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Who in their right mind would shop at the local convenience store & pay rip-off prices ?

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Those people that just want a bag of sugar or a packet of fags...cheaper at the supermarkets sure...but not worth the petrol and time queueing at a checkout for just one item. Aldi and Lidl in particular are rubbish when it comes to popping in for a bag of taters,it can be a long wait to get served.

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Re #20.

That's interesting catfan.

That's more the kind of thing that would attract people in i.e. if the place had more of a 'mall' mentality and people could open up small shops that didn't have enough enormous rents and rates attached to them.

A friend of mine has a market stall in Bury St Edmunds and every time I go there I always enjoy going round the market where

you can buy some great local food, buy presents for people. Even birthday cards etc. Much lower prices than high street shops and it's a pleasurable experience just looking - and a cup of coffee and a cake doesn't cost £5.

If the local Westfield or Broadmarsh was like that, I'd go there.

The shopping centre model seems to be shops selling designer clothes and big ticket items. No bargains. No 'services'. Just high price items and the rest taken up by Pound Shops, Argos etc.

I think the city planners would do well to go and see some towns in France and Italy to see how and why their centres are attractive and prosperous.

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They don't need to go to France, Newark has lots of lovely little shops, as well as thriving market days where you can buy almost anything. Same with Leicester, Derby and York.

Must be summat about Nottingham. At one time, it was all building societies, then mobile phone shops, latterly it's been pound shops. None of which are much use when you're hungry.

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Re.

They don't need to go to France, Newark has lots of lovely little shops, as well as thriving market days where you can buy almost anything. Same with Leicester, Derby and York.

I'm not that familiar with Newark. York is lovely and definitely to be recommended.

Derby I dislike a lot and apart from one small area is not somewhere I would like to emulate. The Eagle Centre is as bad as Broadmarsh and the new Westfield Centre is based on the same 'shopping centre' model that we've been on about.

(Even though it does appear to be fairly busy).

Last time I went to Leicester the market seemed a bit difficult to access - being right in the centre, but then again I've never liked the city that much.

The point I was trying to make about places in Italy, France, Holland is that the towns seem really well cared for and are desirable places to stop and look around. You just don't get that in most towns and cities over here. Notts especially, is difficult and expensive to get into and that's even before you've parked and had a look at the shops.

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I am on of course to coming up Alfreton Rd near Canning Circus. Shop's boarded up building's falling down ect. Next time you go to Canning Circus and down/up Alfreton Rd, just take a look what a mess! they used to say Narrow marsh/ Broad marsh St Ann's were slums but I think this part of the city beats it. It needs all pulling down and rebuilding.

Yes, I know what you mean Mary.

I remember Alfreton Rd. in the 70's when it was a bustling community - with shops AND industry.

It looked a bit run down - but it wasn't a slum like it is now.

Similar situation to Arkwright St. I guess. In need of rejuvenation for decades till eventually it just got pulled down and replaced with ........ what? Nothing really.

Totally unimaginative city planning.

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In my opinion most of the Broadmarsh shops should be demolished - just leave the area where BHS is. Everything else should be rebuilt as an area of narrow traffic-free streets, with the original entrance to Broad Marsh (where Dunns used to be) reinstated. The shops (no high-rise) should be built with traditional brick frontages and of traditional design, to give the area something of a bygone look. This would allow Drury Hill to be rebuilt as one of the in-roads.

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Another small town that has maintained it's local feel is Bakewell - it still has a thriving market where you can buy wonderful fresh veg, meat and fish as well as pies and other baked goods. I believe Retford has a thriving market too.

As for shopping malls, the best I have seen in the U.K. is Meadowhall Centre in Sheffield! More like an American mall - very light and spacious feeling with a LOT of small shops as well as the big "anchor" stores.

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Meadowhall has been incredibly busy lately.

Anyone travelling up the M1 towards Sheffield will be aware of the traffic chaos caused by cars queuing to get in there.

I really hope more towns retain their markets and open access. We've had far too many places destroyed by shopping centres and traffic schemes.

I agree about re-modelling Broadmarsh, but I doubt whether Notts Council would have the imagination or the wherewithal.

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  • 4 years later...

Radford Red, in defence of DaveN it’s not easy to find a previously started topic on this forum.  All that nonsense having to wait 2 secs, 10 secs, 15 secs. Before you can search again.  At least the photos he posts have relevance to the subject title.  

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Exactly, one is an area, the other a shopping centre.

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Further to LizzieM's problems using the so called 'search' facility, I tried to scroll back to the last post in yesterday's Keep one, Drop one .

I got back three pages then the system said Sorry bla, bla, bla. I then put Keep into the search box. Nothing ! I then entered Keep one. Again, nothing except the page telling me to wait 14 seconds. What a farce if it can't even locate a common word like Keep ! Unbelievable.

Edited.... It finally worked on Drop. Ridiculous. compusmash

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  • 4 weeks later...

This is the beginning of the new Broad Marsh. The steelwork is on the site of what used to be the 'old' car park (built in 1970).

LVdYSIv.jpg

On the left is the refurbished Redmayne & Todd building; the Castle is still wrapped up; and the crane on the right is demolishing part of the 'old' Shopping Centre.

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Going back to earlier posts about markets -  i live in Co Durham and therefore close to many little market towns who have it sorted. They often have food markets, which means that people selling cheap tracky suits are not present. The stalls are cheap to rent (but the waiting list is long) but the food is artisan, often local and of the highest quality. The one I frequent is Helmsley, and it is packed on market day. My favourite is the wild mushroom stall and the cheese stall. My wife adores the bread oven where they bake the bread in the market area. Warm bread? What is there not to like? Some are not full time marketeers, but amateurs who are enthusiastic about what they do and make a few bob from it. 

 

 

What would it take for Nottingham city to open up a small market place and do this sort of stuff? It is not necessarily the Market Square, just a football pitch sized area which is easily accessible. I can think of half a dozen sites. Shut off the road up from the Trip to the Robin Hood statue once a month and  the council will make far more in rent than in parking. Make it cheap, select your food producers well, and it will become another great attraction for Nottingham. It need not be weekly or daily, once a month is sufficient. People will fight to get there. The council gets money from a poorly used area, the city benefits and people love good food. Win win win win. 

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2 minutes ago, philmayfield said:

The City Council only seem to be interested in holding tacky events in the once magnificent market square.

And the Mellors Group do very well out of the year-round events!

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Maybe they paid a few million towards having the Square flattened, to enable them to take it over completely for the Christmas Market, Beach on the Square and all the other events that take place throughout the year.  

Speculate to accumulate??   Our beloved Old Market Square could never have accommodated any of these mega-money-making ventures.    

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