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Post by thehartshillbadger on May 20, 2021 21:19:54 GMT
The German city of Wuppertal is a linear industrial city a bit like Stoke. They have a wonderful overhead railway, the Schweberbahn linking the various parts of the city. It has become a tourist attraction in itself "Einmal in leben durch Wuppertal schweben" (once in a life time you have to go on the Schweberbahn). My old man was born in Wuppertal, the filthy Jerry😏
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Post by tommycarlsberg on May 20, 2021 22:01:00 GMT
Sadly Hanley has become a first class tip. Without major investment it is pretty much done. Really not true and very unfair on the businesses that are working their bollocks off to give Stoke something to shout about.
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Post by Cns on May 20, 2021 22:09:39 GMT
High Street is dead, much easier for folk to sit on their backsides, click buy, and item is at your door next day without you stepping foot out the house, I generally try not to do online and help out local Businesses when I can.
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Post by NassauDave on May 21, 2021 3:12:53 GMT
Sadly Hanley has become a first class tip. Without major investment it is pretty much done. Really not true and very unfair on the businesses that are working their bollocks off to give Stoke something to shout about. Good to know. Thanks.
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Post by zerps on May 21, 2021 5:05:29 GMT
One of the cities best features is it’s canals
We largely ignore them yet they’re absolutely stunning in parts.
Get some waterside bars, restaurants and retail built.
A couple of Amsterdam style coffee shops would go down a treat too.
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Post by werrington on May 21, 2021 5:50:35 GMT
One of the cities best features is it’s canals We largely ignore them yet they’re absolutely stunning in parts. Get some waterside bars, restaurants and retail built. A couple of Amsterdam style coffee shops would go down a treat too. Reading is a prime example of a town/city centre using its waterways to the maximum Sadly for obvious reasons it can’t and won’t happen but to flatten Shelton and re build the city centre around its canals, park and proximity to the station and A500 would see the city take off to another level
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Post by metalhead on May 21, 2021 7:09:38 GMT
I agree that the lazy stereotypes of "it's a shithole" are wrong. A town centre is exactly what you make of it and the reason it has become dilapidated is down to neglect.
The problem as I see it currently, is the world is moving on from the bricks and mortar existence that Hanley, Stoke, Newcastle etc were built upon; they are stuck their triple welt brogues, yellow corduroy trousers and braces... lost in time.
The majority of shopping has moved away from the high street stores, to a primarily online function. The successful cities are now a mix of tertiary and dining options, with also a limited retail section.
When I was a young kid, I used to love taking the bus to Hanley, Newcastle or even Stafford. When I was about 11 or 12, I took a bus to Stafford, drew out £110 from my Britannia Building Society account and paid cash for a PlayStation 2 in a shop called Disks and Discs. It was up a backstreet near where the Argos was. Genuinely good memories and something I kind of cherish. The upcoming generations don't know what they've missed out on.
Those days are gone... Long gone. Game shops are a great example of a physical market that is on borrowed time. Consoles have been heading towards digital downloads for years and that trend isn't going away. That entire sector is basically dead. Computers, for example, are unnecessary for those who don't specifically require one. I use one at work every day and I have one at home, but the only reason I have my home setup for music recording. If I didn't do that, I wouldn't have any need for one. All of a sudden, PC's aren't as important as they were 10 years ago... computer building shops disappear left right and centre.
The big cities who have successfully reinvented themselves all have the three things I mention above: Tertiary - Office space for startups and tech companies. Essentially, a thriving business sector which is usually technology driven rather than retail. Dining / Bars / Entertainment - Restaurants and bars that cater for all price points and clientele. Cinemas. Limited Retail - Primark's of this world... usually bigger and more successful companies, the target audience being the employees of the startups and tech companies.
Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham are three successful implementations of the above.
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Post by tommycarlsberg on May 21, 2021 9:42:47 GMT
Really not true and very unfair on the businesses that are working their bollocks off to give Stoke something to shout about. Good to know. Thanks. What a weird response.
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Post by elystokie on May 21, 2021 10:38:32 GMT
There is a lot of work being done in the planning areas from what I hear on the radio, how much will actually come to fruition is anybodies guess tho. I go Hanley about twice a month and quite enjoy myself while I'm there, I get asked for money every now and then but I can't say it spoils my time there. I did see a stall type thing outside the Potteries Centre the other week that bemused me tho, a red gazebo with a couple of blokes in red jackets and baseball caps sat there looking bored shitless behind a table with a couple of random books on. Think it was something to do with the council (there was SOT council stuff on their jackets) but there were no signs saying why they were there, no leaflets and seemingly nothing for sale.
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Post by elystokie on May 21, 2021 10:44:00 GMT
One of the cities best features is it’s canals We largely ignore them yet they’re absolutely stunning in parts. Get some waterside bars, restaurants and retail built. A couple of Amsterdam style coffee shops would go down a treat too. There was a plan to develop the area behind Stoke station into a restaurant/leisure area a year or two ago, the bit on the right as you go into Stoke after walking under the bridge. Don't know if its still going ahead but you're right, much more use should be made of the canals.
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Post by iancransonsknees on May 21, 2021 11:13:28 GMT
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Post by crapslinger on May 21, 2021 11:15:09 GMT
The German city of Wuppertal is a linear industrial city a bit like Stoke. They have a wonderful overhead railway, the Schweberbahn linking the various parts of the city. It has become a tourist attraction in itself "Einmal in leben durch Wuppertal schweben" (once in a life time you have to go on the Schweberbahn). My old man was born in Wuppertal, the filthy Jerry😏 Some stunning city's in Germany love Lubeck with a trip to Travemunde thrown in.
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Post by maninasuitcase on May 21, 2021 11:25:46 GMT
Monorail Worked for North Haverbrook Brockway and Ogdenville
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Post by GrahamHyde on May 21, 2021 12:37:50 GMT
Tories in power now so everything will change for the better.
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Post by Olgrligm on May 21, 2021 12:57:51 GMT
The silly option given infinite money for me would be this.
If you look at the six towns, they make a sort of L shape, with Burslem at the top and Longton at the bottom right. The addition of a new town in the top right corner would square off the L and would allow for a purpose built, modern city centre.
You will never, ever fix the atrocious transport links to Hanley or the problem of trying to cram a system oriented to a modern economy into a Victorian town anchored around an increasingly defunct shopping centre. A new town lets you start from a blank slate and get it right.
There are a million obvious reasons why this can never happen, but it's fun to imagine.
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2021 15:11:53 GMT
High Street is dead, much easier for folk to sit on their backsides, click buy, and item is at your door next day without you stepping foot out the house, I generally try not to do online and help out local Businesses when I can. it is and you can't blame folk doing it o be fair for many reasons. The prospect of even driving to say Hanley puts me off straight away amongst half a dozen other reasons to simply order on line.
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Post by spiderpuss on May 21, 2021 15:24:01 GMT
The German city of Wuppertal is a linear industrial city a bit like Stoke. They have a wonderful overhead railway, the Schweberbahn linking the various parts of the city. It has become a tourist attraction in itself "Einmal in leben durch Wuppertal schweben" (once in a life time you have to go on the Schweberbahn). My old man was born in Wuppertal, the filthy Jerry😏 It's a schmazing thing:
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Post by spiderpuss on May 21, 2021 15:33:22 GMT
Hanley needs to have the same thing happen to it as the Broadmarsh centre in Nottingham. Essentially ridded. Add a load of houses and shops that people want. www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/timeline-nottingham-broadmarsh-closure-what-5204904The Broadmarsh centre alone is 20 acres of land and some of the surrounding parts a bit more. In England alone there is thought to be over 1000 "centres" like this that need a complete refactor. Nobody wants tough to get to shopping streets any more. It's got to be quick in quick out with no parking charges. Bus lanes, awkward car parks are doomed. The sooner Hanley cracks on with something similar the better.
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on May 22, 2021 8:08:10 GMT
One of the cities best features is it’s canals We largely ignore them yet they’re absolutely stunning in parts. Get some waterside bars, restaurants and retail built. A couple of Amsterdam style coffee shops would go down a treat too. Birmingham transformed the area around Brindley Place by focussing on prettifying the canalside areas. Worked really well. You'll never get the kind of regenerative ideas like others have posted in Germany etc because we're not prepared to pay for them. Incredibly shortsighted imo because we'd all benefit in the long run. But because of that, look to America for the kind of abandoned town centres that are more and more likely to be a feature of the UK.
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Post by misterj on May 22, 2021 18:49:28 GMT
Our most productive areas now are the huge distribution parks eg Trentham Lakes and the big one at Goldenhill/Sandyford rather than the trad town centres. I think I’d try and persuade the Coates family to donate £100 million and maybe Caudwell £25 - 50 million to kickstart a tram/metro system linking up some residential areas into Hanley & Festival Park then out again South past the uni the station the bet365 stadium and finally trentham lakes. I’d then build a huge car park at each end of the line - north and south - for commuters to park up and get the tram for the final bit of the journey. The A500 and A50 are chokka block travelling into the city AM rush hour then same going out of the city again PM rush hour.
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Post by questionable on May 23, 2021 11:51:54 GMT
One of the cities best features is it’s canals We largely ignore them yet they’re absolutely stunning in parts. Get some waterside bars, restaurants and retail built. A couple of Amsterdam style coffee shops would go down a treat too. We’re on the Shropshire Union Canal and at this time of the year there’s plenty of registered barge traders, really nice touch and something a little different to get out for, main issue is that 99% of the population can’t be arsed to get out but in saying that when they do get out can they stop blocking my driveway it’s really annoying.
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Post by PotteringThrough on May 23, 2021 12:03:24 GMT
It would be good if the city could be adventurous and forward thinking, looking at a greener future (3-30-300 rule) as I suspect the mix of developments will include housing. Get an effective solution for travelling from the train station to the centre (personally think a tramline would be the best option but it will be a ball ache for driving whilst we redevelop & we have to reconsider routes).
This will be an expensive job but if it’s done on the cheap it won’t solve anything.
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Post by iancransonsknees on May 23, 2021 12:15:07 GMT
Our most productive areas now are the huge distribution parks eg Trentham Lakes and the big one at Goldenhill/Sandyford rather than the trad town centres. I think I’d try and persuade the Coates family to donate £100 million and maybe Caudwell £25 - 50 million to kickstart a tram/metro system linking up some residential areas into Hanley & Festival Park then out again South past the uni the station the bet365 stadium and finally trentham lakes. I’d then build a huge car park at each end of the line - north and south - for commuters to park up and get the tram for the final bit of the journey. The A500 and A50 are chokka block travelling into the city AM rush hour then same going out of the city again PM rush hour. I'd like to see some real thought and research put into it. We benefit from the canal and railway systems running relatively parallel, take advantage of the stations - Longton, Blythe, Meir, Etruria, Longport, Kidsgrove and shuttle between them. Grow different districts around the canals that pass through these points. Chicago's Riverwalk is outstanding, and whilst the scale is greater it's a fantastic example of a terrifically polluted area being regenerated and becoming one the highlights rather than an off putting blot on the landscape. www.chicagoriverwalk.us/The high line in NYC is a similar example of using a redundant transport network to regenerate areas of a city and increase desirability, drive regeneration and investment. It'd be a way of developing something unique in the city and allow far more areas to benefit than the shambolic, obnoxious and redundant financial black hole that is Hanley.
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Post by thevoid on May 23, 2021 16:50:37 GMT
Our most productive areas now are the huge distribution parks eg Trentham Lakes and the big one at Goldenhill/Sandyford rather than the trad town centres. I think I’d try and persuade the Coates family to donate £100 million and maybe Caudwell £25 - 50 million to kickstart a tram/metro system linking up some residential areas into Hanley & Festival Park then out again South past the uni the station the bet365 stadium and finally trentham lakes. I’d then build a huge car park at each end of the line - north and south - for commuters to park up and get the tram for the final bit of the journey. The A500 and A50 are chokka block travelling into the city AM rush hour then same going out of the city again PM rush hour. I'd like to see some real thought and research put into it. We benefit from the canal and railway systems running relatively parallel, take advantage of the stations - Longton, Blythe, Meir, Etruria, Longport, Kidsgrove and shuttle between them. Grow different districts around the canals that pass through these points. Chicago's Riverwalk is outstanding, and whilst the scale is greater it's a fantastic example of a terrifically polluted area being regenerated and becoming one the highlights rather than an off putting blot on the landscape. www.chicagoriverwalk.us/The high line in NYC is a similar example of using a redundant transport network to regenerate areas of a city and increase desirability, drive regeneration and investment. It'd be a way of developing something unique in the city and allow far more areas to benefit than the shambolic, obnoxious and redundant financial black hole that is Hanley. Nice idea, will never happen though.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2021 17:11:00 GMT
Our most productive areas now are the huge distribution parks eg Trentham Lakes and the big one at Goldenhill/Sandyford rather than the trad town centres. I think I’d try and persuade the Coates family to donate £100 million and maybe Caudwell £25 - 50 million to kickstart a tram/metro system linking up some residential areas into Hanley & Festival Park then out again South past the uni the station the bet365 stadium and finally trentham lakes. I’d then build a huge car park at each end of the line - north and south - for commuters to park up and get the tram for the final bit of the journey. The A500 and A50 are chokka block travelling into the city AM rush hour then same going out of the city again PM rush hour. I'd like to see some real thought and research put into it. We benefit from the canal and railway systems running relatively parallel, take advantage of the stations - Longton, Blythe, Meir, Etruria, Longport, Kidsgrove and shuttle between them. Grow different districts around the canals that pass through these points. Chicago's Riverwalk is outstanding, and whilst the scale is greater it's a fantastic example of a terrifically polluted area being regenerated and becoming one the highlights rather than an off putting blot on the landscape. www.chicagoriverwalk.us/The high line in NYC is a similar example of using a redundant transport network to regenerate areas of a city and increase desirability, drive regeneration and investment. It'd be a way of developing something unique in the city and allow far more areas to benefit than the shambolic, obnoxious and redundant financial black hole that is Hanley. is fantastic and was a great example
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Post by iancransonsknees on May 25, 2021 6:26:43 GMT
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Post by Northy on May 26, 2021 6:31:48 GMT
2 retail units in Northwich were taken over by non retail, 1 is puddle ducks a baby swimming lesson place, and next door the Cheshire ice cream farm opened up a new kiddies indoor play area and cafe, these are just around the corner from the cinema, new independent café and a restaurant, some new small independent pubs (1 a micro brewery and 1 a small music venue), cafés are making it more of a social hub as well as retail Free parking for 4 hours or £1 all day right in the town centre 👌which is also about 5 minutes walk from great countryside, with good walking paths, can make it a day out right on your doorstep, a destination day out for families etc is something to aim for as well
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