Victoria Quarter up for sale.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Wed 12 Sep, 2012 8:32 pm

I have my toughest armour on as I expect to be pulverised or expelled or deported or summat for saying this - but I for one hope that the infernal Eastgate Quarter never sees the light of day !!Its over ambitious plans will mean the removal of yet another huge area of our heritage, and more and more "all the same" shops - possibly many empty from Day One as things are at present.Just look at the ghastly and ghostly "CORE" for a shining example - and to think they destroyed that beautiful and relatively new Headrow Centre to build it - the interesting and tasteful brass and green decor in there was a pleasure to shop and eat in.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Wed 12 Sep, 2012 9:24 pm

BLAKEY wrote: I have my toughest armour on asI expect to be pulverised or expelled or deported or summat for saying this - but I for one hope that the infernal Eastgate Quarter never sees the light of day !!Its over ambitious plans will mean the removal of yet another huge area of our heritage, and more and more "all the same" shops - possibly many empty from Day One as things are at present.Just look at the ghastly and ghostly "CORE" for a shining example - and to think they destroyed that beautiful and relatively new Headrow Centre to build it - the interesting and tasteful brass and green decor in there was a pleasure to shop and eat in. Well said. Not wanted, not needed - if John Lewis really do want to come to town there is ample room to accommodate them without moving half the shops out past Eastgate and decimating the rest of the city centre.

simong · Post by **simong** » Wed 12 Sep, 2012 10:56 pm

raveydavey wrote: Well said. Not wanted, not needed - if John Lewis really do want to come to town there is ample room to accommodate them without moving half the shops out past Eastgate and decimating the rest of the city centre. Certainly not needed, but it's probably the only way that John Lewis would come here, as a flagship store for a shopping centre, and Leeds city centre is a major shopping destination *spit* as we're going to buy our way out of this recession. This is what passes for economics these days.

anthonydna · Post by **anthonydna** » Thu 13 Sep, 2012 12:04 am

Yeah John Lewis and thousands of jobs, what they thinking? A Pork Butchers thats what we need. Were going to miss the heritage of empty shops and temporary car parks. Pure folly.

simong · Post by **simong** » Thu 13 Sep, 2012 3:50 pm

anthonydna wrote: Yeah John Lewis and thousands of jobs, what they thinking? A Pork Butchers thats what we need. Were going to miss the heritage of empty shops and temporary car parks. Pure folly. Here's the thing though: do you want to work in a shop? It will do wonders for the retail sector in Leeds and create thousands of jobs but most of those jobs will be near minimum wage and generally for under 25s. Leeds becomes more of a shopping destination, which will be great for the economy in general but will directly benefit very few people, but this is still what our elected leaders, not just here, but across the country, believe is the answer for our economic problems.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Thu 13 Sep, 2012 8:16 pm

What John Lewis really need, if they are serious, is to rock up right slap bang in the middle of town.As has been mentioned on here previously, with the exception of a handful of units facing out onto Lands Lane / The Headrow, The Core (ex Schofields Centre) is empty - why son't they just take over the entire site and make that their flagship store?That way, they won't drag loads of other stores out of the existing city centre (attracted by cheap rents for the first couple of years), they won't cause the closure of Eastgate - a historic and fine looking street (with the added benfit of causing gridlock to that end of the city) and they would be at the heart of a bustling and rejuvenated city centre.Who knows? Little China Town might even recover and the council will have somewhere to put those gates!Or alternatively they could press on with the existing plans, rip the heart out of the city centre, bring years of traffic chaos and sell stuff to people who've driven straight into their shiny new car park off the Inner Ring Road and will vanish back exactly the same way again.

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Thu 13 Sep, 2012 9:18 pm

raveydavey wrote: What John Lewis really need, if they are serious, is to rock up right slap bang in the middle of town.As has been mentioned on here previously, with the exception of a handful of units facing out onto Lands Lane / The Headrow, The Core (ex Schofields Centre) is empty - why son't they just take over the entire site and make that their flagship store?That way, they won't drag loads of other stores out of the existing city centre (attracted by cheap rents for the first couple of years), they won't cause the closure of Eastgate - a historic and fine looking street (with the added benfit of causing gridlock to that end of the city) and they would be at the heart of a bustling and rejuvenated city centre.Who knows? Little China Town might even recover and the council will have somewhere to put those gates!Or alternatively they could press on with the existing plans, rip the heart out of the city centre, bring years of traffic chaos and sell stuff to people who've driven straight into their shiny new car park off the Inner Ring Road and will vanish back exactly the same way again. Well said ravey......i'm totally against the whole new "consumerism" answers to just how we expect our city/country to recover.Very short sighted and aimed at the "select few"....I despair what our city godfathers are trying to do with the city centre.Far from making changes for the better,they seem more intent in blasting away the past that made this city great.Short term measures.....lasting influence however.Time will judge these people.

Tasa · Post by **Tasa** » Thu 13 Sep, 2012 9:29 pm

raveydavey, I'd agree with John Lewis taking over the Core site, which is currently like another hole in the city centre without being as obvious as the new shopping centre (can't remember its name) building site.anthonydna, it's funny that you say we need a pork butcher, as yesterday a friend asked me where he could get a good pork pie in Leeds centre, and I was shocked that I couldn't think of anywhere - The Little Yorkshire Pie Shop in Butcher's Row in the Market has closed down so I ended up recommending a trip to Weegman's in Otley, Wilson's in Crossgates or, if he was in time before they sold out, a Wilson's pork pie from Brill in Great George Street.To avoid taking over this thread with pie chat, here are some previous pie threads on Secret Leeds, but I mention anthonydna's comment as a good example of Leeds centre lacking some good independent shops selling the basics.http://www.secretleeds.co.uk/forum/Mess ... ighLight=1

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Thu 13 Sep, 2012 9:40 pm

Tasa wrote: raveydavey, I'd agree with John Lewis taking over the Core site, which is currently like another hole in the city centre without being as obvious as the new shopping centre (can't remember its name) building site.anthonydna, it's funny that you say we need a pork butcher, as yesterday a friend asked me where he could get a good pork pie in Leeds centre, and I was shocked that I couldn't think of anywhere - The Little Yorkshire Pie Shop in Butcher's Row in the Market has closed down so I ended up recommending a trip to Weegman's in Otley, Wilson's in Crossgates or, if he was in time before they sold out, a Wilson's pork pie from Brill in Great George Street.To avoid taking over this thread with pie chat, here are some previous pie threads on Secret Leeds, but I mention anthonydna's comment as a good example of Leeds centre lacking some good independent shops selling the basics.http://www.secretleeds.co.uk/forum/Mess ... ighLight=1 And completing the circle, there was a very good pork butchers (Addymans?) in VQ when it first opened (and plain old Grand Arcade before that)...

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Thu 13 Sep, 2012 10:27 pm

The pokey Core is a a waste of space an no retailer would want that as a flag ship. Also there's limited parking round there. The new development offers over 2000 parking spaces which is why people will go there.Apart from the bookends I find Eastgate dispiriting an uninspiring. I wouldn't miss it it if it was bulldozed. There was no demand for it when it was originally planned and was completed in dribs and drabs. Templar House is the only building of merit and a couple of others of interest. I include the lyons factory in that. The rest is temporary car park. I've no interest in another retail opportunity and do have concerns that it will damage the city centre. I'd far rather a mix of housing, offices, small workshops and the retail and entertainment that goes with it.However the Council can get more business rates out of a large retail development than a hotchpotch of properties.