Derby City Centre

[King Kevin]

46 minutes ago, Hucknall Ram said:

I always find the car parks 90+% full when I go to Notts by car, I have the choice of Train, Tram. Car or Bus to get to Notts from Hucknall, Tram is alway full, bus always close to full, car parks mostly full

The route into Nottingham city centre from the West is a nightmare ,the tram at Toton is not designed for local travel from Toton as it's too far out it was obviously meant for people travelling in on the A52 /M1  it also takes about 20 minutes longer than the bus .

The road from Long Eaton through Chilwell /Beeston is the slowest journey time in rush hour of any road outside London .Pollution in the City has got progressively worst due to the City's "green policy" of making the roads obstacle course's.

If I drive into Nottingham it takes 30 -40 minutes ,Derby 15 -20 minutes ,apart from Goose Fair I have never seen a tram leave Toton more than half full  the car park is far too big and is often used for outdoor cinema for what 3-4 years of chaos whilst building it. 

As I say an awful lot of people round here us Derby as an alternative to Nottingham .

[TomBustler1884]

Derby has many challenges but the biggest one for the average visitor is the bit in between Intu and the Cathedral Quarter, both of which are perfectly decent places to spend some time in my opinion.

The discussions above about property ownership is a massive problem for St Peter's Street and not easily solved. Someone asked about the Council CPOing it? They have no track record as retail landlords and would have to justify spending taxpayer money, which they will always get slated for.

Every city is struggling with homelessness and anti-social behaviour and Derby is no different.

There is stuff happening though. Sadler Gate is extremely popular, Irongate will have no vacant units come December, new bars are opening on Wardwick, new apartments and student accommodation is getting built, and places like Post House, Bustler Market (personal plug!) prove people are willing to do something a bit different here now.

I have always thought Derby is somewhere you have to dig below the surface a little bit, if you do you get rewarded.

[ramsbottom]

21 hours ago, G STAR RAM said:

Ventured in during the day time with the kids today and all I can say is what a complete and utter disgrace. A complete embarrassment and the council should hang their heads in shame.

Parked by the hippodrome, or what is left of it, why have they let the building get in such a poor state of repair? I know it's privately owned but they must have been able to do something about it!

Next was a walk along Gower Street past 3 or 4 men out of their faces, very intimidating for my kids.

Next up to the top of St Peters Street. What on earth are the metal ring things there? Is it symbolic of the gateway to hell?  Who authorised wasting money on these things at a time when public services are being cut back on?

Down St Peters Street towards McDonald's, which was supposed to be a treat for the kids, boarded up shops and scroungers central.

I'm sure Intu is great for shoppers but the detriment it has had on the city centre is obvious and maybe the council should put pressure on Intu to help address this.

I remember when St Peters Street was pedestrianised and you no longer had to risk choking to death on bus exhaust fumes, it was great for the city centre, unfortunately it's taken major backward steps since then.

 

20 hours ago, therealhantsram said:

Too much retail space. Same in every town and city. Blame the Internet and pension fund landlords keeping rents high. 

I said from the day the Westfield opened that, local developers should've bought up a lot of the vacated shops along St Peter's Street and convert them into bars/resturants.  There's no point retail businesses trying to compete for footfall, should've been offering something different.  Works for Iron Gate & Saldergate.  The old Debenhams should've been turned into a club as well.  Nobody wants to come to Derby for a night out anymore, cus there's no decent clubs.  The council have been that narrow minded, they could probably fit their heads through a f***** letterbox!!!

[Inglorius]

21 hours ago, alexxxxx said:

Feel dirty saying this... but Nottingham has a much better city centre - probably due to the shopping centres not taking all the custom and being part of the city centre rather than trying to be all of it.

Have to disagree - the Broadmarsh shopping centre at one end of the city centre is currently being redeveloped and the Victoria Centre looms large over the other end. I normally go shopping in Birmingham - far more selection of shops.

[alexxxxx]

3 minutes ago, Inglorius said:

Have to disagree - the Broadmarsh shopping centre at one end of the city centre is currently being redeveloped and the Victoria Centre looms large over the other end. I normally go shopping in Birmingham - far more selection of shops.

Yeah but there are still plenty of busy shops, restaurants, bars, a well-used square as well as dozens of independent shops. Whenever I go to Nottingham I certainly don't stick in the shopping centres, can't say the same about Derby.

[Hucknall Ram]

7 minutes ago, alexxxxx said:

Yeah but there are still plenty of busy shops, restaurants, bars, a well-used square as well as dozens of independent shops. Whenever I go to Nottingham I certainly don't stick in the shopping centres, can't say the same about Derby.

Very much the same view, the one thing I always noticed with Vic centre is that the restaurants don't seem to last long before they shut down. I went to Coast to Coast 3 times and now it's closed. Bet it was open for less than a year

[Pearl Ram]

Hmph, that start of the decline was when Derby Corporation changed the colour of their buses from bottle green and cream to that two tone blue I tell you, all downhill from there. 

[Stive Pesley]

20 hours ago, CWC1983 said:

The number of homeless people sleeping in and around the city centre is heartbreaking, especially as we head into winter. 

Every city I've been to recently has got more people begging than I can remember from even 1 year ago. 

It seems to be a country wide problem and I don't know what the answer is. 

Bang on. I've just got back from an overnight stay in Manchester and the streets of the city centre are literally full of homeless people and drug addicts. It's not just Derby. It's everywhere - bigger cities or smaller towns.

Derby people seem to have a strong trait of wanting to do the city down, probably because we're proud of the place and it hurts when we see it has problems. Blaming the council for everything is the current fashion. They aren't wholly innocent in all of this, but I suspect that none of those beating them up could do a better job (whatever they might think)

The root cause is really the ever-widening chasm of inequality. I went to the last @tombustler1884 market and sat eating my artisanal food with a £6 pint of craft ale whilst watching a poor homeless guy on Mamba keel over in the River Gardens and eventually get carted off in an ambulance. It didn't taste quite so good after that.

Whatever the solution is - it has to come from politicians who want to reduce inequality. Right now I'm only seeing the Labour party even talking about doing that. I accept many people don't like them and would never vote for them on principle, but there comes a point where you have to ask them to open their eyes and STFU complaining about stuff they aren't willing to try and change

[Guest]

Brought up and raised in Derby. Rarely go back now but went a year ago and was embarrassed. The buildings were all shoddy. The shops were downmarket. And what on earth has happened to the old iron railway bridge in Friargate?  Used to be immaculately painted. 

[TomBustler1884]

30 minutes ago, StivePesley said:

Bang on. I've just got back from an overnight stay in Manchester and the streets of the city centre are literally full of homeless people and drug addicts. It's not just Derby. It's everywhere - bigger cities or smaller towns.

Derby people seem to have a strong trait of wanting to do the city down, probably because we're proud of the place and it hurts when we see it has problems. Blaming the council for everything is the current fashion. They aren't wholly innocent in all of this, but I suspect that none of those beating them up could do a better job (whatever they might think)

The root cause is really the ever-widening chasm of inequality. I went to the last @tombustler1884 market and sat eating my artisanal food with a £6 pint of craft ale whilst watching a poor homeless guy on Mamba keel over in the River Gardens and eventually get carted off in an ambulance. It didn't taste quite so good after that.

Whatever the solution is - it has to come from politicians who want to reduce inequality. Right now I'm only seeing the Labour party even talking about doing that. I accept many people don't like them and would never vote for them on principle, but there comes a point where you have to ask them to open their eyes and STFU complaining about stuff they aren't willing to try and change

Agree with loads of this! It often feels like the people who point out the faults of Derby the most are the ones who are from here. 

As @StivePesley says, the council have a responsibility to sort things out but so does everyone who lives here. Any problems I've had in the city don't come from the homeless, it comes from young lads with tracksuit on looking for trouble or couples screaming at each other with rottweilers.

Everyone who lives here has a responsibility for making derby better and taking more pride in what we do have.

As for the river gardens, Bustler could have gone elsewhere but we made a conscious decision to go to the river gardens to see if having something down there could help improve it. I would argue it does a little but it's certainly no magic solution!!

[Norman]

8 hours ago, Wolfie said:

Every town/city centre is struggling nowadays but I think this is key.

We moved to Newark from Worksop 3 years ago and the difference between the two town centres, 30 mins apart, is huge. Worksop has had the life ripped out of it, with every other shop (those which aren't empty) now being a charity shop or nail bar. Worksop's problems date back to the mine closures but the decay has accelerated in recent years. It's also very noticeable that Grantham has been going the same way in the 7 years or so that I've been going there.

OK, Newark is probably a more affluent town but there are loads of independent shops (and a decent market). For a much smaller town than either of the other two, there's much more variety on offer & I'm sure it's this which has kept it going.

I live in Grantham and work in Newark

It shocks me how much better Newark is.

G town is a bank then a charity shop, pub, charity shop, empty, pub, travel agents, empty, hairdressers, bank, estate agents. Not sure why there is nothing here but 20 mins up the A1 is a thriving market town. Just like Grantham should be.

[Phoenix]

9 minutes ago, Norman said:

I live in Grantham and work in Newark

It shocks me how much better Newark is.

G town is a bank then a charity shop, pub, charity shop, empty, pub, travel agents, empty, hairdressers, bank, estate agents. Not sure why there is nothing here but 20 mins up the A1 is a thriving market town. Just like Grantham should be.

Are you sure you're not confusing it with Nuneaton? Perhaps not, you've omitted the 20 or so betting shops. It used to be a lovely place to shop. Shame really.

[Mafiabob]

I do think the nightlife and choice of bars and places to eat have improved a lot over last 4/5 years..... Westfield/Intu/eagle centre or whatever it's called has had a detrimental affect, but it's been open 10 years now..... we moan about it, but footfall I'd imagine is through the roof..... I'm no business man at all, but even maybe thinking out the box a little to get folk to come and spend in your shop should be happening more..... can't really complain as much now as it has been there a decade.

Agree with Hippodrome/Duckworth Square being a dive.....

Bainwait and co are a bunch of idiots, but the others in the local Tory, lib dem and yookip are just as bad..... would love to see some independently minded folk who are not fussed about getting up the political ladder by paying lip service to things..... just wanting to do what's best for the people of Derby, irrespective of political belief being left or right etc..... only one agenda, to get Derby booming and blossoming again. Would love to get involved if I ever had time. Could be a call to have a Derby Residents Association of sorts.

It is alarming and sad for me so many people are on the streets. Wish I could do more, I've raised money for Framework in the past, and I often buy a homeless person a hot drink and a bite to eat if I'm on a night out, not because of making it about me..... because I'm frightened they may go a few days without a hot meal or drink. Do it for humanity.

[Hucknall Ram]

13 hours ago, Norman said:

I live in Grantham and work in Newark

It shocks me how much better Newark is.

G town is a bank then a charity shop, pub, charity shop, empty, pub, travel agents, empty, hairdressers, bank, estate agents. Not sure why there is nothing here but 20 mins up the A1 is a thriving market town. Just like Grantham should be.

A BANK!!!! You lucky devil  

[Angry Ram]

London is fine 

[Srg]

Walked through Derby city centre last night... got asked for spare change twice and a crazy woman was moaning about dead children, all in the space of a few hundred yards.

[1of4]

14 minutes ago, Srg said:

Walked through Derby city centre last night... got asked for spare change twice and a crazy woman was moaning about dead children, all in the space of a few hundred yards.

Had the same problem a couple of days ago. Told the daughter to be quiet she was getting no more pocket money and as for the wife...

[TomBustler1884]

If you want to have a say in combating anti-social behaviour in Derby, you should input into this consultation, it can make a difference.

 

https://derbycitycouncil.researchfeedback.net/wh/s.asp?k=150479885637

[Stive Pesley]

30 minutes ago, TomBustler1884 said:

If you want to have a say in combating anti-social behaviour in Derby, you should input into this consultation, it can make a difference.

 

https://derbycitycouncil.researchfeedback.net/wh/s.asp?k=150479885637

Cheers - I hadn't seen that. I hope it gets more widely publicised. I live in Area 2 (wider City Centre) and whilst it's nowhere near as bad and we don't get people begging, there is plenty of anti-social street drinking that is mildly annoying at times

It remains to be seen what good this will do though

Quote

Orders can be enforced by a police officer, police community support officer (PCSO) and delegated council officers. A breach of the order is a criminal offence with a fixed penalty notice of up to £100, or a fine of £1,000 on prosecution.

I'd warrant that almost all those displaying anti-social behaviour don't have the money to pay these fines, so it's not exactly the largest of deterrents to them!