[magicmover]

Around my area, for the past few weeks or so now I've heard they are trying to improve this, demolish that, and basically regenerate the whole place which looks years away from fininishing development....

But after those changes have been applied, does the output last, work or look anything like their designs?

They have just finished building a new bus station not far from me, I haven't used it yet or inspected it but it took over a year to build and the money stated sucked up quite a bit of the council tax money, I believe.

What's your views on local area improvements and regeneration?

[diablo]

We might have a huge casino by around 2045. Could be good, could be bad.

Doubt if I'll be around to see it though.

They have spent a lot of money in my town, but only in a few areas. The rest of the town as either lost-out or stood still for years now...

[MrsOggy]

There is lots going on in my town . New parks, Play areas, retail outlets and houses for starters.
They are nocking a lot of it down and bulding these areas.

[SweetyPie2006]

Regeneration has been going on in my area for a few years now and I have to be honest and say its a lot better.
They've basically knocked down all the flats and built new houses.
For a start the place is much quieter as all the little neds aren't hanging around outside closes etc and most of the flats were really run down looking - pity they won't knock ours down though

[Somner]

Birmingham has seen a lot, well the south at least. Most of the City Center has been regenerated pretty well and the remainder is undergoing. Also, a lot of the south is subject to regeneration - mainly the south east and south west as the central south is quite a nice area with historic buildings.

The North doesn't seem to have seen any though! Newtown/Perry Barr still as awful as ever.

[ShellyD]

My town is having a huge regeneration project done at the moment. Although, it seems more about building thousands of houses now they've got their hands on acres and acres of the army land, than improving the town.
Although one good thing is they are building a new health centre, which is massive, will be the first of it's kind and the biggest in the UK. According to Move to the Country (it was where they were escaping from!) it is now the fastest growing town, due to all this release of land.
Hence, it's one of the main reasons I've just sold up and waiting to move somewhere a bit less concrete jungle.

[kania]

My city centre is being regenerated. We're getting a new shopping centre complex thing, that will house a casino on 3 floors, a cinema, plenty of shops, and a new bus and train station. They are also building a new hotel and theatre in the same area. The riverside too is supposed to be getting done up with new flats and cafe areas.

What the council need to do though is build more council houses. They regenerated an area of them, putting up new fences and painting the houses and spent something like a million pounds, but the result is absolutely awful, the colours are yuck and the people have no pride in the area at all. My parents said that it was ruled that when people buy their council house, so much was to be put aside for building new houses. Is this true? I know of about 20 houses that have been built by my council in the last God knows how many years.

[ian23]

You're lucky. I live in a reasonably sized market town in Norfolk and it is desperately in need of regeneration, but although the council talks about improving the area, nothing ever happens! All you get is more shops closing in the town and more boarded up buildings.

[ShellyD]

Originally Posted by ian23

You're lucky. I live in a reasonably sized market town in Norfolk and it is desperately in need of regeneration, but although the council talks about improving the area, nothing ever happens! All you get is more shops closing in the town and more boarded up buildings.

This is what happened in our town over the past 10 years or so. It used to be a nice place, but it got so bad with boarded up/closing shops and tatty buildings and there was always talk from the council that never happened.

My concern for my town is that the millions they are talking about seem to be concentrated on the housing aspect, without any plans for additional schools etc and I suspect they won't address the town areas. However, it won't matter to me, as I'll be elsewhere by then, but it has been sad watching my home town decline into the gutter.

[magicmover]

Originally Posted by ian23

You're lucky. I live in a reasonably sized market town in Norfolk and it is desperately in need of regeneration, but although the council talks about improving the area, nothing ever happens! All you get is more shops closing in the town and more boarded up buildings.

That sounds like my very local town, it's all talk and no action. They are calling it the "Big Idea."

Only a new road I have heard thta is being underway and it's costing a lot of money and not really any use to me except for driving more traffic out of the ghostly rundown town.

[PhilH36]

There's a housing estate near me which is being completely demolished and rebuilt with street-level housing replacing all the high-rise blocks of flats,they started the demolition nearly ten years ago and finished knocking down the last of the old blocks last week.

[newwoman]

We've got the opposite where I live. The nearest town is a typical, middle class, suburban commuter town and the council (mostly old style blue rinse tories) don't like change. They want the town to stay as it was in the 1950s I'm sure.

The high street is really dull and a Caffe Nero recently applied for planning permission. Well, the council did everything they could to refuse and it dragged on and on. Finally, Nero won but you'd have thought they were opening a brothel the way come of the old style residents have been going on.

Also, we're due to get a cinema with a restauant attached opening in 2009. Well, all hell has broekn loose over than plan. Apparently, it'll be the end of the world as we know it and the town centre will turn into a scene from Hell if you listen to the campaigners. It's a cinema FGS not a nightclub, brothel and 500 house slum estate!!

[jen0607]

Our city centre looks like a building site at the moment.

I'm surprised Cambridge Uni let so much building work happen in one go!

[diablo]

Originally Posted by newwoman

The high street is really dull and a Caffe Nero recently applied for planning permission. Well, the council did everything they could to refuse and it dragged on and on. Finally, Nero won but you'd have thought they were opening a brothel the way come of the old style residents have been going on.

I recall that there was a big fuss when MacDonalds wanted to open a branch in Windsor. The council kept trying to turn down their application.

It's been there for 20 years now, I suppose, right opposite the castle entrance. And it is no posher than any other I've seen!

I suspect that the Queen sometimes sends a lackey out for some burgers and fries.

[*Joe*]

Originally Posted by jen0607

Our city centre looks like a building site at the moment.

I'm surprised Cambridge Uni let so much building work happen in one go!

It is going to be so good for the town, finally they got rid of that hideous bradwells court centre, and we are getting a big new H&M and Zara there. Also most of the shops where the new John Lewis will be were horrible 70s disasters.

Not to mention that where the current John Lewis is has improved massively with the demolition of QD. Now they just need to knock out the rest of that street!

Cambridge has undergone massive imporvements over the last few years, especially with everything down hills road in terms of accomodation, but also the new cinema, bowling ally, all those restaurants etc...

[Carmen Queasy]

Re-generation in my area means getting problematic estates knocked down and moving residents to other estates... not correcting the problems, simply moving them all to a concentrated area.

[jen0607]

Originally Posted by *Joe*

It is going to be so good for the town, finally they got rid of that hideous bradwells court centre, and we are getting a big new H&M and Zara there. Also most of the shops where the new John Lewis will be were horrible 70s disasters.

Not to mention that where the current John Lewis is has improved massively with the demolition of QD. Now they just need to knock out the rest of that street!

Cambridge has undergone massive imporvements over the last few years, especially with everything down hills road in terms of accomodation, but also the new cinema, bowling ally, all those restaurants etc...

You know, i don't think I can remember what the old QDs looked like. I know it was on Burleigh st....(Which does need knocking down!)

It has undergone vast improvements, I can faut you there. But its done it at the expense of shops like QD and Woolies. I mean, do we really need two Nexts?

I just hope they don't decide to knock it all down in another 40 yrs time!

[*Bex*]

They're regenerating one of the areas near me by changing the name of the place as the current name has a negative reputation

They are throwing loads of cash at, and making some areas much prettier but what a bloody stupid idea - as if changing the name willmake a difference...

We are in the middle of a £200,000,000 regeneration of our town centre.

[*Joe*]

Originally Posted by jen0607

You know, i don't think I can remember what the old QDs looked like. I know it was on Burleigh st....(Which does need knocking down!)

It has undergone vast improvements, I can faut you there. But its done it at the expense of shops like QD and Woolies. I mean, do we really need two Nexts?

I just hope they don't decide to knock it all down in another 40 yrs time!

Oh we totally need 2 Nexts, not only does my best mate work for Next, but I love browsing there.

I don't miss shops like QD or Wollies, I never went to places like that anyway.

[jen0607]

Originally Posted by *Joe*

Oh we totally need 2 Nexts, not only does my best mate work for Next, but I love browsing there.

I don't miss shops like QD or Wollies, I never went to places like that anyway.

Oh, I do. There are no cheap shops round here anymore. (Unless you count asda) They can be very handy for odd niks and nacks!

[*Joe*]

Originally Posted by jen0607

Oh, I do. There are no cheap shops round here anymore. (Unless you count asda) They can be very handy for odd niks and nacks!

I will agree that there are no cheap shops, but I don't think that is a bad thing, cheap shops and charity shops are a sign of an area in decline.
The success of expensive shops in Cambridge shows that it is a successful area and that people can afford and do want these shops.
If shops like woolworths close down it is only because they don't generate enough sales and not enough people shop there.

[jen0607]

Originally Posted by *Joe*

I will agree that there are no cheap shops, but I don't think that is a bad thing, cheap shops and charity shops are a sign of an area in decline.
The success of expensive shops in Cambridge shows that it is a successful area and that people can afford and do want these shops.
If shops like woolworths close down it is only because they don't generate enough sales and not enough people shop there.

Well I can't afford to shop in Next or John Lewis! And as for guilo or whatever its called......

And there are loads of charity shops in Cambridge. Mill Road, Burleigh Street.

Oh well, since I live the wrong side of Kings Parade (where the divide of rich and poor is) I guess I'll have to carry on going to Newmarket and Ely for my cheapy shops.

[Fizzbin]

Originally Posted by Jean Luc Picard

We are in the middle of a £200,000,000 regeneration of our town centre.

There's £8,000,000,000+ regeneration going on near me. Something to do with 2012 apparently.