Death By Ring Road: Looking for Life Beyond Leeds Street
sevenstreets.substack.com
Vauxhall is 'Pumpfields' these days, apparently, site of multiple failed apartment developments. But this area has an rich, deep local history that deserves respect.
Beautiful as well as heartbreaking. My own barometer of desperation, if that’s a thing, around here is Eldon Grove. “Like a third cathedral” I’ll often say and sometimes write. As yet another last chance developer leaves nothing behind them but a bit less roof for the rain to fall through.
Thanks so much. My mother and father were both born in the area (in 1897 and 1903). Dad's father was an Irish immigrant there. My first job after school (1963) was on Tithebarn Street. When I wasn't at Cavern lunchtime sessions I was exploring those streets. I still take visitors round the area (once upon a time that meant a decent pub crawl) to show them what excrement (sorry, development) has wiped out my history.
Breaching Leeds Street economically was a thing back in the days of the Lib Dems. If they'd remained in I think we would have got there.
There's been no effort to do what's right since, is the only reason it's so awful.
Even within the boundary it's mystery deals and failed ambition.
Go back a decade and you'll find that Pall Mall was being marketed as a plot for two million square feet of office space
Fast forward to today and we've got wasteland to the south with much reduced ambition and no start in sight, and a mysterious split with most of the site now in different ownership and ear marked for residential rather than commercial. Some councillors know all about this. We're not allowed to.
The city's business footprint is a fraction of what it should be and needs to be. Rather than do anything about that, the council just undermined what's left and hemmed it in.
It's a huge area and so you need to have huge ambition. No one is interested in small fry. Co incidentally this position appears to have benefited the property scammers no end ..
Another great piece as always shining a light on the hollow bluster of so many developers. But the question those of us who hate a lot of what masquerades as urban regeneration [but is more truthfully a get-rich-quick scheme by out-of-town snake oil salesmen given the green light by wined and dined council leaders, grown fat on the free dinners and their own hubris] is what would we do and where would the money come from? That is in no way to denigrate the justifiable anger at the way that things are but is to ask for interested parties to offer viable alternatives. It is not enough to be critical, opposition needs to be constructive and creative.
Brilliant as usual. I grew up travelling between my mums in Woodstock Gardens and my nans in Fontenoy Gardens. I know that walk down the Bush like the back of my hand. Since my memories going back to the 70s it's been a weird stretch of land. Always deserted, a few small businesses, garages etc. Arden House was an immense building, totally at odds with anything else in the vicinity. Honestly don't think there was even a paper shop in walking distance from our estate until about 2005 and the student influx.
Beautiful as well as heartbreaking. My own barometer of desperation, if that’s a thing, around here is Eldon Grove. “Like a third cathedral” I’ll often say and sometimes write. As yet another last chance developer leaves nothing behind them but a bit less roof for the rain to fall through.
Thanks so much. My mother and father were both born in the area (in 1897 and 1903). Dad's father was an Irish immigrant there. My first job after school (1963) was on Tithebarn Street. When I wasn't at Cavern lunchtime sessions I was exploring those streets. I still take visitors round the area (once upon a time that meant a decent pub crawl) to show them what excrement (sorry, development) has wiped out my history.
Excellent but heartbreaking article. Read this Joanne, read this…
Breaching Leeds Street economically was a thing back in the days of the Lib Dems. If they'd remained in I think we would have got there.
There's been no effort to do what's right since, is the only reason it's so awful.
Even within the boundary it's mystery deals and failed ambition.
Go back a decade and you'll find that Pall Mall was being marketed as a plot for two million square feet of office space
Fast forward to today and we've got wasteland to the south with much reduced ambition and no start in sight, and a mysterious split with most of the site now in different ownership and ear marked for residential rather than commercial. Some councillors know all about this. We're not allowed to.
The city's business footprint is a fraction of what it should be and needs to be. Rather than do anything about that, the council just undermined what's left and hemmed it in.
It's a huge area and so you need to have huge ambition. No one is interested in small fry. Co incidentally this position appears to have benefited the property scammers no end ..
Another great piece as always shining a light on the hollow bluster of so many developers. But the question those of us who hate a lot of what masquerades as urban regeneration [but is more truthfully a get-rich-quick scheme by out-of-town snake oil salesmen given the green light by wined and dined council leaders, grown fat on the free dinners and their own hubris] is what would we do and where would the money come from? That is in no way to denigrate the justifiable anger at the way that things are but is to ask for interested parties to offer viable alternatives. It is not enough to be critical, opposition needs to be constructive and creative.
Brilliant as usual. I grew up travelling between my mums in Woodstock Gardens and my nans in Fontenoy Gardens. I know that walk down the Bush like the back of my hand. Since my memories going back to the 70s it's been a weird stretch of land. Always deserted, a few small businesses, garages etc. Arden House was an immense building, totally at odds with anything else in the vicinity. Honestly don't think there was even a paper shop in walking distance from our estate until about 2005 and the student influx.
Very good - I feel a bold alternative is required. Repossession perhaps 🤔