The decline of Leicester

[CosbehFox]

35 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Got the proof/evidence? Or is it just a  generalisation? 

To be fair there has been examples 

 

This article summarised it well - 

Hahahaa

 

. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3677xzk56no

Edited 9 September 2025 by CosbehFox

[Greg2607]

1 hour ago, JonnyBoy said:

Only go into Leicester if we go to Highcross, maybe a meal around St Martins square but that's it now. Feels so unsafe and just not a nice place 

why is that then? and when in general?  i'm not questioning your feelings... I'm just interested if it's a time of day thing. I'm not in Leicester alot, but we will do Highcross and then out into the City Centre for other shopping, but it's day time and I've not once felt unsafe.   In fact... thinking about it... I don't think i've ever felt unsafe anywhere in my life.  Even wandering the streets of Naples of a night time which is fairly notorious. 

 

I appreciate Leicester might feel alot different at night, but we don't live locally enough to Leicester to really head out there at night and we have plenty of great nightlife options in Ashby, so don't really need to travel. 

 

I'll also caveat this with the fact i'm about 18 stone... so maybe people just don't try to bother with me. 

Edited 9 September 2025 by Greg2607

[StanSP]

Just now, CosbehFox said:

To be fair there has been examples 

 

This article summarised it well - 

Access arrangements – keys are held in a key safe on site. I am also attending site on Tuesday 16th September if that helps. 

 

Nice. What's the key safe code

[CosbehFox]

1 minute ago, StanSP said:

Nice. What's the key safe code

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3677xzk56no 

 

1234 

[Voll Blau]

3 hours ago, RoboFox said:

I'd forgotten about the rave reviews it was getting from the middle-class rags at one point. 

 

I worked at the Springfield Sainsbury's as a teenager for years during the early-mid 2000s and it was just nowheresville. High street littered with slowly dying chain stores and a bunch of old man pubs with a few independents here and there. 

 

This year was the first time I'd been back properly in many years and the transformation is pretty stark although a number of the St. Mary's Road restaurants are STILL going after all this time. Enigma too. 

 

You'd have worked with a few people I know at Sainsbury's, I reckon.

 

Sadly upstairs Enigma's an Air B&B now. People actually staying in a place of so many shameful incidents for si many of us Harboruans of a certain age...

[davieG]

5 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Visiting from Australia, the UK seems to have lost its pride in keeping the place tidy, let alone filling the potholes or empty shops and so on.  And that is visiting wealthy Surrey.

 

5 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

Austerity - every council has had to substantially reduce those council ran services. District/parish councils appear capable of picking up the slack as it stands. 

This is one of the biggest changes of public behaviour in my lifetime, Leicester had a reputation in the late 50s early 60s of being the 2nd most prosperous city in Europe and one of the cleanest. Now where ever you look there's rubbish lying around even within feet of empty litter bins. It's not just small bits either large dumped household items and broken toys often in people's front gardens because the council wont take them with the rubbish and wants £20 an item to pick them up oh and not forgetting the dog shit.

 

They're even removing bins in some areas because they're under utilised.

 

 

 

 

[SkidsFox]

5 hours ago, lcfc278 said:

Interestingly I did the Loros Elephant walk a couple of weekends ago with the wife and child and it was a real mixed bag. Walking through the High Cross shopping centre and then around the Cathedral and Loseby Lane and St Martins - I actually thought that Leicester city centre does have some really nice areas. That and then parts of New Walk as well (although there were a couple of shady characters around there).

 

In contrast, when we walked from the Haymarket shopping centre, down Humberstone gate and then galowtree gate down to the Town hall square it was horrendous and there were a few times we felt a little unsafe with our little one - some really dingy places, litter and a lot of homeless people or people with what I assume were either drug problems or poor mental health issues.

 

Great summary, and kind of reflects my opinion of the city (although I've not been often in the last few years).

I feel there needs to be some kind of concept walk, like the Bermondsey Beer Mile, that can bring footfall to differing parts of the centre. it doesn't have to involve beer - for example maybe an Asian fusion tapas stretch?  

[JonnyBoy]

3 hours ago, Greg2607 said:

why is that then? and when in general?  i'm not questioning your feelings... I'm just interested if it's a time of day thing. I'm not in Leicester alot, but we will do Highcross and then out into the City Centre for other shopping, but it's day time and I've not once felt unsafe.   In fact... thinking about it... I don't think i've ever felt unsafe anywhere in my life.  Even wandering the streets of Naples of a night time which is fairly notorious. 

 

I appreciate Leicester might feel alot different at night, but we don't live locally enough to Leicester to really head out there at night and we have plenty of great nightlife options in Ashby, so don't really need to travel. 

 

I'll also caveat this with the fact i'm about 18 stone... so maybe people just don't try to bother with me. 

🤣 probably because there a lot of dodgy looking characters about, you just don’t know you may be randomly attacked, look at someone the wrong way and you get jumped - obviously more so at night.  You only have to look at the awful incident in America the other day on the train, you can’t ever be too safe. The road leading from the station down to the centre is horrendous.

 

I rather play it safe and feel more comfortable sticking with highcross, often we don’t need to visit any other shops as we don’t have a desire for any outside of high cross from memory - unless it’s a banging breakfast from Mrs Bridges. We live 25 minute drive to fosse park so go there now instead. We don’t even have much need for Leicester anymore, they have even gotten rid of the M&S. 

 

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

4 hours ago, Greg2607 said:

why is that then? and when in general?  i'm not questioning your feelings... I'm just interested if it's a time of day thing. I'm not in Leicester alot, but we will do Highcross and then out into the City Centre for other shopping, but it's day time and I've not once felt unsafe.   In fact... thinking about it... I don't think i've ever felt unsafe anywhere in my life.  Even wandering the streets of Naples of a night time which is fairly notorious. 

 

I appreciate Leicester might feel alot different at night, but we don't live locally enough to Leicester to really head out there at night and we have plenty of great nightlife options in Ashby, so don't really need to travel. 

 

I'll also caveat this with the fact i'm about 18 stone... so maybe people just don't try to bother with me. 

And 4 ft tall...

[Zear0]

36 minutes ago, JonnyBoy said:

🤣 probably because there a lot of dodgy looking characters about, you just don’t know you may be randomly attacked, look at someone the wrong way and you get jumped - obviously more so at night.  You only have to look at the awful incident in America the other day on the train, you can’t ever be too safe. The road leading from the station down to the centre is horrendous.

 

I rather play it safe and feel more comfortable sticking with highcross, often we don’t need to visit any other shops as we don’t have a desire for any outside of high cross from memory - unless it’s a banging breakfast from Mrs Bridges. We live 25 minute drive to fosse park so go there now instead. We don’t even have much need for Leicester anymore, they have even gotten rid of the M&S. 

 

 

I basically do one giant commando roll from High Cross into Games Workshop and back. Only way to be sure. 

[Greg2607]

4 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

And 4 ft tall...

6ft 2. But close enough. Haha..

[Trav Le Bleu]

3 minutes ago, Greg2607 said:

6ft 2. But close enough. Haha..

Context is everything

 

You make a point though. If you can handle yourself, you're not going to feel unsafe anywhere.

 

It is a little bit an age thing. When you're young, you're invincible, at least, it's how you feel, but as you age and maybe get some bad experiences, not so strong or fast, then your perspective is going to change. I doubt few people feel that where they lived in their youth is safer in their middle to later years.

[Stadt]

7 hours ago, kenny said:

It is very different. My experience is that the attitude of the department is key are they gatekeepers designed to keep 'bad development' (in their often limited opinion) out or are they instigators and facilitators.

 

Leicester very much falls into the first bracket and the planning department appear to be anti-development and will put up any barriers they can. Blaby is terrible as well for this and just narrowly avoided special measures due to having too many applications over-turned on appeal. North West Leicester is more variable.

 

What has replaced 'place-making' is the elected mayors such as Soulsby and the council development Directors that have done a lot of good work. However, they have and continue to totally ignore transport as the city is strangled. They are also ignoring the issue that is too slow and cumbersome to get planning in the city and it is clear that very few residential developments get built once planning is approved. Presumably because the developers loose appetite when stuck in the planning system for 2 years.

Melton district council have approved 100% of applications recently (may have changed). They’re pro-development, Leicester isn’t.

 

They think 9 stories is tall  

[Wymsey]

Has Soulsby failed the city in general?

[davieG]

29 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Has Soulsby failed the city in general?

He seems to be obsessed with catering for visitors, why else does it cost a fortune to visit the Roman Museum redeveloped with council taxes and government (people's taxes) that used to be free? His love of making open spaces none of which are significant to make a big difference. As long as he looks good in the eyes of external city planners getting the environmental ticks with his bike lanes he's happy.

 

Copilot interpretation

 

You’re tapping into a frustration that’s echoed in many towns—when local leadership seems more focused on optics and external validation than on the lived experience of residents. Redeveloping the Roman Museum with public funds, only to slap on a hefty entrance fee, does feel like a bait-and-switch. If it was once free and accessible, turning it into a polished attraction for tourists can feel like a betrayal of its original purpose: serving the community.
And those open spaces—while they might look good on a master plan—can feel like token gestures if they don’t actually improve daily life. A patch of grass and a few benches won’t solve deeper issues like housing, transport, or youth engagement. It’s the kind of planning that earns gold stars from external auditors but leaves locals wondering, “Who is this really for?”

[SemperEadem]

47 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Has Soulsby failed the city in general?

No, but **** me he has been around too long.

[Paninistickers]

9 hours ago, lcfc278 said:

Interestingly I did the Loros Elephant walk a couple of weekends ago with the wife and child and it was a real mixed bag. Walking through the High Cross shopping centre and then around the Cathedral and Loseby Lane and St Martins - I actually thought that Leicester city centre does have some really nice areas. That and then parts of New Walk as well (although there were a couple of shady characters around there).

 

In contrast, when we walked from the Haymarket shopping centre, down Humberstone gate and then galowtree gate down to the Town hall square it was horrendous and there were a few times we felt a little unsafe with our little one - some really dingy places, litter and a lot of homeless people or people with what I assume were either drug problems or poor mental health issues.

 

In the space of a weekend we saw two massively different sides of the city within just minutes walk of each other.  

Exactly my take. 

 

I went for my first booze in ages a few weeks ago with a mate from out of town. I'd kinda dreaded it. 

 

However, there was something rather unfiltered, unapologetic about the place. London Road for eats, new walk, a rough & ready Granby street, town hall square, St Martin's bars, spoons on high street for some 'real Leicester' characters, back to New Walk. Throw in Curve area. I've seen many worse cities. It looked surprisingly ok.

[danny.]

7 hours ago, StanSP said:

Got the proof/evidence? Or is it just a  generalisation? 

Basic maths. Work out the local populace, frequency of required cuts and therefore total demand. Then work out capacity per barber shop and it’s obvious there are 500-1000% capacity at least in every high street around the country. It’s not possible for the majority of them to be genuine sustainable businesses. 

[RonnieTodger]

11 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Has Soulsby failed the city in general?

Bus lane addict 

[Chris_OGrady]

Such a shame the station isn't the old great central railway station. That side of the town is much better IMO. 

[spacemunky]

Make Leicester great again? 

[Parafox]

9 hours ago, RonnieTodger said:

Bus/cycle lane addict 

[Out Foxed]

On 09/09/2025 at 21:53, Wymsey said:

Has Soulsby failed the city in general?

course he has. anyone who says no is deluded. 

[Grebfromgrebland]

8 minutes ago, Out Foxed said:

course he has. anyone who says no is deluded. 

How has he? 

[CornwallFox]

On 09/09/2025 at 17:04, davieG said:

 

This is one of the biggest changes of public behaviour in my lifetime, Leicester had a reputation in the late 50s early 60s of being the 2nd most prosperous city in Europe and one of the cleanest. Now where ever you look there's rubbish lying around even within feet of empty litter bins. It's not just small bits either large dumped household items and broken toys often in people's front gardens because the council wont take them with the rubbish and wants £20 an item to pick them up oh and not forgetting the dog shit.

 

They're even removing bins in some areas because they're under utilised.

 

 

 

 

Go back 15-20 years ago and councils had enough money for things like xxx in bloom, mowing next to pavements etc. That's all changed and they're all sinking under the weight of less money and more statutory duties.