[CapitalistPiglet]

Even the Sun is having a dig. Makes it sound right grotty. No mention of Altair that is just starting to be built.

http://www.thesun.co...in-Britain.html

[R K]

CapitalistPiglet, on 09 September 2010 - 08:47 AM, said:

Even the Sun is having a dig. Makes it sound right grotty. No mention of Altair that is just starting to be built.

http://www.thesun.co...in-Britain.html

The planners should be shot for a kick off.

All the redevelopment around the old station car park at the back of Goose Green is hideous. The 'luxury flats' look like prison blocks, and probably will be. The cinema/gym complex was clearly designed by a blind moron with a grudge.

They've sold off all the decent parking to 'developers'. It's impossible to find a space in the station car park and they're building there soon too.

I don't think it's the recession so much that's killed Altrincham, it's the developers with the collusion of the planners.

The one silver cloud is that I'm certain one of the more high profile of them will be in the bin when the banksters pull the plug on him. Joy.

http://menmedia.co.u...takes_16m_route

Do we know which publically owned banksters threw away £12million of taxpayers money on this guaranteed to go bust 'development'?

Seems I missed all the excitement.

Chowdery was bankrupted in May owing £70m, mostly to banks. In 2008 he was supposedly 'worth' £148m and 562nd in the Times Rich List.



http://www.gamblingo...p?articleID=908

Quote

The self-made millionaire, who is reported to have had assets of £145 million and featured on the Rich List claims, “I didn't bounce a cheque. I stopped the cheque. The casino behaved irresponsibly. They gave me £100,000 worth of chips after I had already lost £60,000 in only an hour using my bank card.

“They said they had checked me out and that they knew I was worth the money. Of course, I took the chips because I was hoping I would recoup my losses.”

HSBC claimed £11m. Nationwide claimed £25m. Rizt casinos claimed for unpaid gambling debts of £160,000.

http://www.nxtbook.c...hp?startid=1#/0

What a twunt.

This post has been edited by Frank Sidebottom: 09 September 2010 - 10:02 AM

[SeeYouNextTuesday]

I hope that's not you on the comments Frank, your spelling is atroshuss

In 6 months I can still probably count the number of times I've been to town shopping on one hand (excluding a couple of trips when I just went to the bank or the solicitors, no shopping). Even Sainsburys is second rate compared to somewhere like Salford

This post has been edited by daiking: 09 September 2010 - 09:38 PM

[monks]

Just read this story sat by the pool in the Canaries... fair play, been saying it for a while - but most of the blame lies with the numpties opening chocolate emporiums, wannabe Blockbuster video stores, and joke cheapo Starbucks copies. Any wonder they have failed?

[needle]

monks, on 10 September 2010 - 08:47 PM, said:

Just read this story sat by the pool in the Canaries... fair play, been saying it for a while - but most of the blame lies with the numpties opening chocolate emporiums, wannabe Blockbuster video stores, and joke cheapo Starbucks copies. Any wonder they have failed?

In fairness they were just small one-man-band operations; housewives with a dream of running their own businesses.

The main street is screwed - you cant park.

[CapitalistPiglet]

I think part of the problem is that Altrincham center just isn't as posh and desirable as it used to be, and can't trade on its reputation anymore. If the small newsagent opposite Iceland really is paying 25K a year in rent, then the landlords should readjust for the new reality, and more clients would move back in. A bit like house prices in general.

The market seems to have many more stalls than it used to. If the rents were slashed, maybe these people would move back into shops and we'd have a proper town again. Heavens knows who is going to move into Altair otherwise.

[R K]

CapitalistPiglet, on 13 September 2010 - 02:47 PM, said:

I think part of the problem is that Altrincham center just isn't as posh and desirable as it used to be, and can't trade on its reputation anymore. If the small newsagent opposite Iceland really is paying 25K a year in rent, then the landlords should readjust for the new reality, and more clients would move back in. A bit like house prices in general.

The market seems to have many more stalls than it used to. If the rents were slashed, maybe these people would move back into shops and we'd have a proper town again. Heavens knows who is going to move into Altair otherwise.

Indeed. But see my post above re landlord going t1ts. How many more paid far too much using other people's money and are now stuck in the cut rents and go bankrupt versus raise rents and bankrupt tenants then go bankrupt cycle.

I know of several local business owners who are trying to and are relocating out of Altrincham to other premises locally, and the landlords or those premises being squeezed and thus squeezing these tenants also. A point comes when the business tenants are working 100% to pay the council and the landlords, then simply stick two fingers up.

It's a shocker - Commercial property has so far to fall it's unthinkable where we'll end up.

This post has been edited by Frank Sidebottom: 15 September 2010 - 04:55 PM

[togger]

Alty also has the two worst nightclubs nightclubs I have ever been to. Women that insist on a full financial statement of affairs before even talking to you (there was one exception later seen sh@gging in the gents loo)

Plus a Thai restaurant so terrible I stopped the banquet after the starter - who then called the police when I refused to pay for the (unserved) rest of it. The Manager argued at the top of his voice in front of the other poor sods eating there after the police agreed with me.

Stopped by same police a few weeks later for clipping a few inches off a mini-roundabout. Given a producer, but cop shop shut even when advertised as open.

[howarden]

From the main page thread about shopping ghost towns...

daiking, on 07 September 2011 - 06:48 PM, said:

Look on the bright side, at least Altrincham town centre is off the bottom this year, unlike the football team...

What do we make of Altrincham's chances of competing with the Trafford Centre attracting out of town shoppers if it gets the Interchange and Altair developments done? Can the town centre be made into a cohesive shopping venue?

https://manchestertr...s-the-go-ahead/
http://menmedia.co.u...am-moves-closer

I can see potential and ideas like the shop on The Downs that used to be Partington Wray furniture that is now a small retail incubator unit could help develop independent retailers to occupy the new shops.

Also, is the spectre of Altair to blame for the area around the corner of Moss Lane looking like this? I'm constantly disappointed to see the beautiful building looking so shabby.

[needle]

howarden, on 09 September 2011 - 12:31 AM, said:

From the main page thread about shopping ghost towns...


What do we make of Altrincham's chances of competing with the Trafford Centre attracting out of town shoppers if it gets the Interchange and Altair developments done? Can the town centre be made into a cohesive shopping venue?

https://manchestertr...s-the-go-ahead/
http://menmedia.co.u...am-moves-closer

Look Altair is on ice for as far back as I can remember.
The spot is used for parking now and should remain as such.

I'm gobsmacked by that interchange link you put up.
It looks like someone just stuck a greenhouse on the front of the station.
Thats the fkn plan? Thats it? WTF will that change?

howarden, on 09 September 2011 - 12:31 AM, said:

I can see potential and ideas like the shop on The Downs that used to be Partington Wray furniture that is now a small retail incubator unit could help develop independent retailers to occupy the new shops.

Why? What are they going to sell?
Does Alty need more coffee or charity shops?
Where will people park?

House prices are too high and so only old people can afford to live in Alty.
Unless youre opening a shop selling beige overcoats or mobility scooters you'll go under.
Let the prices crash, let new blood in and lets get hte town moving again.

howarden, on 09 September 2011 - 12:31 AM, said:

Also, is the spectre of Altair to blame for the area around the corner of Moss Lane looking like this? I'm constantly disappointed to see the beautiful building looking so shabby.

No Altair is not to blame. For that particular row you can blame Tesco.

[Riedquat]

howarden, on 09 September 2011 - 12:31 AM, said:

What do we make of Altrincham's chances of competing with the Trafford Centre attracting out of town shoppers if it gets the Interchange and Altair developments done? Can the town centre be made into a cohesive shopping venue?

Whatever they do to it it'll probably always suffer from the problem that it feels slow to get to the centre of Altrincham.

At the risk of being very anoraky, it's got a decent model railway shop.

[24gray24]

I suspect the usual cause of urban blight in town centres, is town officials waving through developments in exchange for one off kick backs (either to the town, or personally)

Similarly, the usual reason for boarded up shops is a greedy landlord in the background, demanding too much rent.

It looks like your town is all sewn up, between rich landowners and cosy planners. If so, it won't bounce back until the landlords die. Because a man so greedy, he drives all the business away, is never going to change.

[howarden]

needle, on 09 September 2011 - 12:44 PM, said:

...
No Altair is not to blame. For that particular row you can blame Tesco.

What's the story behind the row? The state of the windows and guttering gets ever worse on the top floors. I can imagine water is starting to damage the fabric of the building.

[R K]

howarden, on 09 September 2011 - 12:31 AM, said:

From the main page thread about shopping ghost towns...


What do we make of Altrincham's chances of competing with the Trafford Centre attracting out of town shoppers if it gets the Interchange and Altair developments done? Can the town centre be made into a cohesive shopping venue?

https://manchestertr...s-the-go-ahead/
http://menmedia.co.u...am-moves-closer

I can see potential and ideas like the shop on The Downs that used to be Partington Wray furniture that is now a small retail incubator unit could help develop independent retailers to occupy the new shops.

Also, is the spectre of Altair to blame for the area around the corner of Moss Lane looking like this? I'm constantly disappointed to see the beautiful building looking so shabby.

Pointless 'regeneration' projects like the dreadful flats at the back of Goose Green, the completely hideous thingretail/flat combo along Lloyd st. etc.

Altair is nothing more than a get rich quick scheme for the developers.

What's needed is more quality parking for the station and less execush1t flats/more retail space.

But when developers meet planners the mess that they've turned Alty into the last 5 years is the end result. I feel sure they'll carry on until it looks like any other sh1thole up and down the country.

[Riedquat]

Red Knight, on 09 September 2011 - 04:35 PM, said:

But when developers meet planners the mess that they've turned Alty into the last 5 years is the end result. I feel sure they'll carry on until it looks like any other sh1thole up and down the country.

Were they all descibed as "exciting"?