O/T Market or Department store

[Christies Child]

Some of you may be aware that the covered market in Lancaster is under threat of enforced closure by Lancaster City Council to make way it is suggested for a Department Store.

No prizes for thinking that it is Debenhams now that the centre re-development has been kicked out!

Sounds like a case of the big money of Debenhams in preference to that of smaller marketeers.

[Splodge]

The council claim they are losing half a million on the site per year according to the Bay - can't say I really blame them in such a case.

[thegentlegiant]

it's a shame for the market stalls that are left ow, due to the economic climate most have been forced to close and this is why the council are losing money! Its a massive blow for local marketeers but will also create jobs so sorta evens its self out! IMO

[Heysham_Shrimp]

Would Debenhams want a store with no huge car parking facility nearby though.

The demise of Lancaster Market would be good news for the Festival Market though.

[Mark S]

If it is costing half a million to keep open, Debenhams would be good news for all of us Council Tax payers!

[marky]

Would Debenhams want a store with no huge car parking facility nearby though.

The demise of Lancaster Market would be good news for the Festival Market though.

Don't see why not! There's a pretty large Debenhams just opened in Newcastle that doesn't have a huge car park nearby. In fact, externally it's on a bus only road

[Nerso (CTFC)]

The nature of the beast (called capitalism) it will consume in the name of competition and how much money you can make, eventually the beast will eat itself, like it nearly did last year with the global economic crisis.

[Mark S]

The nature of the beast (called capitalism) it will consume in the name of competition and how much money you can make, eventually the beast will eat itself, like it nearly did last year with the global economic crisis.

Not so sure about that. For me more to do with the market most people in the Morecambe area dont use costing me money to keep open.

Cost neutral will do me.

[greenshrimp]

If it is loosing half a million a year, I really don't see the council having a choice. By converting to a department store will obviously reverse this ongoing defecit and actually bring money into the council coffers.

It is a shame that the market stall holders will lose out, however I'd hope the council can assist them too, perhaps by providing covered street stalls down the various pedestrian areas of the town (down by the cinema could be ideal). Alternatively or additionally, how about coming up with some incentives for stall holders to open up in the various empty stores around the town to keep the place looking good and helping them out at the same time.

A department store is one thing Lancaster lacks, although it is a shame it is likely to be a Debenhams... something a like a John Lewis or House of Fraser would be far more appealing.

[Posh]

Sadly Lancaster Market has to go. A large chunk of our council tax goes on keeping it afloat. While it was a dreadful deal by Labour under Stan Henig the real blame lies with Tories and council officers who ensured the old market for £1 million when it's replacement cost was £4 million. So when it burnt down we had to get private sector help to get any sort of market.

This decision should have been made a year ago but no had the bottle and getting on for £1 million of our money has gone down the pan.

Greenshrimp's idea is brilliant and a proportion of the money could be used to subsidise rents for empty properties and re-opening a proper market on Church Street.

The problem is that money is still being wasted by the council including over a £1 million on Reebok's old offices; increasing pensions contributions from 19% to 21% of salaries; over £6 million on Luneside East; the likelihood of £4 million lost on Iceland banks not the £1/2 million we're still being told; while all the time slashing services.

In my view we'd be better off getting rid of the City Council altogether and
merging with the County Council (or anyone else). If not it's going to end up as a giant pension hole with a refuse business on the side.

[George Dawes]

get rid, it's to expensive to run and the stalls are crap anyway, the festival market is sufficient enough..

[Curly]

If it is costing half a million to keep open, Debenhams would be good news for all of us Council Tax payers!

You can't honestly believe our yearly bills would go down, could you?

[Stanley Bowles]

Sadly Lancaster Market has to go. A large chunk of our council tax goes on keeping it afloat. While it was a dreadful deal by Labour under Stan Henig the real blame lies with Tories and council officers who ensured the old market for £1 million when it's replacement cost was £4 million. So when it burnt down we had to get private sector help to get any sort of market.

This decision should have been made a year ago but no had the bottle and getting on for £1 million of our money has gone down the pan.

Greenshrimp's idea is brilliant and a proportion of the money could be used to subsidise rents for empty properties and re-opening a proper market on Church Street.

The problem is that money is still being wasted by the council including over a £1 million on Reebok's old offices; increasing pensions contributions from 19% to 21% of salaries; over £6 million on Luneside East; the likelihood of £4 million lost on Iceland banks not the £1/2 million we're still being told; while all the time slashing services.

In my view we'd be better off getting rid of the City Council altogether and
merging with the County Council (or anyone else). If not it's going to end up as a giant pension hole with a refuse business on the side.

HERE HERE OLD BOY ,well said that man

[George Dawes]

If it is costing half a million to keep open, Debenhams would be good news for all of us Council Tax payers!

You can't honestly believe our yearly bills would go down, could you?

i dont but that money could be better spent on other things


ie saving. 500k lancaster market + 500k the dome = 1million a year towards the winter gardens along with some grants could make it possible

[mrpotatohead]

If i was a market trader i would not be too worried, our stagnent council have a long all party habit of not getting anything done any time soon, unless other peoples money is used, people from other planets will one day wonder about the watertight unused winter gardens, the strange empty unused dome, and the rusty crumpet at kingsway, no big store would go to the expence of refurbing the market building, and our councils money is in a white hole called iceland, hang on though, iceland, how about a themepark in the market building, i know, we could call it.....KATONALAND

[Suzi Quatro]

Bring back woolworths.

[P/T Indie]

Anyway like our football teams we all know that Morecambe market is far superior.

That will be a turn up the council actually closing something down in Lancaster it's normally Morecambe that has to take the hit when it comes to closing things down.

[bigreddog]

I just it's a sad reflection of local politics that it takes a massive recession to focus the minds of decision makers to stop pouring public money down the drain. we should be looking at a whole range of measures to make the books more balanced, including looking at all those services that Posh has talked about, not least the money spent subsidising cctv, and the £200k that the council spends billing between its own departments on just one service, which is a joke. Unfortunately we've got a council ( and I include politicians and those serving them at a senior level) with absolutely no imagination whatsoever.

[greenshrimp]

Anyway like our football teams we all know that Morecambe market is far superior.

That will be a turn up the council actually closing something down in Lancaster it's normally Morecambe that has to take the hit when it comes to closing things down.

Probably a much greater demand for a market in Morecambe which has few 'quality' shops in the first instance and also has a greater demographic of those likely to shop at market stalls. I couldn't imagine a large department store wanting to come to Morecambe anytime soon.

In reply to bigreddog, what subsidy does the council make to cctv and is this really a bad thing to help keep our city and town safer?

[Heysham_Shrimp]

Anyway like our football teams we all know that Morecambe market is far superior.

That will be a turn up the council actually closing something down in Lancaster it's normally Morecambe that has to take the hit when it comes to closing things down.

Probably a much greater demand for a market in Morecambe which has few 'quality' shops in the first instance and also has a greater demographic of those likely to shop at market stalls. I couldn't imagine a large department store wanting to come to Morecambe anytime soon.
In reply to bigreddog, what subsidy does the council make to cctv and is this really a bad thing to help keep our city and town safer?

I could have sworn I had seen "Next" open in Morecambe.

[North Stand Shrimp]

I'd love to see a big name department store in the Market.

I think the idea of reduced rates fir market stall holders to use the vacant shops in town is an excellent idea!

[Posh]

In reply to bigreddog, what subsidy does the council make to cctv and is this really a bad thing to help keep our city and town safer?

The issue Bigreddog raises is that the people pushing for CCTV in the city centre are retail businesses. Elsewhere those businesses help underwrite the costs of installing CCTV whereas in Lancaster they don't.

As a City Council they spend an inordinate amount on cleaning, managing and protecting the city centre in comparison to the streets around the district. The question is who is losing out the retailers or the taxpayers when you compare the level of rates to the cost of the services delivered.

[Curly]

If it is costing half a million to keep open, Debenhams would be good news for all of us Council Tax payers!

You can't honestly believe our yearly bills would go down, could you?

i dont but that money could be better spent on other things


ie saving. 500k lancaster market + 500k the dome = 1million a year towards the winter gardens along with some grants could make it possible

Let me get that right....
You want consolidate two loss makers into one giant lossmaker?
Ocean finance have a lot to answer for....

[morecambe mick]

Sadly Lancaster Market has to go. A large chunk of our council tax goes on keeping it afloat. While it was a dreadful deal by Labour under Stan Henig the real blame lies with Tories and council officers who ensured the old market for £1 million when it's replacement cost was £4 million. So when it burnt down we had to get private sector help to get any sort of market.

This decision should have been made a year ago but no had the bottle and getting on for £1 million of our money has gone down the pan.

Greenshrimp's idea is brilliant and a proportion of the money could be used to subsidise rents for empty properties and re-opening a proper market on Church Street.

The problem is that money is still being wasted by the council including over a £1 million on Reebok's old offices; increasing pensions contributions from 19% to 21% of salaries; over £6 million on Luneside East; the likelihood of £4 million lost on Iceland banks not the £1/2 million we're still being told; while all the time slashing services.

In my view we'd be better off getting rid of the City Council altogether and
merging with the County Council (or anyone else). If not it's going to end up as a giant pension hole with a refuse business on the side.

HERE HERE OLD BOY ,well said that man

I wouldn't have thought that a change in governing party would affect the council officers, do they change the people?
Apart from that 100% with Posh too.

[Posh]

Mick raises an interesting point. The closure of pools, markets, toilets, playgrounds, play schemes, festivals, support for arts organisations, venues and whole council departments is being overseen by not one political party or a coalition of a couple but by EVERY political party in the district. In other words not one of them - MBI, Lib Dem,Tory, Labour or Green - has the bottle to resign in protest or present an alternative set of policies to this disaster.

Our council is in crisis and no one has a clue what to do.