Boarded up Sunderland or is it Booming?



coyneeee said:
Durham and Cardiff have seen major declines.

Proper student cities where you would see students all over the place nowadays it's shut down places and homeless people
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So have Luton, Walsall, Northampton, Tamworth and Watford, all sufering from high street shop closures in thier place pawn shops, bookies, pound shops, vaping shops, fast food shops and charity shops.

I visited all of these last year as we drove from Southampton the Sunderland.

E-commerce and big stores have definatley killed of the smaller specialist shops. Local butcher, baker, newsagents etc all disapearing.
 
WillInSpain said:
So have Luton, Walsall, Northampton, Tamworth and Watford, all sufering from high street shop closures in thier place pawn shops, bookies, pound shops, vaping shops, fast food shops and charity shops.

I visited all of these last year as we drove from Southampton the Sunderland.

E-commerce and big stores have definatley killed of the smaller specialist shops. Local butcher, baker, newsagents etc all disapearing.
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I was in Watford town centre last August and the place is absolutely thriving compared to Sunderland.

Likewise, not on your list but I was in Dundee city centre in May: it has ten major tourist attractions, five video games companies and two universities in the city centre.

Sunderland's wealth (Uni aside) is from out of town factories and business parks. The footfall in the city centre (match day aside) is council workers, the homeless and students. Who is going to buy the fancy eco homes they're building on the Civic Centre site if you have to drive out of town to work? The city centre needs an injection of sustainable wealth, e.g.: convert disused retail units into offices and charge low rent to any company locating from outside the NE.
 
Was interesting listening to George Clarke on the WMS podcast, when he highlighted that only a small percentage of the total population of Sunderland live in the city centre, and he used Manchester as an example of the improvements made due to getting decent houses into city, turning old units, buildings etc into quality housing. And from that the larger retailers and more importantly the smaller independents starting thriving.

I think we’ll see considerable improvements in this city in a few years time.
 
Really hope Sunderland doesn't become a ghetto/run-down area. Our Terry does the odd video about the town and it does look very, very old..building wise. but that's okay innit?

As has been said, ecommerce has killed local shops, same as it killed the music industry.
smoker said:
Our pit village is in better nick than Sunderland.

We have internet and cars so they make nice, affordable commuter villages. And no jakies wandering about.
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jackies or jakies? what's a jakie?
 
TheWanderer said:
Was interesting listening to George Clarke on the WMS podcast, when he highlighted that only a small percentage of the total population of Sunderland live in the city centre, and he used Manchester as an example of the improvements made due to getting decent houses into city, turning old units, buildings etc into quality housing. And from that the larger retailers and more importantly the smaller independents starting thriving.

I think we’ll see considerable improvements in this city in a few years time.
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My wife's cousin lives in Kelham Island in Sheffield, an eco-village very similar to what they're building at the Civic Centre. Difference is there are plenty of jobs in their city centre for the residents to walk to.
gards2 said:
Really hope Sunderland doesn't become a ghetto/run-down area. Our Terry does the odd video about the town and it does look very, very old..building wise. but that's okay innit?

As has been said, ecommerce has killed local shops, same as it killed the music industry.

jackies or jakies? what's a jakie?
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Homeless alcoholic or drug user.
 
smoker said:
My wife's cousin lives in Kelham Island in Sheffield, an eco-village very similar to what they're building at the Civic Centre. Difference is there are plenty of jobs in their city centre for the residents to walk to.
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Does the Vaux site not provide those high paid jobs?
 
It’ll only really improve if the centre was developed in such a way to make people heading to Newcastle from further south want to get off the train at Sunderland instead of Newcastle.
 
smoker said:
I was in Watford town centre last August and the place is absolutely thriving compared to Sunderland.

Likewise, not on your list but I was in Dundee city centre in May: it has ten major tourist attractions, five video games companies and two universities in the city centre.

Sunderland's wealth (Uni aside) is from out of town factories and business parks. The footfall in the city centre (match day aside) is council workers, the homeless and students. Who is going to buy the fancy eco homes they're building on the Civic Centre site if you have to drive out of town to work? The city centre needs an injection of sustainable wealth, e.g.: convert disused retail units into offices and charge low rent to any company locating from outside the NE.
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We were in a hotel not far from Watfords ground, Vicarage road, at the end of there there are some shops that are like I described.
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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
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I suppose my views might be tainted because I never visited the actual High Street jsu the area around Vicarage Road, we went to the Red Lion only to find it was closed and only opened on match days.
 
TheWanderer said:
Does the Vaux site not provide those high paid jobs?
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That's the idea, but it currently holds a call centre (low paid) and two public sector employers who moved from elsewhere in the City.
WillInSpain said:
We were in a hotel not far from Watfords ground, Vicarage road, at the end of there there are some shops that are like I described.
www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
I suppose my views might be tainted because I never visited the actual High Street jsu the area around Vicarage Road, we went to the Red Lion only to find it was closed and only opened on match days.
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The bairn had requested a trip to Putt Shack, so we went there (in the main shopping centre) and then TGI Friday in the High Street and it was busy.
 
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Probably because by and large high street shopping is a pain in the arse. You've got councils waging a war on motorists who's hi Viz Hitler's literally can't wait to slap a ticket on the minute you go over. And then half the time the actual shops themselves don't have what you want, so you end up buying online anyway. I'd happily use the high street more if it was easier and more convenient but sadly the local authorities still think it's pre internet days.
 
smoker said:
Likewise, not on your list but I was in Dundee city centre in May: it has ten major tourist attractions, five video games companies and two universities in the city centre.
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I was there about 2 years back & apart from the bit around the V&A, the rest of the city centre is a dump. Not sure what the 10 major attractions are, I can only think of 2
 

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