Lerwick town centre

[shetlander]

No disputing it’d be probably be a good location for the college and good for the town centre.

 

But like everything else it’d come down to money - or a lack thereof just now. No point in having a big consultation and have the council/college being accused of not listening if a lack of finance is going to put the brakes on the idea anyway.

[rolly2]

No I don't wish to see Scalloway lose any amenities but correct me if I'm wrong is there not a plan to try & link both colleges together?  If this does happen I see no reason as to why Scalloway would be lost.

 

Nobody is expecting a complete new build for a college just a simple reshuffle to be investigated further,  look how fast they emptied the White House spread across various unhandy places.  I'm not saying that the White House should be a college building but at least the area could occupy some of the services established at Gremista.

 

As for the money side of it the last Council who supported the new extension need not look in the mirror for sympathy as they were all warned before hand to put it on hold.  Not saying the building isn't useful but it was far too over budget and well done to the contractors who succeeded in getting a good pay out.

 

If indeed the old Anderson High School site is kept for education use then I'd hope to see something worthwhile like the college be on the TO DO list.  It is quite important first of all to make sure the three listed buildings are kept wind and water tight before they deteriorate further.

Edited November 11, 2018 by rolly2

[suuusssiiieee]

Rolly2 you i have to say  you have a unique quality rarely found at executive level on this rock, namely that you are stating something actually sensible. 

 

You must run for convener at the earliest opportunity.

 

The HNP site now has Lerwick's answer to the Berlin wall protecting it, did this ever get planning consent? Its a bloody eyesore, dangerous as young people jump on it either half cut, showing off or just for devilment.

[Lerwick antiques]

HMP should have been left alone where they were.

[George.]

HMP should have been left alone where they were.

Agreed. Don't think I'd ever live in a house rented out by SLAP.

[Lerwick antiques]

I see there is a half page article in today's Shetland Times about the SIC plans to ban all cars from da street including blue badge holders. This is apparently going to happen next year. Will this be the final nail in the coffin for Commercial street?

[BigMouth]

No, it will improve the environment for the shoppers. It can't happen soon enough.

[Lerwick antiques]

Do you honestly think it will attract more shoppers to da street?

 

I have a awful feeling it will be the end for da street. It's bad enough at the moment with folk not going to da street due to lack of parking and folk not wanting or not able to walk from their car to da street.

 

It looks like it will have a bad effect on the post office as folk wants to stop out side the RBS to post parcels, they will just go to Freefield post office instade.

 

Is it legal to ban blue badge holders? somehow I don't think it is.

[BigMouth]

Yes. Ban vehicles and pedestrians will feel safer, will visit the street more, will be more relaxed in a better environment, and will spend more. Wherever retail streets are pedestrianised in the UK the outcome is always the same, more money in the tills. The shopkeepers always moan before though, and hold their hands out for compensation.

[Claadehol]

I think they should still allow the disabled access by car. Anyone else who doesn't feel able to

walk from the car park, should have a long hard look at their life style.

The car parks aint far away!

[Lerwick antiques]

I totally agree with you brochbuilder. But we now live in a world where folk won't walk to a shop unless they can get parked near as possible. What tends to happen is folk drives around trying to find somewhere to park their car close by, if they can't find somewhere to park then they go else were.

[Ghostrider]

Which came first, the lack of folk frequenting the street, or the increase in cars on the street?

 

In the 70's few cars drove on the street, especially between the Cross and Clydesdale, arguably because it was a dead slow and stop exercise due to the volume of folk there, most of whom were in no hurry whatsoever to 'give way' to wheels over legs.The Clydesdale to the Fort bit saw a steady flow of traffic, given that it fed the carpark under the Fort, and was half of 'the loop' folk driving around aimlessly back then did. Despite that, it never seemed to discourage people from using that bit of the street, okay, its wider there so less nusiance factor, but still that also encouraged some drivers to hit the floor once they'd cleared the narrows at the Clydesdale as much as anything else.

 

Seems to me that the decline in people coming to the street has led to more cars driving on it, as its easy for them to do now with so few folk on it to hit. I'd be delighted to be proven wrong, but I don't see banning traffic is going to encourage any appreciable numbers of folk on feet to return to it, certainly no more than will stop going there because they can't leave their wheels in front of the BoS for two mins while they nip in to Conochie's for their paper etc, any more.

Edited November 24, 2018 by Ghostrider

[George.]

Ninety-nine percent of shops across the U.K. will happily take orders online, promptly send the purchase to the given address while smiling all the way because the money continues to come in. I wonder how many shops on Commercial Street do the same? I wonder how many across the whole of Shetland do that? Delivering by post or courier after the order is made on the net kinda kills the need for Commercial Street, and it encourages the drivers to go nowhere near CS. After all, we don't want to run down too many pedestrians.

 

No time to chat now, got to order a Shetland lamb and a Fair Isle jumper on Amazon.

Edited November 24, 2018 by George.

[mikeyboy]

I totally agree with you brochbuilder. But we now live in a world where folk won't walk to a shop unless they can get parked near as possible. What tends to happen is folk drives around trying to find somewhere to park their car close by, if they can't find somewhere to park then they go else were.

 

Or just park in one many free parking spaces near the street.

[mikeyboy]

I see there is a half page article in today's Shetland Times about the SIC plans to ban all cars from da street including blue badge holders. This is apparently going to happen next year. Will this be the final nail in the coffin for Commercial street?

 

Is this not just the public consultation? Sorry I don't have access to this weeks paper so can't check.