Stafford shops closing - Turning into a ghost town?

[Jonah]

There was a multi-storey carpark, of a similar size (which was miraculously found to be unsafe), a Tesco store about the same size as the current Tesco, and a sports centre that was built around 1976.

It feels a bit odd when you see buildings that you saw built being demolished...

The old Tesco was nowhere near the size of the current store. It was probably less than half the size.

 

[Gramaisc]

I see. When did that all disappear? Definitely don't remember a Tesco.

We had a similar build appear back down south before I moved. Same circumstances too I believe... started knocking things down (old GP and a car park I believe), then they forgot it was there for a bit and suddenly it all appeared overnight (well, over a semester maybe). Though that had a lot more empty space to eat at and they added a Morrison's, bunch of eateries and a Travel Lodge. Bit more going for it than the 5 or so shops and eateries filling not much of the new development

The old Tesco was abandoned when the new one was built, but the building was there until the carpark was demolished, whenever that was.

 

[proactive]

The old Tesco was nowhere near the size of the current store. It was probably less than half the size.

But at least it didn't grind the traffic on the Newport Road down to a snail's pace.

 

[c0tt0nt0p]

So, as I said, they replaced the ugly leisure Centre with another ugly leisure Centre but with many fewer facilities, they replaced a large council-owned car park with another council-owned car park. They replaced a large empty supermarket with an even larger empty supermarket.
The riverside complex would have been just as attractive, if that is what you think it is, wherever it was built. Had it been built on the council-owned site on which the supermarket-that-never-was was built then Stafford would have had exactly the same facilities as it does now, at considerably less cost, and without the creation of a wasteland at the northern end of the former shopping area.
But that would have required some planning, and Stafford council has a policy of not planning anything, as we all know to our cost.

If you're quick you can make the candidate open day on Tuesday to find out more about standing for election as a councillor;

https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/introduction.aspx

#gottobeinittowinit
#positivementalattitude
#persuasivemotivatorsapplyhere

 

[proactive]

If you're quick you can make the candidate open day on Tuesday to find out more about standing for election as a councillor;

https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/introduction.aspx

#gottobeinittowinit
#positivementalattitude
#persuasivemotivatorsapplyhere

#nobloodychance.

 

[John Marwood]

#theyoungwillriseup

 

[proactive]

#theyoungwillriseup

#butonlyafter1pm

 

[Jonah]

But at least it didn't grind the traffic on the Newport Road down to a snail's pace.

Nope just on the island by the multi-storey car park

 

[andy w]

#butonlyafter1pm

#andspendrestofdayonxboxandsocialmediathingy

 

[Wormella]

Guildhall Shopping Centre £500k refurbishment to start soon - and new shop set to open

To save you having to read the article the new shop is 'Warren James' - they sell shiny things.

If you do want to read the article.

http://www.staffordshirenewsletter....-set-to-open/story-30233954-detail/story.html

@Admin - I couldn't find a specific Guildhall thread - thinking maybe there should be one and I missed it.

 

[Mikinton]

To save you having to read the article the new shop is 'Warren James' - they sell shiny things.

Didn't someone once say, like 20 or 30 years ago, that Stafford high street was comprised mainly of jewelers and building societies.

 

[John Marwood]

40% of Brits have savings of no more than £100

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which low-ability individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability to be much higher than it really is

Shiny things?! Like OMG!!

 

[Gramaisc]

I couldn't find a specific Guildhall thread - thinking maybe there should be one and I missed it.

There are nineteen threads with "Guildhall" in the title. Yet another would probably not help in finding stuff later.

http://www.staffordforum.com/xf/index.php?threads/the-future-of-the-guildhall.18251/

 

[HopesDad]

They are 'hopeful' that the work will start 'in the next few months'. So don't expect anything much to happen this side of Christmas. Then we can look forward to new lights, new ceiling and new 'branding'. They are making 500k sound like a lot. But actually it won't go very far in a place as large and run down as that one is.

And only one new shop - yet another jewellers. There are already at least three within a few minutes walk from there.

Typical newsletter non-story, with quote from 'Linda Fuller' stolen from some forum. Who is Linda Fuller, and why would we care that she thinks the Guildhall Centre is crap? We all knew that anyway.

 

[Lucy]

Could you please let me know which ward you are standing as councillor for in the local elections.

 

[Cue]

I have no idea how much big refurbs cost... but £500k doesn't really seem like much to refurb a shopping centre? Especially when take into account the usually inflated prices from contractors for such things.

 

[basil]

I have no idea how much big refurbs cost... but £500k doesn't really seem like much to refurb a shopping centre? Especially when take into account the usually inflated prices from contractors for such things.

£500k should almost cover the contractors parking fees .....

 

[John Marwood]

£500k should almost cover the contractors parking fees .....

Percy filth!

 

[Glam]

Could you please let me know which ward you are standing in.

Haven't seen him at St.Georges yet @Lucy
Give it chance tho

 

[Gareth]

Behave The old leisure centre was far bigger, and had it been maintained and updated correctly it would still be an asset to the town. It had both a large pool AND a diving pool, it had more squash courts, more sports halls, space for table tennis on the upstairs corridors etc etc. Back in the day kids would spend their whole summer holidays doing sport at the Riverside for 4 hours a day. No kid does sport at the new place in the holidays anymore because it's just a glorified adult gym with a pool that any peado can sit over the road to view. At a time when Stafford is multiplying in size, the council decided to make a fast buck and lumber the people of Stafford with a facility half the size of the centre that was built 40 years earlier when the population was significantly smaller. It might have been shiny and new, but it's to sports facilites what the guildhall is to shopping.............sh*t!

That because nowadays there are no or few worthwhile schemes on offer for kids, there is no funding for it.

If there was, take up still wouldn't be good because today's kids ( not all) want something different to kids 15- 20 years ago etc. We never had the online and software accesses they do today, most won't leave their rooms now.

Back in the day we couldn't wait to get out and do something