Is the City of Leicester a dump?

[davieG]

Land needed for £8.5 million Leicester city centre link road secured from reluctant owner
Work could start in the next few months

ByDan MartinPolitics Reporter
08:49, 26 JUN 2019UPDATED09:29, 26 JUN 2019
 

The car park in Belgrave Gate
s
Council bosses have now secured all the land they need to create a new £8.5 million link road in Leicester city centre.

The proposed route for buses will run between Mansfield Street and Belgrave Gate.

The link road, currently a car park where the ABC cinema once stood, will provide a short route out of the city centre for some 34 buses an hour.

The link will remove the need for buses to travel down Belgrave Gate past the Clock Tower and down Churchgate.

It has taken the council more than four years to secure the land it needs for the to build the and it was forced to apply to the Government for a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to get control of a vital area from an owner who did not want to sell it.

Latest from Sir Peter Soulsby
A city council spokeswoman said: “We have been granted a CPO to purchase other pieces of land required to construct the scheme and the challenge period for this decision has now passed.

“The process to transfer the land from the current owners to the city council takes three months and this process can now begin.

“The value of the land will be determined by a Lands Tribunal if agreement can’t be reached between the city council and current owners.”

The authority has already bought land belonging to G.S Fashions Ltd, currently used as a car park, for £1.7 million but is leasing this back to them to operate as a car park until works are ready to start.

Pedestrians cut through the car park on a daily basis heading from the St Margaret’s Bus Station towards the city centre and back so an official footpath will be included in the scheme as well as a new cycle route.

Work on Mansfield Street itself is meant to ensure greater pedestrian safety for those accessing this part of the city and will enable the introduction of a two-way traffic flow on this road between Short Street and Sandacre Street.

Companies have now been invited to bid to build the road and various contractors are being considered.

Artist's impression of Belgrave Gate after the link road is built
Once a contract is awarded, work can begin on the car park site and on Sandacre Street even if the land transfer process is not completed on the other sites.

It is hoped work will the autumn, and be complete by spring 2020.

What the mayor says
Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “By creating this road, we will be able to improve journey times for the thousands of people who use bus services each day and provide a much-improved direct pedestrian link between St Margaret’s and the Haymarket bus station.

“Once that is done we will be able to progress with the pedestrianising of the area around the Clock Tower and of Churchgate which people say really needs improving.

“It’s a narrow area road in one of the busiest parts of the city and would be vastly improved by removing the buses.”

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/land-needed-85-million-leicester-3019341

 

[Grebfromgrebland]

Hopefully it will make that area of town less of a shit hole as well. 

[davieG]

Giant dome is coming to host live music and comedy 

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/giant-dome-leicester-jubilee-square-3084573#ICID=ios_leicestermercury_ios_AppShare_Click_Other

[Wymsey]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/businesses-leicesters-london-road-say-3102753

[Soup]

What is going on with Market Street lately. I counted 8 empty units recently plus the Fenwick building. Disgraceful really. 

[Sparky]

Town centre is dying a slow death, hate to see how it’s gone.

[SemperEadem]

Yeah as Soup said Market Street has bombed in the last three years along with Belvoir Street.

[Grebfromgrebland]

I went to Freeman's common today. That was a dump.

[Soup]

What do people actually like about our town centre then? 

 

The indoor meat and fish market is superb I think. The quality and price beats any supermarket. We shoud definitely be proud of that. There's a great little cob shop attached at the back right on the new square that's being done. 

 

I go Phoenix a fair bit and love all the street art around there. They've also.done a massive wall near the ibis that looks great, it's lifted a tired old building.

 

I'm not a fan of the Highcross at all but there's a social climbing place opposite the Cherry Tree that I've heard good things about. I may go.down there in the winter months and check that out.

 

I spent my whole youth in town from the age of about 10 skateboarding and I've got such amazing memories.  It is sad to see its demise but there are signs of improvement. Not sure it will ever be the same but if people don't go and use it then what hope has it got. Long live our town. 

[Chiltern Fox]

It's the same everywhere. Leicester is no different. The high street is dying. It's the internet's fault I'm afraid. Blame berners lee.

[Heathrow fox]

Yet when the sun comes out most Town centres still get really busy

[Wymsey]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/police-concerns-over-incidents-belvoir-3108144

[Stadt]

5 hours ago, Soup said:

What do people actually like about our town centre then? 

 

The indoor meat and fish market is superb I think. The quality and price beats any supermarket. We shoud definitely be proud of that. There's a great little cob shop attached at the back right on the new square that's being done. 

 

I go Phoenix a fair bit and love all the street art around there. They've also.done a massive wall near the ibis that looks great, it's lifted a tired old building.

 

I'm not a fan of the Highcross at all but there's a social climbing place opposite the Cherry Tree that I've heard good things about. I may go.down there in the winter months and check that out.

 

I spent my whole youth in town from the age of about 10 skateboarding and I've got such amazing memories.  It is sad to see its demise but there are signs of improvement. Not sure it will ever be the same but if people don't go and use it then what hope has it got. Long live our town. 

There's significant development on the west side, Great Central station has gone from being disused to becoming a bowling alley, cafe's, bars etc. There's going to be a hotel built where Liquid is now. New Walk is stunning, the lanes are great and the Guildhall/Jubilee/Cathedral area is lovely now. There's a lot of history in our city centre - more so than a lot of places but we don't always do a great job of showing it.

 

This forum details the developments https://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4374

 

I'm under no illusion it's the greatest city in the world but it's exactly what it is, one of the smaller, bigger cities in the UK with some good and some bad.

[lavrentis]

Leicester actually has a digital economy. The amount of software jobs I see is healthy.

[Midlands yellow]

What happened to the tourist bus that was doing a decent trade years ago ? London and Oxford ones are still going but Leicester’s suddenly stopped .

[davieG]

On 19/07/2019 at 23:30, Stadt said:

There's significant development on the west side, Great Central station has gone from being disused to becoming a bowling alley, cafe's, bars etc. There's going to be a hotel built where Liquid is now. New Walk is stunning, the lanes are great and the Guildhall/Jubilee/Cathedral area is lovely now. There's a lot of history in our city centre - more so than a lot of places but we don't always do a great job of showing it.

 

This forum details the developments https://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4374

 

I'm under no illusion it's the greatest city in the world but it's exactly what it is, one of the smaller, bigger cities in the UK with some good and some bad.

That’s all good but doesn’t negate the impact that the people have with litter dropped, gum spat out and homeless/dossers hanging around.

 

Far too many well built attractive buildings have been replaced and continue to be replaced by boring, substandard, short term profit making blocks.

[Langston]

On 19/07/2019 at 23:30, Stadt said:

There's significant development on the west side, Great Central station has gone from being disused to becoming a bowling alley, cafe's, bars etc. There's going to be a hotel built where Liquid is now. New Walk is stunning, the lanes are great and the Guildhall/Jubilee/Cathedral area is lovely now. There's a lot of history in our city centre - more so than a lot of places but we don't always do a great job of showing it.

 

This forum details the developments https://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4374

 

I'm under no illusion it's the greatest city in the world but it's exactly what it is, one of the smaller, bigger cities in the UK with some good and some bad.

Is the Liquid hotel going ahead? Last I heard people were trying to get it shut down because it would "spoil" the views from Abbey Park.

 

 

5 hours ago, davieG said:

That’s all good but doesn’t negate the impact that the people have with litter dropped, gum spat out and homeless/dossers hanging around.

Unfortunately the lay of the land in anywhere half busy these days. I live and work in Nottingham, and unfortunately have to concede it's a rung above Leicester in terms of things to do and general pride in the place, but the level of drug abuse and homelessness, in comparison to Leicester, is staggering.

 

I'm a huge fan of Birmingham too but I was amazed at how bad it's got there too after visiting for the first time in a few months over the weekend. In the grand scheme of things Leicester has quite prominent pockets but in general, it could be far worse.

[Langston]

On 19/07/2019 at 17:29, Soup said:

What do people actually like about our town centre then? 

 

The indoor meat and fish market is superb I think. The quality and price beats any supermarket. We shoud definitely be proud of that. There's a great little cob shop attached at the back right on the new square that's being done. 

 

I go Phoenix a fair bit and love all the street art around there. They've also.done a massive wall near the ibis that looks great, it's lifted a tired old building.

 

I'm not a fan of the Highcross at all but there's a social climbing place opposite the Cherry Tree that I've heard good things about. I may go.down there in the winter months and check that out.

 

I spent my whole youth in town from the age of about 10 skateboarding and I've got such amazing memories.  It is sad to see its demise but there are signs of improvement. Not sure it will ever be the same but if people don't go and use it then what hope has it got. Long live our town. 

 

With regards to this, it's a drum people bang a fair bit but the multiculturalism and way there's next to no friction between anyone is great.

 

It has been a money vacuum and killed the rest of the city but the Highcross is actually pretty bloody impressive as a thing in itself. 

 

 

[Stadt]

4 hours ago, Langston said:

Is the Liquid hotel going ahead? Last I heard people were trying to get it shut down because it would "spoil" the views from Abbey Park.

 

 

Unfortunately the lay of the land in anywhere half busy these days. I live and work in Nottingham, and unfortunately have to concede it's a rung above Leicester in terms of things to do and general pride in the place, but the level of drug abuse and homelessness, in comparison to Leicester, is staggering.

 

I'm a huge fan of Birmingham too but I was amazed at how bad it's got there too after visiting for the first time in a few months over the weekend. In the grand scheme of things Leicester has quite prominent pockets but in general, it could be far worse.

The Civic society are arseholes but it’ll go through I’d have thought 

[Wymsey]

A new dessert restaurant is opening on London Road, replacing the old Christopher Scotney clothing shop.

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/dessert-restaurant-chocoberry-opening-former-3125034

 

Are you looking forward to a new eatery in London Road?

THANKS FOR YOUR VOTE

 

Absolutely! I love having so many places to choose from. 29%

No thanks! We already have too many. 71%

Edited 23 July 2019 by Wymeswold fox

[ozleicester]

City centres are dying around the world.

[The Fox Covert]

9 hours ago, Wymeswold fox said:

A new dessert restaurant is opening on London Road, replacing the old Christopher Scotney clothing shop.

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/dessert-restaurant-chocoberry-opening-former-3125034

 

Are you looking forward to a new eatery in London Road?

THANKS FOR YOUR VOTE

 

Absolutely! I love having so many places to choose from. 29%

No thanks! We already have too many. 71%

Christopher Scotney was there for generations. Never bought any clothes there but the shop is a firmly imprinted image on my memory.

Every time I go down the London Road there are a couple of new restaurants, and a couple shut down since I last passed.

Bets on this one lasting more than a couple of years anybody?

[Vince Vega]

On 22/07/2019 at 13:46, davieG said:

That’s all good but doesn’t negate the impact that the people have with litter dropped, gum spat out and homeless/dossers hanging around.

 

Far too many well built attractive buildings have been replaced and continue to be replaced by boring, substandard, short term profit making blocks.

I think this is the one thing that is really noticeable about the city centre.  The council - and thereby the council tax payers - have spent a fortune on new paving and the amount of gum stuck on it is ridiculous.  It's such an obvious eyesore.  

[davieG]

30 minutes ago, Vince Vega said:

I think this is the one thing that is really noticeable about the city centre.  The council - and thereby the council tax payers - have spent a fortune on new paving and the amount of gum stuck on it is ridiculous.  It's such an obvious eyesore.  

I went to Fosse Park yesterday morning and the walkways, having just been cleaned were spotless not a spec of gum in sight it was a pleasure walking around the place. Assuming the days of people being proud of their environment enough to not drop litter or spit gum then the Council needs to adopt a similar more intensive cleaning process as that used by Fosse Park, I guess that's what these town centre businesses pay business rates for.

[RoboFox]

There's not a City, town or perhaps even village in the entire country which doesn't feature the delightful polkadot gum-on-pavement decoration.

 

It's not a location-specific problem, it's a people-are-f**king-disgusting problem.

 

Edited 24 July 2019 by RoboFox