M&S Development at Riverside now under review & in doubt

[Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt]

At least that is what I have heard. It maybe total clap trap but the reasoning does sound as though it could be plausable.
I have heard that is is due to fears that M&S have over transportation access & the road system around the town more generally. The fear is that they spend millions building a shiny new store and no one can get anywhere near it or worse still people don't even bother trying as they don't want to spend all their leisure time sat in traffic.

Although there is some digging work currently going on down one end of the site as far as I know contracts haven't been signed & the silence from the Council on this development is deafening....Make of this what you will.....

 

[cj1]

Hope this is untrue it would be a major blow to Stafford if it did fall through. I think people talking of "carmageddon" are being just a little dramatic. Yes Stafford does have some holdups during peak times but nothing major. According to the link below contracts have been exchanged and planning permission given. Don’t know how much wriggle room there is for them to ditch the contract. But ditching it because of traffic alone would be a very poor excuse.


http://wwww.lxbretailproperties.com...olio_entry/riverside_bridge_street_queensway/

 

[Jade-clothing]

I would guess there is probably some truth in this.
We were told early last year by the council that we could only have a month by month contract on the shop as they wanted all those businesses out in the row down to the Litten Tree to renovate the shops and have access to the new shops facing the shiny new Council building. Work on this was supposed to have started by now but I see Capital Appliances are still there.
I'm thinking that part of the reason they haven't done this is because the now falling to pieces Council buildings and the retail development below hasn't been quite as successful as they had hoped!

 

[Gramaisc]

I look at this type of proposal sometimes and think 'Would I do that with my own money?"..

 

[proactive]

Hope this is untrue it would be a major blow to Stafford if it did fall through. I think people talking of "carmageddon" are being just a little dramatic. Yes Stafford does have some holdups during peak times but nothing major. According to the link below contracts have been exchanged and planning permission given. Don’t know how much wriggle room there is for them to ditch the contract. But ditching it because of traffic alone would be a very poor excuse.


http://wwww.lxbretailproperties.com...olio_entry/riverside_bridge_street_queensway/

I would have thought it was somewhat unlikely for the not to proceed for that reason. Of course it could just be an excuse to hide the more probable financial reason.

Any at the moment it is just speculation so I'd not be too concerned. There are many more reasons why M&S would want to expand here than not.

I look at this type of proposal sometimes and think 'Would I do that with my own money?"..

And the answer is?

 

[Zylo]

 

[My Name is URL]

I'm certain the new junction for St Georges / Morrisons will help the traffic problems around town.....

 

[Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt]

I would have thought it was somewhat unlikely for the not to proceed for that reason. Of course it could just be an excuse to hide the more probable financial reason.

Any at the moment it is just speculation so I'd not be too concerned. There are many more reasons why M&S would want to expand here than not.



And the answer is?

Of course in my defence I did caveat this at the start by saying it may be total and utter bilge - it is just what I have heard. I agree that M&S are unlikely to think that the traffic congestion would be a reason for not going ahead -but it is plausable that there is something in this. If you look at M&S & their sales figures they are going through (as are most high street retailers) a pretty torrid time - they may well therefore be having a rethink based on the cost but are unlikely to say that is the "official" reason. If they say it is about congestion or lack of Local Authority support or success in regenerating the wider area (others have mentioned the ongoing problems at Faulty Towers & the fact that the shop / car park regen under the Civic Centre hasn't started when it should have done) then it shifts the blame & makes them look more like the victim rather than the perpetrators if and when this does come out

 

[gon2seed]

1. Not sayng it ain't so, but:- 1. Signifiant amount already spent, plans, legal, planning ect. 2. Massive multi national, must have done their home work, everyone in 'Ford has been moaning about traffic as long as I can remember 3. I am sure they have not had to contribute to the current work on Queensway, as a sweetener before getting planning. 4. Work has already started, OK only digging, but.... 5. It's Well aknowledged that the current M&S is small, cramped, unsuitable. So, I will be surprised if it comes to pass, but, of course, it won't be the first or last time!

 

[proactive]

in my defence

No need to defend yourself FDR, we're just debating it. Sorry if my post came across the wrong way

 

[tek-monkey]

Maybe they sent a big boss down to view the site on the same day the motorway fouled up? He asked how often it happened, driver said all the damn time and Stafford doesn't have a bypass, big boss says **** that!

 

[John Marwood]

Every investment is under review in every country

The world changed while we were getting bored with austerity and bail outs

See Argentina 1999 - 2002 for a taste of the future

If you are brave enough

 

[Confused]

M&S to build £40M store in Wolstanton:

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.u...e-Wolstanton/story-15849093-detail/story.html

I have heard this has already put in doubt M&S' proposed moved to City Sentral (sic) in Hanley - exactly how many giant M&S shops can Staffordshire sustain?

 

[Lucy]

I have a friend who works for a street furniture supplier. The plans are currently on his desk for pricing up...

 

[gilbert grape]

I went to this Public Consulatation and said without any reservation "I'd like this project but only if the traffic situation is resolved" and the response I had was something like "There's hold ups in every town with motorway junctions so it's normal and we'd just be part of it"

If you want to look back through it I'm sure it (old thread)
will be backed up on here somewhere.

 

[Miss Red]

I went to this Public Consulatation and said without any reservation "I'd like this project but only if the traffic situation is resolved" and the response I had was something like "There's hold ups in every town with motorway junctions so it's normal and we'd just be part of it"

If you want to look back through it I'm sure it (old thread)
will be backed up on here somewhere.

Thats a bit of a blinkered view - everyone knows that whoever planned stafford roads didnt even consider the future - im with tek on this one

 

[My Name is URL]

Thats a bit of a blinkered view - everyone knows that whoever planned stafford roads didnt even consider the future - im with tek on this one

Typical of Stafford i'm affraid... head in the sand.... "Traffic is sh*t, deal with it while we build more houses, more offices, more shops (despite the old ones being empty)..."

 

[Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt]

M&S to build £40M store in Wolstanton:

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.u...e-Wolstanton/story-15849093-detail/story.html

I have heard this has already put in doubt M&S' proposed moved to City Sentral (sic) in Hanley - exactly how many giant M&S shops can Staffordshire sustain?

I think this is an important point. When you look at the development proposed for Riverside & for similar ones around the town generally it is clear that people will have to be attracted in to shop here from further afield to make it stack up economically. Currently Stafford has a fighting chance of doing this as bigger, better shopping destinations like Birmingham and Manchester are perhaps too far away & the likes of Stoke and Wolverhampton although bigger are generally sub-standard shopping experiences (I'm being kind!)
To attract people in they need to be able to get here & for reasons mentioned we all know that can be difficult, especially at peak times.
If M&S build as it seems they are going to at Wolstanton then this is really easy to access from the A500 - hugely easier than getting into the middle of Stafford.
In terms of attracting shoppers from outside the town, take Stone as a really good example with its population of around 15,000 (2001 census). Lets say both M&S stores in Stafford and Wolstanton get built; anyone from Stone wanting to visit can travel roughly the same distance north or south to one if these stores but crutially one has vastly better transport links than the other. Which one would you choose?

 

[Gareth]

Some worthy and interesting points on this subject that makes an interesting debate. But the issues with traffic do put a grin on my fact in my line of work. Stafford and it's residents are no different to every other single town and city from London to Newcastle, all have major issues with infrastructre, from constant road works, lack of good public transport, bypass issues and so.

It simply comes down to the fact too many people have cars on the road, they cannot cope. That being you cannot simply build a road through houses, green belt and the cost involved to highways and local authorities to central government are insane.

Let me tell you the A500 and a52 ajoining, worse place in the world in the late afternoon 6 times in the last 8/9 working days I have been stuck there getting home, it is an accident and breakdown mecca. Trust me until you have been in Stoke and the whole place in gridlocked like it was 3/4 Fridays ago you have experienced nothing, 4 hours for what is a 45 minute journey
There is not much chance of it getting better anywhere and unless Stafford/shire Councils fall over a pot of gold there is nothing there.

But regardless what people think Stafford has sustainable custom. Big companies have wanted to come here since the 70s but there are issues, size of premises is the biggest.

Stafford has one of the highest sustainable businesses classes in the West Midlands at 49.7ish % of businesses lasting 5 years or more and by far the highest in the county (at last years count, due for review next year).

Stafford is expanding and businesses/ retail are not stupid. Traffic will not put people off going anywhere that provides them with they want, hell people will queue at 6am on a Boxing Day in the freezing cold for a bargain they may not get, the retail industry knows this even though it is taking a hit right now. Traffic congestion would not be a deciding factor, congestion means people are coming into town (unless the motorway breaks down then it is through it .

It will be interesting to see what happens with this development, I may have to get the shovel out

 

[Gareth]

What is interestng is the Civic Office Development, it is hard any find any plans or worthwhile news items on this at all.
I know this got passed by cabinet last year but not sure if it was to foot the £1million cost or the plans.

I only take this from the news items I remember but I thought the plan was for glass fronted shops to be facing the road by Staffordshire Place as well as varying access around the car park side to open access up to the riverside complex. Where Jade Clothing was an arch or walk way was to be put in. But everywhere you turn it all seems very quiet on this project, but I didn't think it was due to start until autumn this year??