Also food shops: you can order online, but unless you know exactly what you want, that's no good, and I don't know exactly what food I'll buy till I'm in the shop. In short, online shopping only works well if you know exactly what you want in advance.

I order most of our clothes and shoes on-line.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Steve H on February 17, 2021, 10:29:39 PM
I order most of our clothes and shoes on-line.
You are one person, so hardly representative.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Nearly Sane on February 17, 2021, 10:46:53 PM
You are one person, so hardly representative.
Except the issue with real estate and the trend shows that LR is representative of the trend
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Steve H on February 17, 2021, 11:02:03 PM
Except the issue with real estate and the trend shows that LR is representative of the trend
Her comment, as so often, is supremely irrelevant, because even if the trend is in that direction, one person's experience proves nothing. I once saw Jeremy Paxman in Charing Cross Road. Does that mean that you are likely to meet Paxo if you go there? Of course not.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Nearly Sane on February 18, 2021, 07:35:59 AM
Her comment, as so often, is supremely irrelevant, because even if the trend is in that direction, one person's experience proves nothing. I once saw Jeremy Paxman in Charing Cross Road. Does that mean that you are likely to meet Paxo if you go there? Of course not.
But the trend does show that your statement that LR is hardly representative is incorrect.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Gordon on February 18, 2021, 07:56:36 AM
I think that, from personal experience of how Mrs G buys clothes for the grandkids and me (I am not allowed to buy any clothing following the unfortunate incident of the striped t-shirt of many moons ago), she now regularly buys on-line and has said that she intends to continue even when clothes shop re-open - the exception being footwear.
Title: Re: Bulldoze the high street and build a giant park: ...
Post by: Roses on February 18, 2021, 11:25:37 AM
Our neighbours have regular deliveries, some almost every day, that has been going on well before the Covid pandemic.