A dump of a city??

[Swanjaxs]

Your right about twon centres in general, whatever they look like I do hope the demnad for turksih barbesr, nail shops, charity shops and cheap produce stores (pound stores, B&M, The Range etc....) comes to an end !!

Those shops serve a purpose though, not everyone can afford to shop in Sainsbury's or Tesco, the best haircuts I've ever had is from a barbers in the Uplands and the lads are from Iraq. Also regularly use B&M and the Range, both employ local staff.
It's win win surely, or would you rather empty, borded up outlets?

 

[Swanjaxs]

Thinly veiled “I’m loaded, fuck the peasants”.

Absolutely

 

[Bluenile]

Talking to a friend of mine with a business in Swansea was an eye opener. I won't reveal figures, but if you wanted to take over a shop in the Oxford Street area, the rent and rates paid to the council would make your eyes bleed. Councils think they're being clever raking in the money, while business after business goes to the wall. To have to make masses of money even before you pay staff and other facilities, and hopefully going into any sort of profit, is short-sighted in the extreme.

 

[JackSomething]

Talking to a friend of mine with a business in Swansea was an eye opener. I won't reveal figures, but if you wanted to take over a shop in the Oxford Street area, the rent and rates paid to the council would make your eyes bleed. Councils think they're being clever raking in the money, while business after business goes to the wall. To have to make masses of money even before you pay staff and other facilities, and hopefully going into any sort of profit, is short-sighted in the extreme.

Are you sure your friend wasn't talking out of his arse? Swansea Council sold quite a few units in Oxford Street to Kartay Holdings a few years ago. So they're not even the landlords for a lot of the retail units there and they'd be unlikely to be selling them if they were raking it in.

Also, I'm not an expert, but I believe business rates are worked out to a set formula which either comes from the UK or Welsh government, not set by councils.

 

[Manselton Jack]

Are you sure your friend wasn't talking out of his arse? Swansea Council sold quite a few units in Oxford Street to Kartay Holdings a few years ago. So they're not even the landlords for a lot of the retail units there and they'd be unlikely to be selling them if they were raking it in.

Also, I'm not an expert, but I believe business rates are worked out to a set formula which either comes from the UK or Welsh government, not set by councils.

Business rates are set by the Welsh Assembly, Swansea Council have no control over the charge they just send out the bill & have to collect it on behalf of the Assembly.

 

[BanosSwan]

I still think they should demolish the building with McDonald's etc in it, turn the area in to a park and move the businesses to empty/new units.

 

[jackjackjackjack]

I agree with knocking down buildings to make a park. Too many empty buildings in the centre, not enough grass for people to sit down and chill.

 

[Menston4128]

Those shops serve a purpose though, not everyone can afford to shop in Sainsbury's or Tesco, the best haircuts I've ever had is from a barbers in the Uplands and the lads are from Iraq. Also regularly use B&M and the Range, both employ local staff.
It's win win surely, or would you rather empty, borded up outlets?

I appreciate that the shops I listed serve a purpose and employ local people (which is obvisoulsy not a bad thing) and that was my point, it's depressing that are so many stores that sell cheap tat and employ people on low wages.

Clearly I don't want boarded up outlets, what I do want is a thriving high street with good stong local businesess providing a range of shops, but sadly that ship seems to have sailed with cheap imports and the rise of Amazon et al.

 

[Menston4128]

Absolutely

strange that yourself and @Neath_Jack jump to the conclusion that because I am not of fan of certain shops that I am loaded and don't give a toss about anyone else !!

 

[Swanjaxs]

strange that yourself and @Neath_Jack jump to the conclusion that because I am not of fan of certain shops that I am loaded and don't give a toss about anyone else !!

I always agree with Neathy, best poster on here

 

[Darran]

strange that yourself and @Neath_Jack jump to the conclusion that because I am not of fan of certain shops that I am loaded and don't give a toss about anyone else !!

Ignore the pair of pricks.

 

[Niigata Jack]

Go to the majority of cities with similar population sizes and you'll see similar. I keep banging this drum, but out of town retail parks and online shopping have decimated city centre retail. You suggest to a teenager today that they should go clothes shopping in the city centre and they'd likely think you were a bit weird.

Times have changed and Swansea is at least trying different things to adapt - moving council staff into the city centre, renewing Castle Square, focusing more on hospitality and leisure, etc.

The thing that sticks in my craw is that Cardiff has a decent shopping precinct plenty of decent shops and its flourishing with plenty of people shopping etc.

Because the Senedd have spent a fortune on their city at the detriment of everywhere else which is wrong.

 

[Jack2jack]

The thing that sticks in my craw is that Cardiff has a decent shopping precinct plenty of decent shops and its flourishing with plenty of people shopping etc.

Because the Senedd have spent a fortune on their city at the detriment of everywhere else which is wrong.

The Capitol centre is fecked mind,hardly anything in there now. St David's is looking a bit tired also. Cardiff's ok as it goes better shops than town. Last time we were down by The Millennium centre, it looked a bit shite, that was a while ago mind. Most city centres are struggling, doesnt matter where you go.

 

[Baron Goblet]

Anyone frequent Basingstoke town centre?

Gone to the bottom of the hill.

 

[LeonWasTheDogs]

So Swansea is a dump because you can't get a decent pair of jeans in the city centre! Give over, look what we have all around us. Some need to spend some time in the concrete jungle that is Cardiff. Saying that, you could pick yourself up a pair of Armani jeans for a few hundred sobs in countless stores up the capital. Some need to give thier head a wobble.

The city centre and many surrounding estates aren’t good in fairness. But yeah, we’ve some nice green spaces and some lovely countryside a bit further out. It is what it is. We’re a poor area. One of the poorest areas in Europe, so it’s hardly going to be like Monaco. We have a soul that some nicer looking places lack, so that’s a big plus. People at least give each other the time of day here.