Shopping Centres an update...anecdotally...
I have mentioned that my town has changed little in that it has spread over the years but the centre of town remains much as its always been and that at last after years of being promised a new and up to date shopping area with new retailers coming here basically a couple of shops relocated, we have a new larger supermarket and the remaining few unoccupied retail units have remained empty...until today.
As I walked to Tesco's the few yards after getting out of the taxi I saw a public notice taped to one of these empty retail units and the upshot is that we will be getting either another bookies(the town already has two in the old part of town about 5 minutes from here)and there are a couple of other smaller shopping sites that have them too. Or heaven forbid...we will be getting yet another one of those amusement arcade type establishments where there have a little café and lots of one armed bandits. We already have two of them again only about 5 minutes from this location.
What I cannot work out as yet is whether its a new one or just one of the previous relocating. As I was reading the notice a few people passing also stopped and said in so many words "Not another amusement/bookies establishment" "Where's the choice of decent of retailers we were promised?" You may well ask.
Also, and its a bit ironic to me this new gambling place faces directly onto...The expensive looking Job Centre.
And I understand because one of the ladies reading the notice has a relation whose shop will be demolished when the rest of the work takes place to improve the shopping area, it appears the next stage will take place on July 17th or soon after as he has to be out of his retail unit by then. I am surprised in that I was unaware that the part he is occupies was affected. If so this also means that the temporary pet shop and two banks will be affected Lloyd's/TSB and HSBC and so far I have not seen a new place for them to move to.
The same lady I was talking with mentioned a place called Craddock where her son has moved to live and she proceeded to tell me and again, this is anecdotal so only anyone who lives there can verify what I was told...But why would anyone make such a story up?
In recent years two large supermarkets have been built there all but facing each other, a large Tesco's and an equally large ASDA and from what I understand roughly between them is what is supposed to be an area designated for the use of nature. Somehow all that extra traffic and Humans travelling in for their shopping at either of these places does seem to be a strange decision.
I was looking at the health centre, school dentist and library in my town today from the new shopping area and for these to be called social amenities is a disgrace, even if the town centre was not being modernised, I cannot begin to tell you how badly they are in need of demolishing or serious repair.
My town centre has for quite a number of years not had any public toilets for visitors to the shopping centre it has been said that the female toilets were very well looked after by the person on duty and also were available for disabled shoppers(best not talk about the male toilets)except it was one tiny room with one toilet and two urinals and the door to the street was always open so no real privacy but as then again I'm not sure that anyone was on duty and being such a small room its unlikely so to have the place closed might also been dangerous in some way and there is something in the back of my mind that a story did get on the local television news about something that was going on there...I cannot remember what but back to current matters...after reading an article in the press, its bad enough the shopper struggling but a market visits once a week. How have they been coping?
I assume that some retailers have been kind enough to allow them access to their facilities or probably the leisure centre has in the past but it was reported in the local free sheet only this weekend that a stall holder had visited the leisure centre and had been told that they are only for the use of people using the centre itself. So it has been suggested that the stallholders may see it as the last straw and just stop and trade elsewhere. When we did have facilities the reason given for the closure was to save money.
I assume that the market pays the council to trade here once a week so you'd think that they would allow the traders access to the leisure centre's amenities at least. Though again the story is anecdotal and we can only go by what is written but the subject does come around every so often but nothing ever seems to happen.
And this is in area where the Prime Minister is our MP and this town has one of the highest Council Taxes in the country.
We shall see what happens...
As I walked to Tesco's the few yards after getting out of the taxi I saw a public notice taped to one of these empty retail units and the upshot is that we will be getting either another bookies(the town already has two in the old part of town about 5 minutes from here)and there are a couple of other smaller shopping sites that have them too. Or heaven forbid...we will be getting yet another one of those amusement arcade type establishments where there have a little café and lots of one armed bandits. We already have two of them again only about 5 minutes from this location.
What I cannot work out as yet is whether its a new one or just one of the previous relocating. As I was reading the notice a few people passing also stopped and said in so many words "Not another amusement/bookies establishment" "Where's the choice of decent of retailers we were promised?" You may well ask.
Also, and its a bit ironic to me this new gambling place faces directly onto...The expensive looking Job Centre.
And I understand because one of the ladies reading the notice has a relation whose shop will be demolished when the rest of the work takes place to improve the shopping area, it appears the next stage will take place on July 17th or soon after as he has to be out of his retail unit by then. I am surprised in that I was unaware that the part he is occupies was affected. If so this also means that the temporary pet shop and two banks will be affected Lloyd's/TSB and HSBC and so far I have not seen a new place for them to move to.
The same lady I was talking with mentioned a place called Craddock where her son has moved to live and she proceeded to tell me and again, this is anecdotal so only anyone who lives there can verify what I was told...But why would anyone make such a story up?
In recent years two large supermarkets have been built there all but facing each other, a large Tesco's and an equally large ASDA and from what I understand roughly between them is what is supposed to be an area designated for the use of nature. Somehow all that extra traffic and Humans travelling in for their shopping at either of these places does seem to be a strange decision.
I was looking at the health centre, school dentist and library in my town today from the new shopping area and for these to be called social amenities is a disgrace, even if the town centre was not being modernised, I cannot begin to tell you how badly they are in need of demolishing or serious repair.
My town centre has for quite a number of years not had any public toilets for visitors to the shopping centre it has been said that the female toilets were very well looked after by the person on duty and also were available for disabled shoppers(best not talk about the male toilets)except it was one tiny room with one toilet and two urinals and the door to the street was always open so no real privacy but as then again I'm not sure that anyone was on duty and being such a small room its unlikely so to have the place closed might also been dangerous in some way and there is something in the back of my mind that a story did get on the local television news about something that was going on there...I cannot remember what but back to current matters...after reading an article in the press, its bad enough the shopper struggling but a market visits once a week. How have they been coping?
I assume that some retailers have been kind enough to allow them access to their facilities or probably the leisure centre has in the past but it was reported in the local free sheet only this weekend that a stall holder had visited the leisure centre and had been told that they are only for the use of people using the centre itself. So it has been suggested that the stallholders may see it as the last straw and just stop and trade elsewhere. When we did have facilities the reason given for the closure was to save money.
I assume that the market pays the council to trade here once a week so you'd think that they would allow the traders access to the leisure centre's amenities at least. Though again the story is anecdotal and we can only go by what is written but the subject does come around every so often but nothing ever seems to happen.
And this is in area where the Prime Minister is our MP and this town has one of the highest Council Taxes in the country.
We shall see what happens...
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 7:47 pm
7 Comments:
I heard that the retail outlet was to be a B&Q specialising in sheds, decking and conservatories...you know the sort of thing? ;-)
Well done (and thanks) for the links...that's the first step - now the world is your oyster!
Thanks Span ;-)
The thing is I do not mind people improving their properties and making it their little haven to relax in but when you are in a semi detached house, you should take into account those around you to some extent.
I have to believe when its all done, we can adapt and live with it, besides its happening so...
I have a friend in the States whose garden has been affected by what neighbours did and Mango(I have a link to her blog)has experienced similar problems.
And the list is ever growing...
I really may be turning into(or have already become)a "Grumpy Old Man!" :-)
No, I'm a bit the same - neighbours should think of their surroundings..it doesn't apply here but back in NW London our neighbour built an enormous conservatory that was completely 'wrong' and used up half their garden!...in fact it was so big it started to collapse and they had to rebuild it with massive steel frames - later in Somerset I landscaped our garden using my best Titchmarsh tecniques but with plants and borders, bushes etc...it was very nice and as gardens should be...IMHO....whereas ALL the neigbours had white, plastic conservatories, dodgy decking and coloured stones (gravel) PAH!
Gildy, I think it's dreadful that your local shopping centre is so bad. Had you thought of writing a stinking letter to 1)Your council
2)Your local paper 3)Tony Bair.?
I gather the conservatory building has ground to a halt.
Conservatory building is said to now take place in October.
Tomorrow the Gardener arrives and will do all that he can but until the wall is built he can only do three quarters of the work. To anyone who does not know, I have a gardener not through laziness or being terrifically rich...its because it is sadly difficult for me to do these days.
Oh, the amount of letters and comments that have been in the press regarding the shopping centre over the years. And the record of our constituent MP...just perhaps when we get a change, the local population may feel it is more likely that they will benefit, of course until it happens we will not know.
The difference between the town centre's appearance to only a few streets away is so noticeable.
Gildy, I wonder why they've had all the conservatory stuff delivered now ?
Do you think that will delay them cutting your tree back ?
Some of the basics of what I say regarding what the neighbours have done remain and I still am not too much of a fan of house alterations that affect others where properties are semi-detached and private/isolated but I may have to re-evaluate my criticism a little and things may be not quite as bad as initially thought.
Of course the only real way that I'll know is once the work is carried out.
So I'll think out a new e-mail for those who are contacted that way and probably re-edit a blog entry I planned and bring it up to date for anyone reading the situation for the first time.
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