Stafford shops closing - Turning into a ghost town?

Jonah

Jonah

Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
HopesDad said:
So despite the shops at Kingsmead being completed last year and lying empty, it will take them four months to put up a few shelves. And then the goodfolk of Stafford can rejoice at the opening of yet another B&M store, to add to those we already have and another chain pet shop to add to the one we already have. So nothing new at all then, as per usual. And the supermarket-that-never-was will be converted into three shops-that-never-will-be. Oh, and they won't open the car park until they open the shops. Because opening it straight away might be considered helpful and in the public interest, and that would never do in Stafford, it's not that kind of town.
Click to expand...
You may well have a couple of valid points there in regards to how long it takes to fit out a shop and what shops are going to be tenants of the units. Having said that, can you tell me if you have ever fitted a shop? Do you know how what it takes to fit a shop and keeping to all the relevant building codes? It's more than putting up a few shelves.

Can you also tell me of an independent retailer who could actually afford to rent units of the size that have been built? That's why national retail chains tend to end up in units this size.

As regards the car park - it does not belong to Stafford Borough Council or Staffordshire County Council so the owners can do what they want with it. They could mothball it permanently if they wished.
 
G

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Kingsmead may have been completed last year but the sale and legal dotting i`s and crossing ts was not completed until Jan 5th.

The new owners of the site as we know submitted plans to split the larger unit into 3...this work has started already but will mean removing and reconfiguring internal layouts with new steel works.

B&M will have taken a unit in the to be split unit...they were originally to be based on the large single unit actually on north walls.

Lidl are in talks but my understanding is pets at home will not be on site...no loss if true.

I also have good info that Chiquitos will still be at riverside but like Prezzos are not looking at opening until 2018 closer to the cinema handover point

Was good to speak to Simons on site to today.
 
Last edited:
G

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
And as Jonah rightfully states...the car park is not council owned. Not sure what certain people don't get about that lol
 
Last edited:
Steve_b

Steve_b

Well-Known Forumite
Jonah said:
As regards the car park - it does not belong to Stafford Borough Council or Staffordshire County Council so the owners can do what they want with it. They could mothball it permanently if they wished.
Click to expand...
Indeed, SBC cannot sell off its (our) assets and then control how they are used. It's going to be interesting in and around town on Sunday.
 
proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Steve_b said:
Indeed, SBC cannot sell off its (our) assets and then control how they are used. It's going to be interesting in and around town on Sunday.
Click to expand...
I notice all the roadworks along the route have been filled in and surfaced. No doubt to be dug up again once the cameras have gone. Highways once again protecting it's image at our expense!
 
HopesDad

HopesDad

Don't feed the troll
Gareth said:
And as Jonah rightfully states...the car park is not council owned. Not sure what certain people don't get about that lol
Click to expand...
The car park WAS council owned and controlled until they sniffed the opportunity of making a quick buck and selling it off to the lowest bidder. No thought, of course, to the consequences. And there is no reason why the council could not get an order to force the developers to open it. That's what other councils do. But, as I have said before, this is Stafford, where normal rules of common sense do not apply.
 
G

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
HopesDad said:
The car park WAS council owned and controlled until they sniffed the opportunity of making a quick buck and selling it off to the lowest bidder. No thought, of course, to the consequences. And there is no reason why the council could not get an order to force the developers to open it. That's what other councils do. But, as I have said before, this is Stafford, where normal rules of common sense do not apply.
Click to expand...

What councils.....show me???
 
G

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
HopesDad said:
What, so you can pass my ideas on to your mates at the council and then rip the taxpayers off with a big consultancy fee, I think not. Do your own research, it's easy enough.
Click to expand...

What ideas of yours???

You said councils put in orders, if they did it would be their ideas...not yours.

And I simply asked what councils do what orders ????

Guess you will give another vague answer because you cannot back up what you spout.
 
T

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
Just noticed yet another shop in town closing down, Shoe Zone at the bottom of town is having a closing down sale now .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top