Swindon Town Centre

[horlock07]

How much were they losing when it was open!

I assume its a Morrisons 'Local' and if less to do with losses of the stores and more so it was a national fuck up on Morrisons part, they were late to the trend (Tesco Express, Sainsburys Local etc) took long leases in high value locations all over the country and after a couple of years strategically decided that they didn't want to be in the sector of the convenience market and shut them all, similarly they are still paying a fortune for probably the prime unit in the centre of Lancaster.

[RobertT]

I assume its a Morrisons 'Local' and if less to do with losses of the stores and more so it was a national fuck up on Morrisons part, they were late to the trend (Tesco Express, Sainsburys Local etc) took long leases in high value locations all over the country and after a couple of years strategically decided that they didn't want to be in the sector of the convenience market and shut them all, similarly they are still paying a fortune for probably the prime unit in the centre of Lancaster.

It was a full sized one.  I think the issue was the fact you had to pay for parking then get it refunded if you shopped in there and the access to the car park wasn't exactly inviting (isn't, it is still there of course).

[jayohaitchenn]

It was a full sized one.  I think the issue was the fact you had to pay for parking then get it refunded if you shopped in there and the access to the car park wasn't exactly inviting (isn't, it is still there of course).

Yep literally ever other supermarket in Swindon has a free car park. Mind you, there aren't any major supermarkets left in the town centre now.

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

It was a full sized one.  I think the issue was the fact you had to pay for parking then get it refunded if you shopped in there and the access to the car park wasn't exactly inviting (isn't, it is still there of course).

The parking thing is an issue in general with Town Centre. Say I need to get something from Boots, why go pay for parking with a walk in Town Centre and dodge my way around two crackheads, when I can just go to Greenbridge and park right outside?

Retail parks have made a lot of Town Centre shops obsolete in many towns.  

[Laddy in Red]

I assume out of town shopping was/is a strategic decision by the council, who therefore have to shoulder the blame for the state of the town centre. Same shitty administration getting in despite managing an impressive levelling down agenda.

[Batch]

I assume out of town shopping was/is a strategic decision

Still ongoing in some places too - google "15 minute city" (Oxford, Bristol, Canterbury and Sheffield  are trying to head that way)

[Wobbly Bob]

Way too small to attract anyone of note. 600 capacity vs somewhere between 3k and 7k. They'd be in a totally different market.

Its not uncommon to have two rooms even in the same venue with different capacities for different markets. A lot of the o2 academies have two rooms for different capacities, even the o2 arena has the Indigo inside the same venue.

MECA has up to an 1800 capacity standing, that's including 300 in the balcony area.
That's big enough to attract some "name" bands, but it seems like only an occasional music venue.
Was hoping for a lot more by way of live music when it first opened but not to be.

Then again the Sausage and Cider Festival next month looks interesting and could yet prove to be a better option than Carlisle at the CG.

[horlock07]

I assume out of town shopping was/is a strategic decision by the council, who therefore have to shoulder the blame for the state of the town centre. Same shitty administration getting in despite managing an impressive levelling down agenda.

Not sure whether it was any sort of strategic decision, just a muddle that planning (which failed to consider the long term) got into in the late 70's and 80's with Swindon being one of the first places to really embrace it, I suspect as much as anything as it coincided with the town growing at a frantic rate, possibly without the benefit of a strategic master plan.

As for shouldering the blame, it can't all be laid at the door of the Council, they might have allowed out of town shopping, but its not compulsory for people to actually use it at the obvious detriment to the town centre. See also, and I'll say it again, pubs and rural post offices.

Still ongoing in some places too - google "15 minute city" (Oxford, Bristol, Canterbury and Sheffield  are trying to head that way)

They really aren't what their detractors are desperately trying to portray them to be,  they have just been grasped as another battle front on the incessant and tedious culture war that some politicians and commentators are peculiarly so keen to perpetuate.

https://www.newstatesman.com/quickfire/2023/02/fifteen-minute-cities-will-be-back-conspiracy-theories-house-commons

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

MECA has up to an 1800 capacity standing, that's including 300 in the balcony area.
That's big enough to attract some "name" bands, but it seems like only an occasional music venue.
Was hoping for a lot more by way of live music when it first opened but not to be.

Then again the Sausage and Cider Festival next month looks interesting and could yet prove to be a better option than Carlisle at the CG.

I was looking at the wrong capacity then. Would still have much better potential. But yeah, Meca is a complete let down and should get a lot more if they can get 1,800 in there.

On the other hand Marlborough have somehow managed to get one of my favourite bands DMA's to play their town hall in May, in amongst their tour including Wembley Arena.

Beggars belief.