Is the City of Leicester a dump?

[Lako42]

4 hours ago, Paninistickers said:

Fenwick's still going strong in London's Mayfair, Brent Cross and Newcastle. We were amongst good company nestling amongst those cities..

 

But, alas, they couldn't crack it here. Even paying zero rent (as they owned the building) 

 

Tbf, by modern retail methods, the place was laughably - but loveably - out of date. Beds and chairs and settees somehow crammed onto the third floor. Must've been a nightmare getting them up there. Pots and pans and spoons hanging here there and everywhere as you walked in, no room to swing a cat. 

 

Men's clothes - good brands - all squashed into a corner. Always liked the two fellas who seemed to work there my entire life, Canadian dude and a longer haired local fella. Always told you what you were trying on looked great, even if it was three sizes too big. 

 

Loved the place. 

The locals can't sustain nice things. 

 

It's why nice restaurants close down and decent independent clothes shops don't exist. 

 

 

[Paninistickers]

20 minutes ago, Lako42 said:

The locals can't sustain nice things. 

 

It's why nice restaurants close down and decent independent clothes shops don't exist. 

 

 

It's undeniable. There isn't enough of a middle class or aspirational community here. Those that are stick to their suburb or village and won't venture further than fosse park for a big chain shopping experience. 

 

The vast majority of those who frequent the city want foreign cheap shit. Chinese cafes. Dessert parlours. Cheap shit chicken takeaways. Shisha gaffs. Or a Turkish haircut. 

 

 

[Zear0]

1 hour ago, Lako42 said:

The locals can't sustain nice things. 

 

It's why nice restaurants close down and decent independent clothes shops don't exist. 

 

 

Quite and was what put the nail into places like Delilah who put a comment on their door when it closed ("sadly nobody is interested in this type of thing" or words to that effect).  I despise the word, but there's nowhere "cosmopolitan" in the centre which drives nice restaurants and shops.  The closest we have is the Queen's Road upstarts who have their own little shopping/restaurant quarters.

 

Centre is an absolute hole and companies moving here will do nothing for it until there are desireable areas to live in.  Having lived on Albion Street and King Street, city centre living is rough and it's just got worse since I escaped to the county (no fault of my own).

Edited 18 December 2023 by Zear0

[Paninistickers]

18 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

places like Delilah who put a comment on their door when it closed ("sadly nobody is interested in this type of thing

Both true and false. The punters are in Leicester & Leicestershire but they won't come into the city centre..

 

Had a chat with someone earlier and felt that the city centre itself may seriously be worth giving up on. businesses and niche shops would be better setting up a new area that's more attractive and welcoming to the aspirational. It almost happened 20 odd years ago with braunstone gate. 

 

I think the centre is lost to the poor..see if it can bottom out and regenerate itself meanwhile the nice things happen on, say, allandale road, Queens road, Oadby etc 

 

 

[westernpark]

As much as I love Leicester, it is most probably correct that we are becoming a very poor city, which is in part a result of some more recent immigration and leaders burying their heads in the sand regarding its effects. Of course the city is also terribly underfunded, hence the very responsible (in financial aspects) city council having to use the remaining reserves to cover bills. Everyone is welcome in Leicester and instances like the Ugandan Asians and other groups are key epochs in the city’s history, which have only benefitted us. However, we are losing good quality premises to be only amplified by fosse park because much of Leicester’s population does not need them. Harrimans, Cank Street Gallery and Niche have all gone in the last three years or so, places I would have bought a large number of Christmas presents from. I am in the city centre 3/4 times a week and have not been inside the high cross except John Lewis since May time. I currently live in Western Park, majority of surrounding houses are 450k plus, pushing towards 650k, people don’t like going into town when I talk to some because the walk in is horrible, Narborough Road etc, so they get in their car, they realise it is easier to drive to Fosse Park(I don’t drive). I went to Nottingham last week and was reminded of the high quality centre shops in comparison to ours. The train station is being funded through central government, but the best way to improve the train station would be to sort out Granby Street. For 75% of people that is their first impression of Leicester. I would attempt to remove the carnage, ban takeaways from using Deliveroo and Uber Eats(this can be done and is done in some parts I clarendon park, making them use their own delivery service), remove the cycle lanes as well.

[Paninistickers]

7 hours ago, westernpark said:

Western Park, majority of surrounding houses are 450k plus,

Here's the paradox. Leicester's housing stock is so much better than comparable cities..

 

Western Park, Letchworth Road..Stoneygate. Spencefield Lane. Oadby (though ugly extensions by Asian families have downgraded both those areas a bit). Birstall. Kirby Muxloe, Cropston,  (still greater Leicester) ....that's every corner of the Greater urban Leicester area with high quality 650k+ housing. That's way above Nottingham. Edit, Glenfield opposite county hall, there's 200+ houses of extraordinary high spec there.

Edited 19 December 2023 by Paninistickers

[SkidsFox]

I wonder if the effects of the long-distance commuters to London come into play? Leicester is probably on the edge of regular commuting to London (although you do get the odd masochist try it from Nottingham). Plus, for whatever reason, maybe luck, Nottingham is seen as a better shopping destination. This may have changed now the Broadmarsh centre has been demolished.

[Langston]

43 minutes ago, SkidsFox said:

I wonder if the effects of the long-distance commuters to London come into play? Leicester is probably on the edge of regular commuting to London (although you do get the odd masochist try it from Nottingham). Plus, for whatever reason, maybe luck, Nottingham is seen as a better shopping destination. This may have changed now the Broadmarsh centre has been demolished.

 

If anything Nottingham is probably a better shopping destination for having that leaking mess flattened. There was nothing left in it by the end.

[Sly]

1 hour ago, Paninistickers said:

Here's the paradox. Leicester's housing stock is so much better than comparable cities..

 

Western Park, Letchworth Road..Stoneygate. Spencefield Lane. Oadby (though ugly extensions by Asian families have downgraded both those areas a bit). Birstall. Kirby Muxloe, Cropston,  (still greater Leicester) ....that's every corner of the Greater urban Leicester area with high quality 650k+ housing. That's way above Nottingham. Edit, Glenfield opposite county hall, there's 200+ houses of extraordinary high spec there.

Relatively speaking, looking at a new build 5 bed from a Davidsons, David Wilson’s etc.

 

The same house type will be the same spec etc, then look how the price differs per area.

 

Nottingham / Derby - £400k

Leicester - £500k 

Rugby - £600k

Buckingham - £800k 

 

Bonkers really. 
 

I’m not sure why the clamour to live closer to London in this day and age.

[CosbehFox]

19 hours ago, SkidsFox said:

I wonder if the effects of the long-distance commuters to London come into play? Leicester is probably on the edge of regular commuting to London (although you do get the odd masochist try it from Nottingham). Plus, for whatever reason, maybe luck, Nottingham is seen as a better shopping destination. This may have changed now the Broadmarsh centre has been demolished.

It defo suffers from it. Professionals can commute to London, Nottingham and Birmingham within or just short of a hour. 

[Chris_OGrady]

I used to work on New Walk and always thought that side of town was actually very pleasant, especially around the cathedral. The problem is that pretty much everything east of Granby Street/Gallowtree Gate is horrible. The train station brings you right into the worst part of town, which is not only grim but also lacking in nice bars/pubs. My parents used to like going to the Case (gone now) but they don't go into Leicester anymore. If the train went into the nice part of town (Mum would always be moaning about walking down Granby Street ) I reckon they would still go.

[Out Foxed]

On 28/09/2023 at 19:41, Lako42 said:

Mobius and sumo were both good

 

 

was about to say losing sumo affected visits to the area. also the council selling out to dmu.

[Out Foxed]

On 18/12/2023 at 23:15, Paninistickers said:

 

 

I think the centre is lost to the poor..see if it can bottom out and regenerate itself meanwhile the nice things happen on, say, allandale road, Queens road, Oadby etc 

 

 

it needs to be turned towards arts/culture and other shit that will actually make the city centre and overall profile of Leicester interesting. no point trying to make it high end or even mid. set up breweries, creatives, tech, music. 

 

the city is just really badly designed unfortunately it ruins any sort of flow other than direction towards the clock tower which is shit from the station, shit from the haymarket and shit from church gate

 

belgrave to humberstone around lee circle needs to get similar treatment to around the curve. 

[Paninistickers]

23 minutes ago, Out Foxed said:

towards arts/culture and other shit that will actually make the city centre and overall profile of Leicester interesting. no point trying to make it high end or even mid. set up breweries, creatives, tech, music. 

Totally agree. The centre needs a total rethink. It hasn't any other choice than to be different. Instead, developments are often weaker and paler versions of other cities. Leeds and Brum have flats by the canal, we'll do it! Put in a big wheel! Have a pride march! 

 

I think you're right. The centre needs to gamble. Do something absurd. Turn over empty buildings to artists, for free. The whole area say around curve. Turn it into some nuthouse Christiana (Copenhagen) hippyville and see what happens. See if it generates something. Position ourselves as alternative. International. Uncool..anti establishment. Let immigrants do a massive flea market. Basically turn over some bare earth and see if something grows. 

[Out Foxed]

6 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

Totally agree. The centre needs a total rethink. It hasn't any other choice than to be different. Instead, developments are often weaker and paler versions of other cities. Leeds and Brum have flats by the canal, we'll do it! Put in a big wheel! Have a pride march! 

 

I think you're right. The centre needs to gamble. Do something absurd. Turn over empty buildings to artists, for free. The whole area say around curve. Turn it into some nuthouse Christiana (Copenhagen) hippyville and see what happens. See if it generates something. Position ourselves as alternative. International. Uncool..anti establishment. Let immigrants do a massive flea market. Basically turn over some bare earth and see if something grows. 

exactly

[davieG]

We can’t even find a tenant for the white elephant Haymarket Theatre and whet ever happened to the Baileys night club interior?

 

Is the old bowling alley in Lee Circle in use now?

[Mike Oxlong]

On 19/12/2023 at 17:34, Sly said:

Relatively speaking, looking at a new build 5 bed from a Davidsons, David Wilson’s etc.

 

The same house type will be the same spec etc, then look how the price differs per area.

 

Nottingham / Derby - £400k

Leicester - £500k 

Rugby - £600k

Buckingham - £800k 

 

Bonkers really. 
 

I’m not sure why the clamour to live closer to London in this day and age.

The outlier is Northampton - £476 

[The_77]

https://www.joe.co.uk/life/leicester-has-been-named-the-nightlife-capital-of-the-uk-416824
 

[whoareyaaa]

21 hours ago, davieG said:

We can’t even find a tenant for the white elephant Haymarket Theatre and whet ever happened to the Baileys night club interior?

 

Is the old bowling alley in Lee Circle in use now?

These are the things the center needs like a decent bowling alley and things for kids, familys to do.

[CosbehFox]

3 hours ago, whoareyaaa said:

These are the things the center needs like a decent bowling alley and things for kids, familys to do.

Decent bowling alley near the train station called East Street Lanes. Lane 7 as well. 
 

Roxy Ballroom is good too albeit kids aren’t allowed in 

[Langston]

6 hours ago, The_77 said:

https://www.joe.co.uk/life/leicester-has-been-named-the-nightlife-capital-of-the-uk-416824
 

 

Who started the Leicester's the place thing? I know it was from Booze Britain but how did it get going on Twitter?

[The_77]

1 hour ago, Langston said:

 

Who started the Leicester's the place thing? I know it was from Booze Britain but how did it get going on Twitter?

I’d love to buy that person a beer.

[Zear0]

[SemperEadem]

On 22/12/2023 at 01:08, The_77 said:

I’d love to buy that person a beer.

He finds the attention too much. Crackers with that brilliant accent he is an Everton fan.

[fox_up_north]

I hate to say it but if I had to choose Nottingham or Leicester, I'd choose the former. When I used to be a music journalist in my uni years, Nottingham was THE place to be. You had about 5 or so venues that regularly had good, known bands on. 

 

Leicester has just kind of let things slide. You've got the Irish bar left, that quasi Academy thing and maybe the Musician? That's about it. The city has never been a regular stop off for bands and it's kind of ridiculous, given the ideal geography.