The Swan.

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Probably a bit too pricey for the average stafford folk, when there's cheaper options all around.

Or doesn't bring enough younger people in, (as much as the older folk like that) but they bring the most money in on the weekend.

You not been verso lounge and zizzi then lol...cheap not, yet are rammed almost every night
 

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Please cast your mind back a couple of years. The experts at Stafford Borough council rubbished any idea that the gold plated waterfront development would purely shift trade from the established shopping areas. Au contraire, Rodney they said, the benefits of the waterfront will be felt far and wide. Areas such as Mill Street and beyond will be revitalised with the coach loads of new customers.

Tell that to The Bear, Pastiche, Off The Hook, Apothecary etc.

To be fair to SBC that knew about it and acknowledged it as seen here- https://staffslive.co.uk/2015/03/stafford-retailers-warn-new-complex-divide-town-centre/

Let alone sometimes it has nothing to do with economy nor the town: off the hook was a poor business choice in the wrong location, pastiche was very popular still and demise was due to alleged landlord issues, coffee bean had their own alleged issues before opening.

What councils are aware of( I think) is they are a damned if they do, damned if the do not institute.

As the above video clearly points out ( by a trader) the north end was struggling before the first foundation was even laid on the new multistorey. Retail has been dying for a long time and will continue to do so.

But we have to move with the times and stafford folk were already complaining about lack of choice, no big names and small shops.

Imagine the slaughtering the council would have got turning down major developments which bring more money and employment and to enhance a derelict run down part of town that needed a shot in the arm.

Arcadia were already going to pull out of the town and were not going elsewhere anyway, I very much suspect the M&S on goalgate would have closed in the current climate they have as the site was hardly fit for purpose.

Retail was in demise anyway, not buidling riverside wouldn't have stopped that nor improved the town and people were already not shopping in the town centre and going elsewhere, plus.it would have been negligent by the council to turn such investment....what idiot would do that.

We have to be realistic with what the town has actually lost, some charity shops, a couple of holiday agents, an under used gym, a handful of small independents (many of which have been replaced)......even the likes of pastiche and the wonderful independent ladies boutique that sat in the guildhall entrance ( now under offer) were alleged matters with landlords.

But talking about what Stafford as lost you ave to talk about what it as gained also - revolution, aldi, B&M, verso lounge, sweet, primark, h&m, the entertainer, the works, yours, outfit, new river island, a number of new independents shops and restaurants, zizzo, frankie and bennys, nandos, new accessorize, new starbucks, slaters, floodgate, No 5, coffee first, the outstanding makers market (best market ever) with more still to come and town centre as a whole has now about 900 parking spaces more than it had 3 years ago.

maybe we should be talking more and supporting the 76% of occupied units instead of the 24% who are not.
 
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Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
Yes I can see this quote.

Ted Manders, head of planning and regeneration at Stafford Borough Council, conceded that there was the danger a North/South divide could open up in Stafford.

However he feels it would be a short-term issue.

That's OK then. All sorted.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Yes I can see this quote.

Ted Manders, head of planning and regeneration at Stafford Borough Council, conceded that there was the danger a North/South divide could open up in Stafford.

However he feels it would be a short-term issue.

That's OK then. All sorted.
Written not long before he took the gold plated pension and ran, wasn't it?

In the finest traditions of public sector organisations the country over.
 

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Yes I can see this quote.

Ted Manders, head of planning and regeneration at Stafford Borough Council, conceded that there was the danger a North/South divide could open up in Stafford.

However he feels it would be a short-term issue.

That's OK then. All sorted.

It will be solved short term, the town centre will shrink and large sections of the north end is already been looked for sell off for housing.
 

Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
It will be solved short term, the town centre will shrink and large sections of the north end is already been looked for sell off for housing.

That's your opinion.

As large chunks of Princess Street have remained empty for upwards of five years already, it depends on your idea of short term.

Weeks, Months, Years, Decades.
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
Got an LP gift voucher for The Swan?
Here is the link detailing how you can redeem them
https://gift-vouchers.thelewispartnership.co.uk/how-to

Out of interest @ChrisLewis

The word out on the street from some of the staff at The Moat House is that they think they are next to go.

Please don’t shoot the messenger, I love the Moat House, and we had our wedding there last year.

However, the staff are saying that there is no investment in staff training, they are demotivated and the management won’t spend money updating the building itself.

I’d be very sad to see The Moat House go.
 

em505

A few posts under my belt
Out of interest @ChrisLewis

The word out on the street from some of the staff at The Moat House is that they think they are next to go.

Please don’t shoot the messenger, I love the Moat House, and we had our wedding there last year.

However, the staff are saying that there is no investment in staff training, they are demotivated and the management won’t spend money updating the building itself.

I’d be very sad to see The Moat House go.

I'm not sure who your source is Carole, but The Moat House is going nowhere. We're in the process of rolling out a training programme across the group, admittedly this is an area that we have taken our eye off slightly due to some changes that have been taking place in our HR department this year, but rest assured it's now our number 1 priority going forward.

With regards to spending money on the building, last year alone we carried out an extensive refurbishment on a dozen of our bedrooms, continued our phased installation of air conditioning in our bedrooms and undertaken the task of bolstering our IT security by migrating everything to Office365. Going forward we've got plans to invest money in the next 12 months in both The Moat House and some of the other properties in the group, which will be announced in due course. Naturally we have a long wish list of projects we would like to do but the biggest issue we have is actually finding enough time to do them when we don't have bookings in!

The Moat House has been in our family since 1955 and we do not intend to change that.

Emily Lewis
 

Tilly

Well-Known Forumite
Out of interest @ChrisLewis

The word out on the street from some of the staff at The Moat House is that they think they are next to go.

Please don’t shoot the messenger, I love the Moat House, and we had our wedding there last year.

However, the staff are saying that there is no investment in staff training, they are demotivated and the management won’t spend money updating the building itself.

I’d be very sad to see The Moat House go.

Way too profitable to flog now

Plus, it's not in Stafford Borough
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
In reply to Emily Lewis

Like I said, please don’t shoot the messenger.

Your reply was about bedroom refurbishment (which was overdue).

For local people who would like a meal in the bar, there is no way of booking online.

I’m not going to give my source away, but any good management would surely want to know more about what people actually want, rather than get on the defensive?
 

em505

A few posts under my belt
In reply to Emily Lewis

Like I said, please don’t shoot the messenger.

Your reply was about bedroom refurbishment (which was overdue).

For local people who would like a meal in the bar, there is no way of booking online.

I’m not going to give my source away, but any good management would surely want to know more about what people actually want, rather than get on the defensive?

I was just trying to explain what we've done and that we have plans in the pipeline going forward! I honestly didn't mean to come across as defensive and apologise if you felt my response was so, it was by no means intentional.

We deactivated the ability to book tables in the bar online due to the number of issues we were having with guests booking tables in the bar but actually wanting to be in the restaurant and vice versa (as you can imagine it caused chaos on busy nights!). You can always give our reservations team a call on 01785 712217 and they will be happy to make a bar reservation for you.

I would not expect you to tell us who told you this information, they evidently told you in confidence! We always welcome feedback that allows us to improve our business and are currently looking at creating a series of staff engagement surveys so we can better target our HR strategies going forward.

The Moat has massive sentimental value to our family, I pretty much grew up there and would never want to see it go.

 
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Carole

Well-Known Forumite
After Attempting to write a polite reply to the last couple of posts.

I simply say Farewell Stafford Forum

You don’t feel that you can comment at all?

I’ve said several times, please don’t shoot the messenger.

I want The Moat House to survive, I really do, but having visited on a regular basis, I have noticed a slow decline over the months.

I’d love it to be back “up there” again.
 

Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
You don’t feel that you can comment at all?

I’ve said several times, please don’t shoot the messenger.

I want The Moat House to survive, I really do, but having visited on a regular basis, I have noticed a slow decline over the months.

I’d love it to be back “up there” again.
 
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