Stafford shops closing - Turning into a ghost town?

Goldilox

Goldilox

How do I edit this?
To be fair, I walked through the centre of Cheltenham today - a town definitely not short of a bob or two (at least as far as the residents go - I don't know how austerity has impacted local government) and the familiar paving slab/tarmac patchwork was ubiquitous.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Goldilox said:
To be fair, I walked through the centre of Cheltenham today - a town definitely not short of a bob or two (at least as far as the residents go - I don't know how austerity has impacted local government) and the familiar paving slab/tarmac patchwork was ubiquitous.
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The mistake of not trademarking it...


You will be aware that I once lived not far from Cheltenham, a town that I have associated with the smell of napalm since the early 1980s.

 
Echo

Echo

Newbie
Goldstyle Limousines said:
With all the shops standing empty and now more closing down we are turning into a ghost town at this rate.
Why is nothing being done to entice new shops to open up, if rents are to high then why don't they reduce them for a while. Surely better than having all these shops standing empty for so long!
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It’s shocking, I rarely go into town now but when I do it always make me feel whistful for when it was vibrant 15 yrs ago. The Shire Hall Gallery and Ancient High House were great visitor attractions, Guild Hall and Market were full and the only bit that looked a bit unloved was the Sheridan Centre. The planners have split the town in half and the old half has just been dumped
 
Tilly

Tilly

Well-Known Forumite
Echo said:
It’s shocking, I rarely go into town now but when I do it always make me feel whistful for when it was vibrant 15 yrs ago. The Shire Hall Gallery and Ancient High House were great visitor attractions, Guild Hall and Market were full and the only bit that looked a bit unloved was the Sheridan Centre. The planners have split the town in half and the old half has just been dumped
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Mc Cannock - it's the future
 
G

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Goldilox said:
To be fair, I walked through the centre of Cheltenham today - a town definitely not short of a bob or two (at least as far as the residents go - I don't know how austerity has impacted local government) and the familiar paving slab/tarmac patchwork was ubiquitous.
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Buxton also has gorgeous tarmac patchwork quilt coming along very nicely
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The patches should be numbered and we could play some sort of game on them - it could become a major attraction - like the Pamplona Bull Run, but without the bulls, or much much else.
 
G

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
I do think Stafford`s get worse every time I see it.

The highways officers in Stafford seem to care less than elsewhere in the county that have regular maintenance, in fact a number have had nee paving entirely - though Leeks is already coming apart.

Pedestrians have the right to walk in safety especially with all the events that have gone one in Stafford. How someone has not broken an ankle, well the council can consider themselves lucky indeed
 
Jade-clothing

Jade-clothing

Well-Known Forumite
Gareth said:
I do think Stafford`s get worse every time I see it.

The highways officers in Stafford seem to care less than elsewhere in the county that have regular maintenance, in fact a number have had nee paving entirely - though Leeks is already coming apart.

Pedestrians have the right to walk in safety especially with all the events that have gone one in Stafford. How someone has not broken an ankle, well the council can consider themselves lucky indeed
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I don't think the council care to be honest, whether pedestrians are safe or not, as they definitely don't give a shit about the pavements if you do have an accident and claim compensation. I know someone - an elderly lady who tripped on one of those grids that run the length of the pedestrianised area - it was sticking up into the air and she claimed compensation as she had previously had an hip replacement and it caused her months of pain. Even now she is still walking with a stick and it was a good year or two ago. They denied responsibility - said they had been on their way to mend it on the very day she tripped on it - likely story. Only yesterday I saw one of the grids was missing and a gaping hole is in its place. so I doubt very much if they are considering themselves lucky as they obviously think they are above paying out compensation.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
If they do pay compensation, it is not their money that gets paid out....

I still find it odd that "it's cheaper to fill a hole with tarmac" than to flick out the bits of the broken slab and drop a new one in, especially if it is a whole, uncut slab?
 
T

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
On the subject of shitty paving , I was dismayed that some of the slabs near the new Primark area, well Costa actually, had already been dug up and replaced with black tarmac.
 
Feed The Goat

Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
Jade-clothing said:
I don't think the council care to be honest, whether pedestrians are safe or not, as they definitely don't give a shit about the pavements if you do have an accident and claim compensation. I know someone - an elderly lady who tripped on one of those grids that run the length of the pedestrianised area - it was sticking up into the air and she claimed compensation as she had previously had an hip replacement and it caused her months of pain. Even now she is still walking with a stick and it was a good year or two ago. They denied responsibility - said they had been on their way to mend it on the very day she tripped on it - likely story. Only yesterday I saw one of the grids was missing and a gaping hole is in its place. so I doubt very much if they are considering themselves lucky as they obviously think they are above paying out compensation.
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The only time it will be fixed properly is if it is a concern to the Ironman organisers.

Then anything is possible.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Feed The Goat said:
The only time it will be fixed properly is if it is a concern to the Ironman organisers.

Then anything is possible.
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Or if there is a royal visit.

I remember remarking to someone that if he wanted a new jacket, to just 'accidentally' brush against a freshly painted bollard in Gaolgate Street. He pointed out to me that they were being painted because of the queen's visit - just the ones that she would go past, all the others were to be left as they were. I checked around the area and it was true...
 
Thehooperman

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
Gramaisc said:
Or if there is a royal visit.

I remember remarking to someone that if he wanted a new jacket, to just 'accidentally' brush against a freshly painted bollard in Gaolgate Street. He pointed out to me that they were being painted because of the queen's visit - just the ones that she would go past, all the others were to be left as they were. I checked around the area and it was true...
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Were they only painted on one side as well?
 
Jade-clothing

Jade-clothing

Well-Known Forumite
Gramaisc said:
Or if there is a royal visit.

I remember remarking to someone that if he wanted a new jacket, to just 'accidentally' brush against a freshly painted bollard in Gaolgate Street. He pointed out to me that they were being painted because of the queen's visit - just the ones that she would go past, all the others were to be left as they were. I checked around the area and it was true...
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I've heard that the Queen thinks the world smells of new paint....
 
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