thebees Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Oh dear, it dosen't look finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triskelion Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 finished ages ago at 5 times the cost I didn't realise that they'd finished it. I saw the barriers everywhere and thought they were still working on it. Is the whole of North Quay now open again? I've avoided the area for ages. He was being sarcastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Well....we can pretend, can't we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mij Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Phew - glad I haven't upset anyone! One thing about the Villa colonnade - at least there I remember the original announcement saying it would take until mid 2008. I suspect there may have been a lot of shoring up to do first. I saw it over Christmas and I think the end product will look really good. Same for the north quay. I had a walk along there too and the top end looks brilliant and really brings out well the character of the buildings along it. Hopefully it will get filled with good outlets which encourage a regular foot traffic - couple of cafes, interesting shops etc. (hopefully the floor won't get covered in unmoveable chewing gum). But there has to be a demand for that sort of activity. I think a vast improvement could be made to Strand Street relatively simply, with a scheme to support the cleaning up, and sprucing up of shop fronts and a re-laid flooring. The advantage of Strand Street is that it is a higgledy piggedly assortment of buildings of different shapes and sizes - that is incresingly rare in High streets these days and could be enhanced easily. Thanks for the info about the capital commitments being overstretched. Yes the Iris scheme is huge, and I recall the issues over the electricity board's problems. Hopefully this summer the island will be looking brighter and better than ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Git Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 He was being sarcastic. Ah! I haven't been there for about 5 months so I thought they might have finally finished it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 The colonade does look good, but it's daft the way it 'snakes' rather than just a straight run. No clue why you need such a big taxi rank, would have been far better to leave that space in the gardens. It was originally meant for bus stops - but the bus drivers complained that it wasn't safe to pull out from! The taxi rank was moved there from the Sefton so that the bus drivers could pretend they were using it while they were/are actually stopping in the road and blocking at least one traffic lane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ai_Droid Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 One thing about the Villa colonnade - at least there I remember the original announcement saying it would take until mid 2008. I suspect there may have been a lot of shoring up to do first. I saw it over Christmas and I think the end product will look really good. Same for the north quay. I had a walk along there too and the top end looks brilliant and really brings out well the character of the buildings along it. Hopefully it will get filled with good outlets which encourage a regular foot traffic - couple of cafes, interesting shops etc. (hopefully the floor won't get covered in unmoveable chewing gum). But there has to be a demand for that sort of activity. The colonade does look good, but it's daft the way it 'snakes' rather than just a straight run. No clue why you need such a big taxi rank, would have been far better to leave that space in the gardens. I think a vast improvement could be made to Strand Street relatively simply, with a scheme to support the cleaning up, and sprucing up of shop fronts and a re-laid flooring. The advantage of Strand Street is that it is a higgledy piggedly assortment of buildings of different shapes and sizes - that is incresingly rare in High streets these days and could be enhanced easily. Don't really notice. If you look up in strand street it looks pretty bad, but at eye level all the shop fronts look the same, and all are in pretty good nick. Quite a few of those buildings are new now, strand centre, next, river island and the shop next door that I cant remember the name of, TJ Max, burton, M&S, etc, all pretty new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharp Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Its worth taking a good look at the Picaddilly Apartments, only a couple of years old and its in a mess, rust showing through the plaster, balcony ceilings down, downspouts missing and more. Is that the standard being set now in the building trade, or is it these edvelopers know that locals will buy any old crap built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieK Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 With the possible exception of Ramsey, most of the settlements on the Island have, to a large extent become communter villages for Douglas. There is very little to draw people to Port St Mary, and its geography does not easily lend itself to the construction of new facilities. I don't know, I've always felt that were I to settle back on the Island for good, then Port St. Mary would probably be fairly high in my list of possible locations. I'm not sure if that's just because it looks so much more appealing stood next to Port Erin, it's minging sibling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderstruck Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I used to think the same about the speed of jobs etc, but have now come to the thinking, slow work = no dole "steady work", at an inflated price though lol same contractors all the time too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I used to think the same about the speed of jobs etc, but have now come to the thinking, slow work = no dole "steady work", at an inflated price though lol same contractors all the time too! That is a very good observation, and applies to a lot of government funded operations which may seem overstaffed from the outside! The alternative is mass unemployment and the social problems that brings. Maybe our government isn't so daft after all? (well in this instance). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moghrey Mie Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 OK I realise this is a bit of a cheek given that I don't live on the island, so I quite understand if you want to tell me where to stick my 'moan'. But here goes: I've been coming back and fore to the Isle of Man for over 11 years, and I love the place and people and always champion it when back at home. One of the things that has been so exciting has been the investment being made in the island - the restoration of the Gaiety and the Villa Marina - the fabulous museums and, yes, the gentrification of the Victorian residential areas. Every time I visit I do my own little tour to see what has changed, what has developed etc. We've just spent a lovely Christmas on the island. It was actually the first visit for me to have visited since Easter, but what perplexed me was this time how slowly things seem to have been going in terms of plans and developments. Castletown is still a building site at Callow's Yard; Summerland is still a vacant plot; the bus station area in Douglas is still bleak; the pedestrianisation of the north harbour (looks great where it has been finished) is still happening and seems to be taking an age. It is in quite a contrast to towns and cities in the UK where it feels like the pace of development has been at breakneck speed despite much slower growth than the island. I never made it to the north of the island this time but I appreciate that the economic boom has been largely confined to the south. What is worse is that, despite what I keeping reading about the pace of economic growth of the island and how it is wealthier than many parts of the UK - I just didn't sense this. Chunks of its towns still look reminiscent of the worst areas of economic deprivation in the UK - Strand Street is still pretty shabby, Some of the delapidated shop fronts in Port Erin looked more like Merthyr Tydfil (one of the poorest parts of the UK), and there seems to be a complete absence of the 'cafe culture' that now dominates most town centres in the UK and has played a big role in revitalising them. Is it me or is the pace of change and development really now at crawling pace. If so, is this an issue on the island or not? Anyway, like I said, sorry if this comes across as offensive - I love the island whatever. Quite agree. I suggest every Local Authority organises an annual meeting to explain to their ratepayers what is going on locally followed by a walk round the town/village. Locals can then point out eyesores and ask a few questions. They can also praise the authority for what they have achieved in the previous year. It would make more sense than having a Civic Ceremony and praying for god's guidance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 It was originally meant for bus stops - but the bus drivers complained that it wasn't safe to pull out from! The taxi rank was moved there from the Sefton so that the bus drivers could pretend they were using it while they were/are actually stopping in the road and blocking at least one traffic lane. As opposed to the Taxi Drivers who stop in the road and que for a fare outside Barclays again blocking the road. I am quite tempted as a consequence to park in taxi ranks and if anybody complains I will politely point out that when the Taxi's stop blocking the road when they que up I will go back to my normal courteous self and stop using the taxi ranks to park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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