Need for the city’s infrastucture to be improved, holding Argyle back.

[Green Flash]

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.

Also, unlike most largish cities there is not an influx of office workers to the centre every day. Plymouth remains a manufacturing and engineering rather than a professional services city and manufacturing jobs are not based in the centre

For a couple of decades after the re-construction I think Plymouth was a genuine regional shopping destination and one of the top shopping areas in the country (it remains one of the largest - albeit now half empty) and a trip to Plymouth shopping was something people all over Devon and Cornwall did. Pedestrianisation seemed to start to suck the life out of the place and of course with the advent of the internet it never recovered. Exeter took over as Devon and Cornwall's main shopping destination.

 

[Mister Green]

Always felt the 'Ocean City' line was due to the ocean being the only reliable route to get here.
No motorway, rails which fall into the sea, no airport etc.

 

[Lousy Pint]

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.

Last time I was in Plymouth, I was watching a council worker filling in the holes manually.
I kept giving him advice on how to mix the stuff and how to spread it better.
After a few minutes of my advice, he told me to "b*gger off, else you'll be covered with it!"

I left him to it, I didn't want to be tarred with the same brush!

 

[luko2006]

When I return to Plymouth with my family, my wife (who is from Surrey) is always impressed with Drake Circus shopping centre. Always comments on the selection of shops and amount of space in there. Very much depends on what you're looking for. I've been very impressed with The Barcode each time I've visited, a much needed addition to the city centre.
I always feel we don't have enough signage within the city centre telling people "this way to The Barbican/Smeaton's Tower/The Hoe". It isn't clear to a tourist how easy it is to get from somewhere like the sundial to Smeaton's Tower, even though is it essentially one long straight line.

 

[Green Flash]

When I return to Plymouth with my family, my wife (who is from Surrey) is always impressed with Drake Circus shopping centre. Always comments on the selection of shops and amount of space in there. Very much depends on what you're looking for. I've been very impressed with The Barcode each time I've visited, a much needed addition to the city centre.
I always feel we don't have enough signage within the city centre telling people "this way to The Barbican/Smeaton's Tower/The Hoe". It isn't clear to a tourist how easy it is to get from somewhere like the sundial to Smeaton's Tower, even though is it essentially one long straight line.

It would surely be a rare tourist that comes to Plymouth and doesn't manage to find the Hoe or the Barbican and spends their weekend in a dated regional shopping precinct!

 

[Old Gunner]

Not sure why Drake’s Circus attracts such negative comments. There’s some good stores in there, it’s clean and light…ah well. A sobering statistic…Government funding for Plymouth in 2010 was around £125 million, 14 years later it’s around £10 million.

 

[EastoftheTamar]

Wow some strong arguments about our city

Firstly I love my city and think we all take for granted what we have got and under appreciate the beauty of the Hoe etc


There are a few areas that we need to address as a city

The city centre is too big for a modern consumer, the lower half should be developed into housing with the city centre stopping on armada way. This should however be done to meet the needs of the residents of the city with affordable housing not high cost apartments. Dealing with the social inequalities and poor housing stock will increase everyone’s aspirations

The airport should be developed and sect106 monies should be used to develop speedy transport links between Plymouth and Exeter/Newquay. How much would a branch line from Exeter Newcourt to the airport cost?

Plymouth airport was great for its day. However the location, the size and limited flight length always held it back

Unless a new site could be found with great transport links it is a non starter , maybe close Exeter and Plymouth and build a new Devon airport port near to Buckfastleigh

The constant criticism of councillors is also a bit rich, the role of a councillor is open to everyone therefore if your not happy with the political decisions then please stand for election and make a differnece


Big shops in the city centre, it is not as easy as PCC saying to John Lewis etc oh come to Plymouth, these companies have a massive investment team who look at financial benefits they will get by opening a new store, Plymouth can ask and offer all the easements however they are up against city’s with a bigger financial demographic it is only the great work of British Land and the councils economic development team that has managed to bring some development in

The biggest issue though is the sense on entitlement plymothians have, want to park outside the ground free of charge, don’t mind parking dangerously, and seemingly don’t care about any improvements that are made as they either vandalise or ignore their kids destroying our city

We have a lot to be proud of and with some time, patience and discipline will have a much better Plymouth for us all

 

[Argyleloyal]

Going on about John Lewis, I believe they wanted to come down here where the mall is is but the council decided on building the mall instead. Also Ikea wanted to come down here before they chose Exeter but didn’t chose us because no motorway

 

[Green Flash]

Wow some strong arguments about our city

Firstly I love my city and think we all take for granted what we have got and under appreciate the beauty of the Hoe etc


There are a few areas that we need to address as a city

The city centre is too big for a modern consumer, the lower half should be developed into housing with the city centre stopping on armada way. This should however be done to meet the needs of the residents of the city with affordable housing not high cost apartments. Dealing with the social inequalities and poor housing stock will increase everyone’s aspirations

I agree the centre is too big but the problem is that the two lynchpins, the market and the mall are at opposite ends! I would argue the market is a more unique draw (not many cities still have a 6 day a week food and general market) and that this should be rehoused in the top end of town, perhaps paid for by the developers as part of the redevelopment of Debenhams (and no doubt in due course, House of Fraser)

 

[The Doctor]

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.

"Same old, same old" perhaps!

 

[Since I Was 33]

Don't think the city centre is too big, certainly not compared to some places. The prime issue is lack of funding, lack of growth in the city. Unfortunately our distant location doesn't help but we shouldn't knock the city that much it's still a great place to live. I know this as someone who didn't come to Plymouth until I was 33. Wouldn't live anywhere else now

 

[Biggs]

Going on about John Lewis, I believe they wanted to come down here where the mall is is but the council decided on building the mall instead. Also Ikea wanted to come down here before they chose Exeter but didn’t chose us because no motorway

John Lewis isn't expanding anywhere at the moment, they had to close their massive Birmingham store so they certainly wouldn't be looking at Plymouth.

I think you'll see lots more 'premium' stuff once the Armada Way development is done, there's already been a stream of decent new shops opening in last year or so at Drake Circus, but no-one would touch AW as it was/is.

I also wonder if Argyle will have some sort of presence in the centre again...

 

[The Doctor]

I always think it is a pity that despite obviously being a coastal/maritime/ocean city you can live and work in Plymouth and not actually see the sea at all. If you are visiting the city centre to shop or to view The Box etc you could be anywhere because there is no connection to the waterfront. This is partly because there is no obvious walking route between Armada Way and the Barbican but mostly it is because between the city centre and the waterfront is a big hill (the Hoe) that visually and physically separates the two areas. Imagine what Plymouth would be like if Armada Way ran all the way down to the waterfront with a clear line of sight. The city centre would then feel much more connected to the sea and the waterfront.

 

[Green Flash]

Don't think the city centre is too big, certainly not compared to some places. The prime issue is lack of funding, lack of growth in the city. Unfortunately our distant location doesn't help but we shouldn't knock the city that much it's still a great place to live. I know this as someone who didn't come to Plymouth until I was 33. Wouldn't live anywhere else now

It is bigger than Broadmead in Bristol which caters for a much larger population!

 

[truejanner]

Don’t really understand all this knocking of Plymouth at all, yes the city centre needs redevelopment, but the Barbican and Hoe are lovely places with plenty of good restaurants/ pubs and character. No need for airport when you have one 45 minutes away and another 25 minutes further. Transport links to these airports needs looking at without doubt but if you fly to Manchester, Gatwick , Bristol, Birmingham they are all at least 30 minutes out of the city.