£100m plan to transform Leicester's riverside area

[davieG]

£100m plan to transform Leicester's riverside area outlined to Government

By Leicester Mercury | Posted: December 17, 2013

By Dan Martin

Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby

Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby

Comments (2)

Plans for a £100 million redevelopment of Leicester's run-down riverside area have been outlined to the Government.

The city council says it hopes to oversee a revamp of an area along the River Soar from King Richard's Road through Frog Island.

It is hoping to secure cash from the Government to kickstart a major regeneration of the old industrial zone, which will see 1,000 private and social homes built, along with 500,000 square feet of employment land – creating 3,500 office and light industrial jobs.

The scheme is a key strand to Leicester's bid for a City Deal, an arrangement with Whitehall to try to boost the city's economy.

The council hopes to start the first stages of the project early in the new year if it is able to agree the City Deal next month.

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "Large parts of this area are vacant and significantly underused, yet it is tantalisingly just a few hundred yards from the Highcross and there is enormous potential for redevelopment."

Sir Peter is already pressing ahead with a revamp of the Friar's Mill factory, off Bath Lane.

The council bought the fire-damaged premises for more than £500,000 last year and is turning it into office space.

Planning permission has previously been granted for a number of other major schemes in the area, such as high-rise blocks of flats, but none have moved forward to the construction stage.

"One of the things that has put off private developers is the very poor road access to the area and we are looking to address that," Sir Peter said.

Options under consideration include resurrecting a plan for a £15 million link road and road bridge over the River Soar near Friar's Mill.

"One of the other major obstacles is the old Great Central Railway station," said Sir Peter.

"It is a mass of masonry. It is like an aircraft hangar and it would be possible to get an access through where that stands.

"You could get through or around it without removing the whole thing."

Leicester Civic Society chairman Stuart Bailey said he would welcome the regeneration of the area "because it is an eyesore and is crying out for homes and businesses".

"I don't see there would be a need to drive a road through the Great Central Railway buildings," said Mr Bailey.

"Also, I'm not certain about putting a bridge where the mayor is talking about, but it would be exciting to get redevelopment going there."

Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Council-s-pound-100m-proposal-transform-riverside/story-20330723-detail/story.html#ixzz2nisD5VK4

[SMX11]

Certainly much needed, I doubt it will happen any time soon though.

[Voll Blau]

Great news. Sometimes feels like we're about the last major city in the country to have any kind of regeneration kick-in. Hope they pull it off.

[Rincewind]

Well what Peter soulsby says goes. He likes the power. I wonder how many amenities will suffer to pay for it.

[purpleronnie]

Well what Peter soulsby says goes. He likes the power. I wonder how many amenities will suffer to pay for it.

So we should leave all delevopment? All arts?  etc etc....

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

I'm all for it, it has the potential to be a great area for walking and cycling but is a dump at the moment. Nothing wrong with taking a bit of pride in the city, not all money needs to go on bus depots and such shit

[Dan]

Now where do we park

 

Good news. That place is almost eerie considering it's in the city centre. Totally abandoned and derelict.

[danny.]

Well what Peter soulsby says goes. He likes the power. I wonder how many amenities will suffer to pay for it.

 

Do abandoned buildings that look like they are from the Gaza strip count as amenities? Can't help think your post was a bigoted comment based on an ad hominem disdain towards Soulsby rather than an objective comment on the plans for the area themselves.

[Rincewind]

Do abandoned buildings that look like they are from the Gaza strip count as amenities? Can't help think your post was a bigoted comment based on an ad hominem disdain towards Soulsby rather than an objective comment on the plans for the area themselves.

Would that be right as I am thought of as a loony left liberal by some and Soulsby is a labour supporter.

maybe it does need doing but a lot of sevices have been cut that serve the community. Care homes playgrounds recreation areas etc and then millions is being spent on the cultual city bid which the majority of people do not use.

[AdamN]

I'm a fan of (almost) any plan to spruce up areas of the city centre, so I'm all for it. Hopefully they manage to keep some semblance of the old railway station though, even if they have to do it up a bit. It'd be nice to keep the most significant piece of history about the area.

[Rincewind]

Maybe I was a litle hasty with my comments. But I have seen how stubbern soulsby is. he has his own agenda and rarely takes notice of others. He has the final say in these matters.

I shall have to have a think. I am all for improvement if it benefits ordinary people.

[danny.]

Would that be right as I am thought of as a loony left liberal by some and Soulsby is a labour supporter.

maybe it does need doing but a lot of sevices have been cut that serve the community. Care homes playgrounds recreation areas etc and then millions is being spent on the cultual city bid which the majority of people do not use.

 

Millions? It was £125,000 - and a lot of that will still be used. Where are you plucking these facts from?

 

I admit, it's probably easy for me to not worry about cutting services as I have no children and am not on benefits. I get nothing back for the money I pay in, but that's just how it is. But surely it continues a downward spiral to never improve anything in the city?

[Webbo]

I drove through this area the other day, it really is a dump. This has been needed for a years.

[lavrentis]

Need a clean up down the RIver Soar towards the park/nature reserve down there

[Jon the Hat]

Looks a bit scruffy.  Could be a good spot.

[MooseBreath]

It's all well and good building this stuff but if no-one wants to live or do business there then it will just turn into a slum eventually. I'd like to see more investment in recreation. I dunno what exactly but something along the lines of the Tamworth snowdome, something unique that will draw visitors in, give them a reason to go to Leicester and spend money. £100m could get you something decent.

[Stadt]

Let's get Baldini in, I've heard he's great with about £100 million.

[Dr The Singh]

This project was mooted 10 years ago, my bro in law was an architect on the team.  There was alot of reservation of making the project work, and attracting business........the general thinking Leicester does not cut it for big business, let's hope things have changed!!

[Strokes]

This project was mooted 10 years ago, my bro in law was an architect on the team. There was alot of reservation of making the project work, and attracting business........the general thinking Leicester does not cut it for big business, let's hope things have changed!!

Yeah I get that, but you never will cut it if you continue thinking small.

[Dr The Singh]

Yeah I get that, but you never will cut it if you continue thinking small.

Agreed, what was said is that Leicester needs more leisure facilities and infrastructure to attract big businessmen, at this moment and time Nottingham is a major front runner in the East Mids, just look at the HS2 report, Leicester was on the bottom of the list to put a station, the report showed that putting a station in the city would make a loss.  A 100 million investment alone will not be enough, building flats is not enough, infact when my bro in law was on the project the investment was well over 500 mill, with new courtyards restaurants etc, this looks like just more housing!!

[Strokes]

Agreed, what was said is that Leicester needs more leisure facilities and infrastructure to attract big businessmen, at this moment and time Nottingham is a major front runner in the East Mids, just look at the HS2 report, Leicester was on the bottom of the list to put a station, the report showed that putting a station in the city would make a loss. A 100 million investment alone will not be enough, building flats is not enough, infact when my bro in law was on the project the investment was well over 500 mill, with new courtyards restaurants etc, this looks like just more housing!!

It is sadly a drop in the ocean, but as Matt p would say 'Milan wasn't built in a day'

[Guest MattP]

Maybe I was a litle hasty with my comments. But I have seen how stubbern soulsby is. he has his own agenda and rarely takes notice of others. He has the final say in these matters.

I shall have to have a think. I am all for improvement if it benefits ordinary people.

 

You thought Soulsby was a Tory didn't you before you googled it?

 

It is sadly a drop in the ocean, but as Matt p would say 'Milan wasn't built in a day'

 

 

 

Something certainly needs doing to the area, it looks like something from Eastern Europe in the 70's, we don't have many options though.

 

1. We move all the incoming Romanians, Gypsys and Bulgarians in along with a few other Easterners, small cost to the taxpayers and we can sell tours to people from all over the World af it was a visit to a real life WW2 concentration camp, very cheap and literally nothing will need doing workwise apart from some administration and the building of a few cafes and a gift shop. David Bowley can play the role of Amon Goth from the window of the Northbridge Tavern.

 

2. We go for Soulsby route, probably completely unworkable as there is prety much no chance he'll be able to secure 100million for the project. Businesses just wont invest in that area either, its too high risk.

 

3. We do the usual piece of public development in this day and age, river = bars = alcohol, probably not a bad choice if you can make it fashionable, Brauny Gate is on the way down and people like this sort of stiff near a river these days. Was once thriving and the main drinking place in Leicester on a Sunday. Or as Moose says we take a gamble on building something huge and hope it pays off.

 

4. We just let it collapse, plans are made and scrapped by various people, shedloads of taxpayers money is wasted and the place becomes even more of an eyesore than it already is. This is the likely option.

[notnow john]

Regenerations all very well but where will the homeless sleep?

[Strokes]

Regenerations all very well but where will the homeless sleep?

They can use all the spare bedrooms that council tennants are wasting.

[Guest MattP]

Regenerations all very well but where will the homeless sleep?

 

A fair question when you see David Bowley has shacked up in the Northbridge Tavern.

 

He would be classed as homeless in some peoples eyes despite having been parked in one of Woodgates biggest buildings for years.

 

He stood as an independant candidate, I just don't understand why anyone didn't vote for him.

 

There was an Independent candidate in the Leicester West constituency who is best described as colourful. Over to the Leicester Mercury:

“I’ve slept with hundreds of women. Hundreds. And thousands of men,†muses the man in the “Pure Magic†Leicester City hat, off-white rosette, camouflage shorts and blue Gola trainers.

“Everyone is bisexual to a degree,†says the 52-year-old, arching an eyebrow. “You might have a dabble if someone was willing.â€