Empty Newcastle



SAFCMark said:
You been to the Royal Quays recently?

I think your last sentence is bang on to be fair. Even the likes of the Metro Centre have a lot of unused retail space. They're just a lot better at hiding the empty units.
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MetroCentre was opened 10 -15 years later than similar malls in USA. It will be like them in 15 years semi derelict or closed.
 
CissesUnderpants9 said:
How would you change the entire outlook of towns and cities, Let's make you the mayor of the northeast for the next 4 years, with the power to do whatever you wanted with the area, what would you do?, in fact this is a question for all of you.
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Haven't been for ages but Stockton was pulling down the 60s shopping centre thing and building a park with some office space. Not saying, pulling things down is the answer, but sure if the railway station side of Blandford Street was razed and landscaped would be much better. Some short stay parking and some bus stops maybe. Other than Keel Square we don't have many open areas in Sunderland (obviously excluding Mowbray Park and Festival Park) Imagine coming out of the railway station, landscaped tree lined steet rather than the back of the shops on Blandford Street. Move the shops into the building housing Specsavers / High St etc and would love to see one of those 3d wrap around led signs where the clock was on that building that never worked.

Hopefully, new houses on the civic centre site, Vaux riverside, Sheepfolds all development not dependent on retail but should make the place busy. Why M&S closing was a slap in the chops considering things are on the up. Tidying place up makes a massive difference. Not sure if possible but would open up the side of Jacky Whites so loads of natural light and fresh air, total revamp. The cinema should have been where B&Q is and vice-versa, would have been identical almost to the one at East Boldon but unfortunately we are stuck. Loads that could be done to improve places without retail. The eye hospital moving to the centre and the sheepfolds (old stable block) proves you can improve even now.

That was just after a very quick think so sure others on here can come up with some good ideas. Tbh in the last few years SCC are doing quite well, not perfect but definitely on the way up but setbacks like m&s, Debenhams have not helped but that's everywhere.
 
Tbf I used to pop through Elden Garden now and again when I used to head there more often about 10-15 years ago and it was fairly quiet back then so not surprised it's completely dead now.

Few times ai was in Newcastle last year the whole place was pretty busy tbf, shop, bars, restraunts, the lot.
 
As others have said, Newcastle has been on the decline for a few years now. The place looks shabby and there's way more homeless/wrong'uns knocking about.

And that's not a biased view because I support SAFC, it's the truth.
 
To add context, the council have used common sense in this case, moving shops to Eldon Square as opposed to having 2 places half empty. Newcastle is fine in the grand scheme of things, compared to most other places, captured in some of his other Vlogs. Mind you, I always thought that Eldon Gardens was a bit off the beaten track, despite being linked to Eldon Square, you never seemed to end up there by mistake, like in most big shopping malls, you had to make an effort to find it. Remember it opening in 1988 ish, all those food courts, had never seen the like of it before, thinking back those sort of developments that seemed to start in the late 80s signalled the beginning of the end really for the High Street. Far too many shops and not enough shoppers and certainly in future not enough shoppers with disposable income. Did the people who built all these shops genuinely think there would be a demand for them, or did they know, they would have a short lifespan, but just took the money and ran. I honestly think the same thing is going to happen with all these cheap and nasty blocks of apartments they have built in cities over the last 15 years or so, ripping our children and grandchildren off.
 
Big Jeff said:
Sounds quite the place!
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Best advice I can give is just wander around with ear buds in! Stop the fake tramps asking for 80p to precise and people asking for a tab even though you don't smoke.

Literally watched in a bus station the fake tramps beg for 30 mins then the group ringleader comes along and asks how much they have made, takes some and goes visit the next fake homeless charv.

The area around the grainger market and hippy green (which is now charv green to smoke the weed) should be sealed off to keep the weird fucks out inside one area.

I'm going to shut up now and cry about tomorrow being a office day!
 
PTID said:
To add context, the council have used common sense in this case, moving shops to Eldon Square as opposed to having 2 places half empty. Newcastle is fine in the grand scheme of things, compared to most other places, captured in some of his other Vlogs. Mind you, I always thought that Eldon Gardens was a bit off the beaten track, despite being linked to Eldon Square, you never seemed to end up there by mistake, like in most big shopping malls, you had to make an effort to find it. Remember it opening in 1988 ish, all those food courts, had never seen the like of it before, thinking back those sort of developments that seemed to start in the late 80s signalled the beginning of the end really for the High Street. Far too many shops and not enough shoppers and certainly in future not enough shoppers with disposable income. Did the people who built all these shops genuinely think there would be a demand for them, or did they know, they would have a short lifespan, but just took the money and ran. I honestly think the same thing is going to happen with all these cheap and nasty blocks of apartments they have built in cities over the last 15 years or so, ripping our children and grandchildren off.
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Eldon Garden is a shambles of a shopping centre as it's completely missing an anchor (major shop at the end to draw people in). It's no wonder the place died.

Out of town retail killed the high street though, never the demand for people to shop at Newcastle, and Kingston Park and the MetroCentre and Silverlink and Team Valley and so on.

It's only quite recent, really,where the likes of M&S, Next, H&M, JD etc have moved into retail parks. Why bother driving to a city centre with all the hassle, when you can park outside, pop in and leave after 5 minutes and that's ignoring online shopping.
 
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I only go to Newcastle to eat and drink.

That bit seems fine. I donā€™t care about anything else. I donā€™t live in Newcastle.

I just like eating and drinking.

I also eat and drink in Seaburn. I like it there too.

I dream of going to Shrewsbury - it sounds far out maan!
 
Somtam said:
Originally Centre Hotel, then Crest, then Forte, then Holiday Inn and finally Premier Inn. Awful from its inception and steadily accumulating graffiti, reeking of urine and criminal activities thereafter. These days even taggers, criminals and those in urgent meed of relief avoid the place.
There have been vague plans to demolish the building, but it'd take tens of millions and some seriously joined up long term thinking to make this area work - something neither central nor local government have shown for 2 decades or more.
The area between Northumberland/Pilgrim St and Central Motorway (and south of Durant/Saville) was horribly disfigured in the '60s and has been a diagrace for 3 decades. There can't be many central areas in a British city as grim as that. There is some hope now, though, with East Pilgrim St finally getting some serious investment.
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Saw Pink Military and Wah! Heat at the Centre (Central?) Hotel back in the day.
 
PTID said:
To add context, the council have used common sense in this case, moving shops to Eldon Square as opposed to having 2 places half empty. Newcastle is fine in the grand scheme of things, compared to most other places, captured in some of his other Vlogs. Mind you, I always thought that Eldon Gardens was a bit off the beaten track, despite being linked to Eldon Square, you never seemed to end up there by mistake, like in most big shopping malls, you had to make an effort to find it. Remember it opening in 1988 ish, all those food courts, had never seen the like of it before, thinking back those sort of developments that seemed to start in the late 80s signalled the beginning of the end really for the High Street. Far too many shops and not enough shoppers and certainly in future not enough shoppers with disposable income. Did the people who built all these shops genuinely think there would be a demand for them, or did they know, they would have a short lifespan, but just took the money and ran. I honestly think the same thing is going to happen with all these cheap and nasty blocks of apartments they have built in cities over the last 15 years or so, ripping our children and grandchildren off.
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Nobody reads big blocks of text.

PTID said:
To add context, the council have used common sense in this case, moving shops to Eldon Square as opposed to having 2 places half empty. Newcastle is fine in the grand scheme of things, compared to most other places, captured in some of his other Vlogs. Mind you, I always thought that Eldon Gardens was a bit off the beaten track, despite being linked to Eldon Square, you never seemed to end up there by mistake, like in most big shopping malls, you had to make an effort to find it. Remember it opening in 1988 ish, all those food courts, had never seen the like of it before, thinking back those sort of developments that seemed to start in the late 80s signalled the beginning of the end really for the High Street. Far too many shops and not enough shoppers and certainly in future not enough shoppers with disposable income. Did the people who built all these shops genuinely think there would be a demand for them, or did they know, they would have a short lifespan, but just took the money and ran. I honestly think the same thing is going to happen with all these cheap and nasty blocks of apartments they have built in cities over the last 15 years or so, ripping our children and grandchildren off.
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I find most ā€œmarketsā€ full of crap.

The pretentious markets are full of massively overpriced produce that is unjustifiable.

And another thing - stupid flavours like Smokey prawn and avacado quinoa.

Iā€™m really not a fan.
 

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