Comments on: New Sheffield city centre shopping website

By: Sheffield blog

Sheffield blog — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:39:35 +0000

From a council newsletter:

Sheffield’s new shopping website will be launched to retailers on Thursday 5 March at 10am in Platillos, Leopold Square. We want to encourage city centre retailers to use the website to help them work collaboratively to ensure momentum is maintained within the city’s economy and, specifically, within the retail sector. The website provides retailers with their own space to market their business for free, and tools for interacting with other retailers. Retailers are invited to come along to the launch, to find out how to use the new site to their advantage. For more information, and to book your place, call Hannah Brailey on 223 2345, or email Hannah.brailey@sheffield.gov.uk

By: Sheffield blog

Sheffield blog — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:38:17 +0000

jeh – There is talk of creating a park around the ruins of Sheffield castle, so you may yet see a park in town.

Abbas – Yeah, I would still always choose to go shopping in town over Meadowhall, too…

Julian – Although there are some benefits to letting small businesses move in free of charge, this could have a negative on other rent-paying businesses in the city – ones that are already feeling the pinch.

And if these small businesses were shops then revenues would be spread even more thinly between retailers and you would also risk devaluing other commercial land/property in the city centre. Plus, would it mean lots more pound shops in town?

Totally agree about not knocking down until we are ready. Hopefully Hammerson and the council have at least learned from Bradford.

By: julian dobson

julian dobson — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:42:27 +0000

We need to get used to the fact that for the next year or two, maybe more, people are going to have less money to spend and fewer retailers to spend it with.

Blind faith in Sevenstone won’t do the trick. Neither will colourful hoardings – they tried that in London’s King’s Cross and they were there for years. The trick is to make sure empty buildings are being used, even if that means allowing small businesses to move in free of charge.

And don’t knock anything down until you have to. If you want to see what that achieves, go to Bradford and look at the huge hole in the ground that’s supposed to become the Westfield redevelopment – one day.

By: Abbas

Abbas — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:53:18 +0000

It’s stating the obvious to say that Meadowhall almost killed the town centre a few years ago. But town’s had a resurgence and, I must admit, I much prefer to wander around town than Meadowhall.

Town, especially areas like the Devonshire Quarter, is suddendly becoming the place to be seen again. I hope this redevelopment goes ahead. Older people will shake their fists in anger as more of old Sheffield is removed from the map. But time moves on, we’ve fallen behind other, smaller cities in the last decade.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn into a redevelopment war with Leeds. It’s clear to see they’ve built far too many flats and offices – most of them stand empty as we speak.

By: jeh

jeh — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:11:27 +0000

This seems to be the perfect time to create a city centre park. Grassing over and landscaping derelict building sites could make some new public spaces and boost Sheffield’s reputation as a green city. Sheffield trades on this reputation which is based on its public parks, tree-lined streets and ancient woodland around Sheffield. Why not bring this greenness into the city centre? We could create our own Central Park with grassed areas, wild flowers, foot paths, cycle paths, trees and benches. While we are lazing around on the grass under the trees on The Moor we could think about whether we want a shopper’s paradise or a green city. Maybe we can combined the two to make something really unique. Until something changes in the economic situation the trees can keep growing. Who knows they may still be here in 100 years time? Sounds like a good investment to me.