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Give Warrington town centre a chance!


Gary

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On 4/22/2018 at 6:59 AM, Evil Sid said:

not to me they don't, can't stand tea. last cup of tea i had was in 1965 and i didn't drink that. something when i was very young put me off tea, it got so that even the smell would make me feel nauseous. not so bad these days but cannot drink tea even if my life depended on it.
 

Mind working overtime wondering how a cup of tea can so adversely effect someone?


 

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seems that trendy coffee houses are the norm these days.

cafe's were easier it was tea, coffee,chocolate, horlicks or bovril for your hot drinks. nowdays you have to spend ten minutes reading the varieties and variations to try and find one that you can at least recognise and just might drink.

One other thing i miss is proper mugs for drinks. they seem to have three types now. shaving mug ones with those ridiculously small handles that you can't get a finger into and can't grip. Ice cream type ones that you used to get served sundaes in in some  places, and those thimble sized ones that have about two drips of coffee in.

 

What is wrong with choice?  you can still get a traditionally brewed coffee in the trendy coffee places, although never seen horlicks or bovril sold in a cafe!

You don't see the thimble shots of coffee for sale in the UK, ever tried one, they are powerful

I often wonder why tea shops have not taken off in the UK in the same way as coffee houses have. You can't go 50 yards meters without going past a coffee shop in most high streets, would make sense to open a tea shop instead? Just to add I much prefer coffee although my favorite drink is creamy milky ones!

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Mind working overtime wondering how a cup of tea can so adversely effect someone?

when i was a very young lad there was no such things as tea bags. tea was made with loose leaves and strained through a sieve on pouring. somebody forgot to strain the tea one day and as i got to the end of the cup ended up with a mouth full of tea leaves. The resultant heaving and coughing had a lasting effect on me as regards tea and from that day on i have never drank a cup, even the smell brings back that memory.

I had one of those tiny cup things at tesco the other week. yes they are strong. Growing up in the sixties quite a lot of the cafe's in the area would have horlicks or bovril on the hot drink list. warrington baths had  a vending machine that did bovril great for when it was cold and you had just finished an afternoon swimming with the school.

Nothing wrong with choice but i personally cannot tell the difference between a latte and a capuchin cappucino whatever it is called. I put the excess of coffee establishments down to the popularity and influence of american shows like friends. i must admit the only choice i had when growing up was B;lack or white coffee in two sizes, standard cup or builders mug, sugar optional.

There is or was a tea room opened in bridge street. think it was named after a county, (Lancashire or Yorkshire maybe) on the same side as Mc Donalds opposite the bank.

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"Yes it is still far from perfect and yes there are still plenty of issues, none more so than the traffic problems we constantly face."

"But if you choose your visiting times wisely there is plenty to be positive about and in time it will hopefully get even better."

"The cultural quarter has some outstanding restaurants with more to come which are more than a match for Liverpool and Manchester."

The above are quotes from the original item by Gary. The traffic issue is one which is very difficult to crack because the effects of the Centre Park Bridge and the western Link are unlikely to have changed the approach to the Time Square Car Park into a dream journey by opening day. The other attractions in Time Square and the cultural quarter to which Gary refers are restaurants where a key feature is often alcoholic drinks sufficient to complement the meal. For such evening entertainments what is needed is reliable and frequent public transport. Will WBC be increasing the service beyond its present threadbare state to attract visitors in the evening? There is a need to have bus services from parts of the town where there is disposable income available to frequent the new facilities. Unfortunately the present criteria for evening services is based on the opposite characteristic, that is buses are mostly funded where the residents do not have enough disposable income to run a car. The policies are never quite thought through beyond the it will look nice stage. Further the problem has not been the town but the council running it ever since the New Town stopped covering up the council's ineptitude. That of course includes the roads for which there was a plan which the council objected to at the point where it was 'now or never', they chose never: and here we are. It is realism not negativity and is the first stage to recovery but we all have to want to recover!

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I think the plans for apartments in the town centre will give it a massive boost. The new cinema will draw in people presently going to neighbouring towns. It's important that prices are kept reasonable though, I was in Bury recently which is very popular due to its market and they charge £5 for parking for just a couple of hours. The cinema in the Trafford centre charge £8-50 during the week for pensioners then have the cheek to charge a supplement of up to £2 if the film is a "blockbuster".

There also needs to be a policy regarding out of town retail. Any retail unit of a small to medium size should only be allowed in the town centre, so that the out of town parks are reserved for large convenience retailers which would be impractical in a central location. Early Learning and Mothercare are examples.

I can see there being a tug of war between the old fish market and the new Time Sq development. I don't see any problem with the parking in Warrington, there are plenty of on street spaces in the evening, Golden Sq is only £1 in the evening, and the new multi storey is free for 3 hours.

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My my ,what a shock. I walked through part of the town centre earlier today for the first time in a year & what a mess the place is. Apart from the Golden Square there is nothing to attract prospective customers into the town's former main streets. Warrington town centre needs to be wheeled  into intensive  care straight away if the patient is to survive.

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On 4/26/2018 at 10:25 AM, Gary said:

Well I knew I could rely on everyone to be positive.:rolleyes:

 

How positive one is depends whether you go to the cinema on a regular bases or not?

Has the Parr Hall been refurbished? surprised the council have not demolished it by now!

 

 

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I agree with Davy re buses.   As I was reading I started to think about how waiting at bus stops, changing buses on Bridge St, driving thru the center of town used to bring in life.  It was very entertaining to watch two buses passing on Sankey St.   Is pedestrianizing (?) a good idea gone wrong?    

Obviously, in this age there is no place for small, private, retail stores.  The only hope for the center is basically sidewalk cafes and art galleries etc.  there is a small town outside of Philadelphia called Manyhunk.  Their Main Street is just that and on most days the place is full with tourists and cycling clubs, eating breakfast and relaxing.  I think that's what they should shoot for, but maybe the weather is against it.

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I don't know about no place for private retail stores, there seems to be a trend at present for small businesses setting up in premises. it is the larger chains that appear to be having problems at present. Hardly a day goes by without some "well known" chain or other having to "downsize" and close stores. Prezzo, M&S, toy's'r' us even poundworld. and that is just the one's i can remember from the past few months.

Even the banks are having to restructure, coop bank has closed several branches. my nearest coop bank is now liverpool.

Pedestrianising is fine in theory but needs to be well thought out. Warrington market was fine but when the bus only stops at the bus station many of the older generation found it a long walk to get there, prior to which the bus used to stop almost at the market entrance.

I know that as i get older i am less inclined to want to spend an hour walking from one end of warrington to the other to get two items.(mind you i was never one for long shopping trips. get in, get the stuff, get out in as short a time as possible.)

I will say though that when they do get the new market open i will be going to it, mainly to see what stalls are there and whether i will be a regular shopper there is yet to be seen.

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Near to me in Newton they have pedestrianised Market Street & the only times it gets busy are after 4pm during the week & all day Sunday when it is open to traffic. As a result most underused shops are open for hours on end with few customers because people can't or won't walk from the town car park. There are plenty of betting shops, hairdressers ,cafes & dog groomers though.

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cafes & dog groomers

sounds as though somebody has found a niche in the market there. have your dog groomed while you have a cup of tea and a bacon buttie :rolleyes:

seems like people have been spoiled by supermarkets having large car parks so that you don't have to walk any distance to get all you want.

Given the number of online betting apps about i am surprised that there are any betting shops these days.

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The latest.......8 storey high apartments and 9 storey high car park proposed near to central station, planning committee concern over lack of 'affordable' units .........what about height?  Also, another car park?    What 'chance' has Warrington town centre got?   

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Nothing wrong with "height",  high density dwellings are the way to go, if you don't want urban sprawl into the green belt.  The TC needs re-population asap. However, the PC are right to be concerned about "affordability",  time the Council started to subsidise rents.       :ph34r:

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7 minutes ago, observer said:

Nothing wrong with "height",  high density dwellings are the way to go, if you don't want urban sprawl into the green belt.  The TC needs re-population asap. However, the PC are right to be concerned about "affordability",  time the Council started to subsidise rents.       :ph34r:

The Town Centre needs shops with vitality not a council estate!!!

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Yet again today the main entrance to the (filthy) bus station not working, this is in addition to the sliding doors to various bus bays non-operational, and false information on the computer screens. A fine introduction to our town to visitors indeed.

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Without diverse shops customers stay at home or go where there are better shops. Ask yourself is it easier to shop in the Town Centre than in Alban Retail Park, Birchwood or Gemini? Then do a second check, are all of those easier than Riverside Retail Park? The answers and reasons will show you that the car is king in this Town because the bus services are poor, unreliable and expensive.

They are unreliable because they concentrate on reducing the Maximum Vehicle Requirement almost to the exclusion of anything else. The interworking of many bus routes to get exactly the right run durations for maximum efficiency means that buses criss-cross the town centre on each duty. That in-turn means that a delay on any on the radial routes knocks on to routes where passengers can't see any reason for delay, hence the unreliability. I'm not going into the cost.

 

 

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Unfortunately, this and many other Towns have been developed "for the car";  hence the wealth of "out of Town" sheds and developments away from main (bus) routes, that can only be efficiently accessed by car. So we don't have a traditional or old fashioned hub system, with stratified layers of retail provision, they are basically all over the place. As I've said, the cause is down to a complete lack of political vision and control, with a total surrender by expediency to piecemeal development by successive developers, and the selling out of any idea of a long term comprehensive plan.     :(

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I don't drive a car and, living in Penketh, I find that most of my shopping is best done in Widnes (frequent bus services). If I did drive a car I would drive to Widnes to do my shopping because ta da! no car parking charges. What is Warrington afraid of? If they had free parking there would be too many visitors?

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I've never really understood this free parking argument, we have free parking in Warrington. Golden Square free after 4pm on Thursdays, free all day on Sundays and even when it is not free, the parking charges are very low, £1 an hour, £1.50 for 2 hours, £2.20 for 4 hours, and that is for an undercover car park direct to the shops out of the weather. If that is too much, go to the new attractive multi storey, free for 3 hours, it's no further from the shops than most of the surface car parks in Widnes.

I go to Widnes regularly, just for a change of scenery. It's OK, but nowhere near the range of shops we have in Warrington, apart from M&S.

I've been to Northwich today, free parking but the shopping centre is very strange. A brand new complex called Barons Quay that is 90% empty since it opened a couple of years ago. The older shopping centre and market is like a ghost town with boarded up shops.

How come there is never criticism of real rip-off parking towns, like Bury, Chester, Wigan, Altrincham and our two large cities nearby.

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