Don't forget the scandalous £750k of council tax payers money wasted on that rusty piece of junk on West Hoe pier!
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Need for the city’s infrastucture to be improved, holding Argyle back.
- Thread starter keepthefaith70
- Start date
Similarly to Jimbogreen, I’m always amazed how everything must be down to the council.
- No big name stores in the city centre, bloody Council!
- No hotel in a prime location, bloody Council!
- Not trying to reinvent the city centre into a mixed use area, bloody Council!
The council can only do so much. The issue is the developers (and those financing them and their projects) don’t see the returns on any invest in a working class provincial city. The council can, and do, work on attracting interest but whilst they bring those horses to water they can’t make them spend. Countless projects falter when it comes down to actually securing the money and therefore remain an architects wet dream.
Plymouth is a truly great place, that is developing itself into a 21st Century city, just slower than those urban areas nearer the financial hotspots of the country.
Plymouth City Centre is turgid for two reasons.
Firstly, nobody lives in in the City Centre. Go to Exeter, go to Cardiff, go to Bristol, go to Cheltenham, go to Bath, there are houses and flats mixed in with the City Centre in those places, that means there’s a local and a collective desire to maintain and improve those City Centre’s.
Secondly, there are very few cafes/restaurants/bars in Plymouth City Centre, there’s no real entertainment scene, it’s just a concrete jungle of shops. You don’t go into the City Centre for a day out or a night out in the same way that you do in some of the cities listed above.
I know and appreciate that the City Centre is being revamped at the moment aesthetically but ultimately nothing will really change in terms of it’s appeal and utility.
Thankfully we have the Barbican, the Hoe and Royal William Yard to fall back on.
Firstly, nobody lives in in the City Centre. Go to Exeter, go to Cardiff, go to Bristol, go to Cheltenham, go to Bath, there are houses and flats mixed in with the City Centre in those places, that means there’s a local and a collective desire to maintain and improve those City Centre’s.
Secondly, there are very few cafes/restaurants/bars in Plymouth City Centre, there’s no real entertainment scene, it’s just a concrete jungle of shops. You don’t go into the City Centre for a day out or a night out in the same way that you do in some of the cities listed above.
I know and appreciate that the City Centre is being revamped at the moment aesthetically but ultimately nothing will really change in terms of it’s appeal and utility.
Thankfully we have the Barbican, the Hoe and Royal William Yard to fall back on.
The A38 is pretty decent - only takes 30 mins from Exeter on good roads (I come down from London from home games in less than 4 hours). Agree about the airport, though I can't think where you'd put it.
Unfortunately, Plymouth City Council have always been useless, only interested in white elephants. The only think that has been built in the last 25 years is the ugliest shopping centre I have ever been to.
It's all too easy for the blame game to sit with PCC and the airport - there's more to it than that.
For example, there isn't enough demand for the M5 to be extended past Exeter because it feeds 3 separate A Roads adequately enough for suggestions to be set aside.
In terms of future development, we won't ever get a motorway. Unless the impact of it's absence was of major significance centrally, there will absolutely be no serious consideration given to such a proposal.
Why do you all think the Government were so keen to deliver HS2?
The idea certainly wasn't conceived with prosperity for the nation as a whole in mind.
No, it's real sole intention was simply to further contain the wealth spread and the subsequent economic charge to London and the big cities.
We don't matter down here - the Government are perfectly happy to establish a degree of economic isolationism throughout the satellite regions of the country because these areas only offer the limited prosperity from the grains that they've historically been fed.
The airport provides it's own answer, but most would prefer to avoid it.
For it to reopen and work requires the space to cover it's unavoidable costs - it doesn't have the required scope without large investment.
It also suffers from the neglect of SHH because of their own interests in Newquay Airport - there will absolutely be pressure to keep Plymouth Airport closed.
Remember, operators have quotas and that stark reality is why it remains closed.
That's not the council's fault, that's not even down to central government - that's purely down to operators, directors and shareholders looking after their respective stock.
So, when I see the easy approach to digging people out with the standard jabbing at the council, I do wonder why they are expected to solve so many problems caused by others.
I mean, I recently sought to correct someone on here about their understanding of Beryl Bikes and how they're funded - not remotely via PCC, but he wouldn't have it. No, it just had to be the council mugging us off.
I've said before, the council make all manner of mistake, but they're really not to blame for everything.
For example, there isn't enough demand for the M5 to be extended past Exeter because it feeds 3 separate A Roads adequately enough for suggestions to be set aside.
In terms of future development, we won't ever get a motorway. Unless the impact of it's absence was of major significance centrally, there will absolutely be no serious consideration given to such a proposal.
Why do you all think the Government were so keen to deliver HS2?
The idea certainly wasn't conceived with prosperity for the nation as a whole in mind.
No, it's real sole intention was simply to further contain the wealth spread and the subsequent economic charge to London and the big cities.
We don't matter down here - the Government are perfectly happy to establish a degree of economic isolationism throughout the satellite regions of the country because these areas only offer the limited prosperity from the grains that they've historically been fed.
The airport provides it's own answer, but most would prefer to avoid it.
For it to reopen and work requires the space to cover it's unavoidable costs - it doesn't have the required scope without large investment.
It also suffers from the neglect of SHH because of their own interests in Newquay Airport - there will absolutely be pressure to keep Plymouth Airport closed.
Remember, operators have quotas and that stark reality is why it remains closed.
That's not the council's fault, that's not even down to central government - that's purely down to operators, directors and shareholders looking after their respective stock.
So, when I see the easy approach to digging people out with the standard jabbing at the council, I do wonder why they are expected to solve so many problems caused by others.
I mean, I recently sought to correct someone on here about their understanding of Beryl Bikes and how they're funded - not remotely via PCC, but he wouldn't have it. No, it just had to be the council mugging us off.
I've said before, the council make all manner of mistake, but they're really not to blame for everything.
It's political.
We are not Tory heartland.
If there were Conservative MP's and Conservative councils in situ then we would get more funding from the government, but the Southwest are seen to be very Liberal with a smattering of labour councils in the cities.
Last time i was down in plymouth the city centre was still a heavy building site so i havent seen what so far has been done.
What did dissapoint me was the empty shops at the bottom half of town.
I personally would have moved the market and the few shops from the bottom half of town into the old Debenhams shop. Then made the bottom half of town into appartments and coffee shops, food vender's etc with outside eating. Places to go chill etc.
In this modern world of internet buying you dont need a massive spread out town centre like plymouth has.
But then id also sort out a proper cruise terminal. Cruising is big business tourism and plymouth has massive history esp for our god fearing Americans.
What did dissapoint me was the empty shops at the bottom half of town.
I personally would have moved the market and the few shops from the bottom half of town into the old Debenhams shop. Then made the bottom half of town into appartments and coffee shops, food vender's etc with outside eating. Places to go chill etc.
In this modern world of internet buying you dont need a massive spread out town centre like plymouth has.
But then id also sort out a proper cruise terminal. Cruising is big business tourism and plymouth has massive history esp for our god fearing Americans.
It’s funny how we all see things differently. To me the bottom of Cornwall Street and the market are by far the most interesting and cosmopolitan parts of the city. Loads of independents and full of character. Also has the best cafe in town (Cafe Lisbon).
the council won't repair pot holes,no chance of an airport which i actually don't believe woul be a financial success.
- Sep 30, 2003
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I was stuck behind a council truck repairing a pot hole on Friday morning. They've got a new truck that sprays tarmac in to the hole.
What would be the necessity put forward as we are selling out home and away ends with the current infrastructure. I couldn't see there being a need for investment to attract fans to the ground?
Plymouth has the unfortunate knack of spending lots of money on 'revamping' it's city centre on several occasions over the years and each time it's hard to tell what it is they've actually done.
I do wish Plymouth Council had a new influx of people. For years it's been the same old faces either politicising everything to score some sort of points over their never changing rivals or making it seem that the population are just parts in their version of the 'Sims'.
I used Plymouth airport quite a lot but it was always stifled by being unable to expand sufficiently to rival Exeter. I'm led to believe SHH allowed the deliberate mismanagement that led to it's decline, primarily because Airports are money pits and it's sitting on prime redevelopment land.
Newquay airport is only there because of it's former military value, basically they got lucky. I've used it, very handy and our flights to Malaga were very cheap. There is however limited destinations available depending on whichever Airlines want a slot.
Exeter is handy but a pain to get to if you're not driving. I can catch the 24/7 coach to Bristol airport from Plymouth, drop off in the airport (over 60s return for less than £20 ) but as far as I'm aware, I can't get direct to Exeter Airport from Plymouth. Taxis are now in the £100 bracket.
I have a love / hate relationship with Plymouth. Fantastic waterfront location, absolutely steeped in history but it's stories have never been properly told. It's always seemed nearly but not quite to me.
I do wish Plymouth Council had a new influx of people. For years it's been the same old faces either politicising everything to score some sort of points over their never changing rivals or making it seem that the population are just parts in their version of the 'Sims'.
I used Plymouth airport quite a lot but it was always stifled by being unable to expand sufficiently to rival Exeter. I'm led to believe SHH allowed the deliberate mismanagement that led to it's decline, primarily because Airports are money pits and it's sitting on prime redevelopment land.
Newquay airport is only there because of it's former military value, basically they got lucky. I've used it, very handy and our flights to Malaga were very cheap. There is however limited destinations available depending on whichever Airlines want a slot.
Exeter is handy but a pain to get to if you're not driving. I can catch the 24/7 coach to Bristol airport from Plymouth, drop off in the airport (over 60s return for less than £20 ) but as far as I'm aware, I can't get direct to Exeter Airport from Plymouth. Taxis are now in the £100 bracket.
I have a love / hate relationship with Plymouth. Fantastic waterfront location, absolutely steeped in history but it's stories have never been properly told. It's always seemed nearly but not quite to me.
This for me, whilst the council are responsible for many things too many people believe the council are behind every development. Statue outside the Theatre Royal? ”Waste of money, council should have used it towards social housing”, private land unused for many years developed into modern new building for students? “Council should’ve spent the money on the homeless”, city centre paving revamp? “Why’d they close the subways, the crossings on Royal Parade are a death trap”
I’m a critic of the slow pace of developments & the oh so many stalled projects but there’s been some good stuff happening with the city & Plymouth recently topped a report for the best recovered shopping destination since Covid, or something like that. People think just because it doesn’t have a shop/shops that suit them then the city centre is dead & unused but that insular approach misses the positive things that are around.
Don't forget the scandalous £750k of council tax payers money wasted on that rusty piece of junk on West Hoe pier!
I firmly believe that will grow to become a much-loved part of the city, not least because everyone loves an underdog after all the criticism.
Rusty Reg
