They could do that sort of thing on the ground floor and by closing off access to the upper levels have it opening at nighttime too.
I wonder if could turn the dock under princes quay into a zoo Some crocodiles etc Would be unique and a big tourist attraction
Well they've obviously got the cinema upstairs and the downstairs is more or less food and entertainment now, not sure where the new bar actually is in relation to what it's replacing, but youve got another 2 floors of **** basically to try and sort out. On the topic of ski slopes, i was in Dubai the other day and the indoor ski slope there is pretty ridiculous. Not sure anyone goes there and thinks they fancy a ski but it was busy
We moved back temporarily in ‘92 so my lad could be born in Yorkshire ( the year the rule changed). I remember pointing out SOTW to Lady C as it was the pub I bought my first pint in Hull, obviously she was more interested in shopping & pointed out PQ to me.
I think there ended up being a significant delay between when the compulsory purchase orders and notice to quit orders went in and the actual demolition taking place, due to the collapse of the proposed development. Prinny Quay was built in the meantime and they ended up deciding to just extend the Prospect Centre and the build new shops on Jameson Street. My dad was one of those kicked out of his shop to accommodate the new development that didn't happen.
I didnt mean the slope, just the general vibe of attractions such as bowling, climbing, eateries and bars. You're right there is a lot to fill though.
When I had a walk around Hull a couple of weeks ago I thought that all 3 shopping centres were on their knees. PQ was just looking old and sparsely used, Prospect Centre was empty (although quiet handy as I need a piss), and St Stephens, although looking a bit more modern, was hardly bustling. Hull's not alone in this and is looking a lot better than some places, but the way people are using city centres is changing, and there just isn't the footfall there used to be. I nipped into The Bonny Boat at 7 o'clock on a Friday night (used to go there quite a bit in the early 80s and I hadn't been in for about 30 years), and I was literally the only customer.
All high streets are struggling…even here in Chelsea, lots of empty shops, bars & restaurants on the kings road. 5 years ago every unit was full
There's still massive demand down there between Sloane Square and World's End, it's only beyond there there's less demand (particularly the old antiques area).
Every time I go to York it’s always very busy, the queue for Bettys is at least 30 minutes! Leeds city centre always seems busy too, very few empty shops.
York's got big problems with empty shop units, Coney Street is their Whitefriargate, but tourism is much higher there and a lot of the retail has moved over to food and drink so it doesn't look as noticeably bad there as it does here (Beverley's the same). Leeds has become a destination shopping area, so is suffering a lot less than most places.
I went to York a month or so back. Me daughter asked me to pop into the ghost shop down The Shambles to buy a pot ghost, so naturally, being the kind hearted Dad that I am, I agreed. Got there to be informed that I'd have to join the back of a queue which the strange chap on the door estimated would take about 3 hours to clear. Are people mad? Three hours to queue to buy a ghost figurine? You didn't queue that long for beetroots in communist Russia.
I'm sure the owners of Princes Quay wouldn't agree, but I think the City Centre would benefit from knocking it down and making better use of the dock. You'd have more shops able to spill out onto Whitefriargate and use some of the empty units around the rest of the town centre.
Or fill it with piranhas to discourage pissed up twats jumping in and inconveniencing rescue services with better things to do?
Hull just needs a proper strategy like so many of the other “big” towns. A few years ago when I worked for a large financial institution we were looking at where to site a new premise. We spent considerable time talking to the council and the “Town Centre Manager” about the future development of the Town and where they were looking to develop. It was quite clear that no one had a clue. They didn’t have any idea where the centre of the Town should be or where they thought shoppers would need a bank. If any of the bigger developers were willing to throw money into regeneration of an area, any area, that was seen as a good thing. Clearly this hasn’t been right. There are many ways you could attract good investment to Hull but you need a good plan in the first place to get the right sort of investment. I fear this has never and will never be the case.
Jumped in the pond in Queens Gardens after our promotion in 1985, definitely not sober, and definitely not a good idea what with the mud at the bottom. The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.
It all seems to be driven by subsidies and grants. No joined up thinking at all. The trawler and spurn lightship could have been lifted into prinny dock, near to the whaling museum.
