[Archived] Blackburn Town Centre

[JAL]

Throwing this out to the board, a big issue with me is, why is the town centre of Blackburn under utilised if that is how it can be described.

Does the local council stiffle any entrepreneurs by immediately jumping on them, claimimg exhorbitant rates that only BIG businesses can absorb or is it the lack of clientele that drives costs up.

Is a unitary council damaging to progress, DOES it really have its residents interests at heart - Val hall a unique and successful business driven out.

Do the places that have remained under the Lancashire county council control remain vibrant and lively as opposed to Blackburn.

Would be interested to hear your viewpoint on improving the place.

JAL.

[ABBEY]

i know one lady who is shutting /shut her little stall down due to them putting the rent up.It is also a rip off on car parking charges ,id rather go to trafford centre as theres more choice better food etc

[JAL]

i know one lady who is shutting /shut her little stall down due to them putting the rent up.It is also a rip off on car parking charges ,id rather go to trafford centre as theres more choice better food etc

Putting rents up at a time like this is simply IDIOTIC, do they do it to protect themselves and their over valued salaries or is it to cover up inefficiencies in other areas.

[Ewood Spark]

Shopping centers are a bit like the football teams. Put them in a town that has a large catchment area and they thrive. In the North West .... too many centers are competing for too few people. If a national chain think that the inhabitants of one town are daft enough to travel to another to do their shopping then they will concentrate their efforts on that one town ... this is currently the problem Blackburn has with Preston. I would never dream of spending my money outside Blackburn with Darwen but unfortunately others don't think the same. Oddly enough these are the same type of people who are first to complain about the quality of shops ... when in essence it is their lack of patronage which is the root of the problem. The key is to support your local area ... and treat those who scuttle off to the Trafford Centre and it's likes with the same disdain you would treat those who scurry off to Old Trafford every other week.

It's too easy to blame the council ... the personnel come and go every few years so it cant be that simple (besides during the 80s Preston was awash with crooked councilors and they don't seem to have had many problems) ... more to do with location relative to major transport links to entice the private investment.

Also helps to have a University to kick start the night time economy.

Fingers crossed that the extension to the Mall brings back some of the stay-aways.

[ABBEY]

thats bull.the mall is ok for a quick in and out trip but its awful.people go to the trafford centre because the shops there are bigger and more choice,blackburn doesnt even a starbucks ,nandos and something as simple as lush.even the big outlets like river island or next for example are tiny in blackburn.as for the scrotes and scumbags in the mall thats a different matter.

[jim mk2]

It's all the Asians fault, too many of them, especially Muslims, real ne'er do wells, always causing trouble, never did like them, that Enoch Powell was right all along..... oh and mosques, ruining the town they are......used to be churches you know, where white christian folk went...... all been driven out, not our country any more....it's them Asians, never did like them, smelly a bit funny, know what I mean ?.... I like curries mind, especially vindaloos, keep me regular.... but I don't like Asians... mind you they work hard, look at that Mr Patel at the corner shop, never closes, not that I go in mind, it's because they're Asian you know....this town were so much better when it was white, you know English white, no such thing as a British Asian, that's what my dear old Arthur always said, bless him, been dead 30 years now, he'd been turnin in his grave if he saw the town now, it's all them Asians fault, did I mention that before ?.... I mean I saw in fight in town t'other day and 10 Asians picked on one white man, never t'other way round is it ? I mean I remember when they first arrived, the good ones came first , but they were followed by all the rubbish, and look at it now, they've nearly taken over the place....nah town's gone to the dogs, it's all the Asians fault...I blame Labour, let too many foreigners in, chuffin Gordon Brown this recession is all his fault, and the Asians of course, always vote Tory, that's what my Arthur said, know your place and doff your cap... and that human rights act, it's all to help the Asians, it's not our country any more, not that I'm prejudiced mind, or a racist, definitely not racist me, some of my best friends are Asians, well they would be if I didn't ignore em, this town's finished, no decent shops, all because of the Asians, ... I mean I wouldn't mind if they went to the Rovers but it's not in their culture is it ? bloomin' Asians, never integrate with white people, multi-racial society doesn't work does it ? ... that Enoch was right all along, did I mention that ? it's all the Asians fault if Rovers get relegated, put em all up against a wall and shoot em that's what my Arthur said... now if he saw the town today with all them Asians he'd have had a fit, them Asians are to blame, did I say that before ?....

[Tris]

It's all the Asians fault, too many of them, especially Muslims, real ne'er do wells, always causing trouble, never did like them, that Enoch Powell was right all along..... oh and mosques, ruining the town they are......used to be churches you know, where white christian folk went...... all been driven out, not our country any more....it's them Asians, never did like them, smelly a bit funny, know what I mean ?.... I like curries mind, especially vindaloos, keep me regular.... but I don't like Asians... mind you they work hard, look at that Mr Patel at the corner shop, never closes, not that I go in mind, it's because they're Asian you know....this town were so much better when it was white, you know English white, no such thing as a British Asian, that's what my dear old Arthur always said, bless him, been dead 30 years now, he'd been turnin in his grave if he saw the town now, it's all them Asians fault, did I mention that before ?.... I mean I saw in fight in town t'other day and 10 Asians picked on one white man, never t'other way round is it ? I mean I remember when they first arrived, the good ones came first , but they were followed by all the rubbish, and look at it now, they've nearly taken over the place....nah town's gone to the dogs, it's all the Asians fault...I blame Labour, let too many foreigners in, chuffin Gordon Brown this recession is all his fault, and the Asians of course, always vote Tory, that's what my Arthur said, know your place and doff your cap... and that human rights act, it's all to help the Asians, it's not our country any more, not that I'm prejudiced mind, or a racist, definitely not racist me, some of my best friends are Asians, well they would be if I didn't ignore em, this town's finished, no decent shops, all because of the Asians, ... I mean I wouldn't mind if they went to the Rovers but it's not in their culture is it ? bloomin' Asians, never integrate with white people, multi-racial society doesn't work does it ? ... that Enoch was right all along, did I mention that ? it's all the Asians fault if Rovers get relegated, put em all up against a wall and shoot em that's what my Arthur said... now if he saw the town today with all them Asians he'd have had a fit, them Asians are to blame, did I say that before ?....

Only worth quoting because when jim comes round (or comes down), he'll try and edit it away ...

[colin]

Only worth quoting because when jim comes round (or comes down), he'll try and edit it away ...

Brilliant rant by Jim. I didn't think old people took amphetamine sulphate. Glad to be proved wrong.

Keep it up Jim, we are richer for your contributions

Thanks

Cheers

[thenodrog]

It's all the Asians fault, too many of them, especially Muslims, real ne'er do wells, always causing trouble, never did like them, that Enoch Powell was right all along..... oh and mosques, ruining the town they are......used to be churches you know, where white christian folk went...... all been driven out, not our country any more....it's them Asians, never did like them, smelly a bit funny, know what I mean ?.... I like curries mind, especially vindaloos, keep me regular.... but I don't like Asians... mind you they work hard, look at that Mr Patel at the corner shop, never closes, not that I go in mind, it's because they're Asian you know....this town were so much better when it was white, you know English white, no such thing as a British Asian, that's what my dear old Arthur always said, bless him, been dead 30 years now, he'd been turnin in his grave if he saw the town now, it's all them Asians fault, did I mention that before ?.... I mean I saw in fight in town t'other day and 10 Asians picked on one white man, never t'other way round is it ? I mean I remember when they first arrived, the good ones came first , but they were followed by all the rubbish, and look at it now, they've nearly taken over the place....nah town's gone to the dogs, it's all the Asians fault...I blame Labour, let too many foreigners in, chuffin Gordon Brown this recession is all his fault, and the Asians of course, always vote Tory, that's what my Arthur said, know your place and doff your cap... and that human rights act, it's all to help the Asians, it's not our country any more, not that I'm prejudiced mind, or a racist, definitely not racist me, some of my best friends are Asians, well they would be if I didn't ignore em, this town's finished, no decent shops, all because of the Asians, ... I mean I wouldn't mind if they went to the Rovers but it's not in their culture is it ? bloomin' Asians, never integrate with white people, multi-racial society doesn't work does it ? ... that Enoch was right all along, did I mention that ? it's all the Asians fault if Rovers get relegated, put em all up against a wall and shoot em that's what my Arthur said... now if he saw the town today with all them Asians he'd have had a fit, them Asians are to blame, did I say that before ?....

Unfortunately for Blackburn you are quite correct Jimski. Well done! It doesn't happen all that often so allow me to be the first to congratulate you.

Moving on.......... I rem a conversation with the manager of Debenhams on the day the store opened in the late 70's when they had a big 'do' for the local dignatories and businessmen. I quote the manager's off record comment 'Our (Debenhams) research dept seriously screwed up ....... they would never have opened in Blackburn if they had taken the size of the asian immigrant population into account.' Basically he knew that the immigrant population would not spend the type of money with Debenhams that a town full of indigenous people would. Needless to say other stores did not make the same mistake hence why Blackburn centre has literally gone to the dogs .... and the £ stalls.

No matter what Tris believes unless one wants to buy cheap tatt and run the gauntlet of town centre gangs one has to shop elsewhere. Blackburn is a graveyard for entrepreneurial business FACT ... but no fecker listened then and so I expect no fecker to listen now.

As it says in the good book............. As ye sow ... so shall ye reap.

[Tris]

No matter what Tris believes

Excuse me?

All I've done in this thread is make sure jim's rant didn't vanish when he woke up and read it in the morning. You're going as senile as he is.

[Ewood Spark]

thats bull.the mall is ok for a quick in and out trip but its awful.people go to the trafford centre because the shops there are bigger and more choice,blackburn doesnt even a starbucks ,nandos and something as simple as lush.even the big outlets like river island or next for example are tiny in blackburn.as for the scrotes and scumbags in the mall thats a different matter.

..... and at Old Trafford you can watch players like Christiano Ronaldo strutting their stuff in front of a packed houses brimming with Cheshire buisiness folk ... what have we got at Ewood? Keith bloody Andrews and a half empty stadium populated with a smattering of manual workers. Why would you not be a red?

[JAL]

So we have a too large an Asian problem in too small a town, if 'Black Jack' is dependent on their votes, must he be the sacrificial lamb in all of this for the regeneration of Blackburn to begin.

I'm told independently from a capita employee, that there is a street in Blackburn that is almost full of Asians and that this street is almost on the whole dependent on state benefits.

I can get the street if need be, but why is this the case that Straw and co. allow and support these people in such a small town like Blackburn.

Fully understand everybody having equal opportunities and that race should NOT be a problem, but outside non integrational attitudes are a big problem in Blackburn.

[gillibrand]

I came for a quick visit to Blackburn about four years ago and was surprised at the rundown state it was in, I visited the museum and all the exhibits that I remember as youth had gone, replaced by large pictures of the first Asian to come to Blackburn in the sixties, when I asked the curator why the classic exhibits had been removed I got a mumbled apology about council policy, I will not mention the state of the people that I came across, needless to say my visit only lasted a couple of hours!

[leftfooter]

It's all the Asians fault, too many of them, especially Muslims, real ne'er do wells, always causing trouble, never did like them, that Enoch Powell was right all along..... oh and mosques, ruining the town they are......used to be churches you know, where white christian folk went...... all been driven out, not our country any more....it's them Asians, never did like them, smelly a bit funny, know what I mean ?.... I like curries mind, especially vindaloos, keep me regular.... but I don't like Asians... mind you they work hard, look at that Mr Patel at the corner shop, never closes, not that I go in mind, it's because they're Asian you know....this town were so much better when it was white, you know English white, no such thing as a British Asian, that's what my dear old Arthur always said, bless him, been dead 30 years now, he'd been turnin in his grave if he saw the town now, it's all them Asians fault, did I mention that before ?.... I mean I saw in fight in town t'other day and 10 Asians picked on one white man, never t'other way round is it ? I mean I remember when they first arrived, the good ones came first , but they were followed by all the rubbish, and look at it now, they've nearly taken over the place....nah town's gone to the dogs, it's all the Asians fault...I blame Labour, let too many foreigners in, chuffin Gordon Brown this recession is all his fault, and the Asians of course, always vote Tory, that's what my Arthur said, know your place and doff your cap... and that human rights act, it's all to help the Asians, it's not our country any more, not that I'm prejudiced mind, or a racist, definitely not racist me, some of my best friends are Asians, well they would be if I didn't ignore em, this town's finished, no decent shops, all because of the Asians, ... I mean I wouldn't mind if they went to the Rovers but it's not in their culture is it ? bloomin' Asians, never integrate with white people, multi-racial society doesn't work does it ? ... that Enoch was right all along, did I mention that ? it's all the Asians fault if Rovers get relegated, put em all up against a wall and shoot em that's what my Arthur said... now if he saw the town today with all them Asians he'd have had a fit, them Asians are to blame, did I say that before ?....

All typed with one finger, whilst simultaneously rolling banana skins up with his bare feet.

Roll him another one, spark it up, then stand back and watch him go....

[gillibrand]

Why is the name Enoch used so much on here?

[thenodrog]

Excuse me?

All I've done in this thread is make sure jim's rant didn't vanish when he woke up and read it in the morning. You're going as senile as he is.

Sorry Tris I meant Neil. Just put it down to the influences of Kronenberg

[thenodrog]

So we have a too large an Asian problem in too small a town, if 'Black Jack' is dependent on their votes, must he be the sacrificial lamb in all of this for the regeneration of Blackburn to begin.

I'm told independently from a capita employee, that there is a street in Blackburn that is almost full of Asians and that this street is almost on the whole dependent on state benefits.

I can get the street if need be, but why is this the case that Straw and co. allow and support these people in such a small town like Blackburn.

Fully understand everybody having equal opportunities and that race should NOT be a problem, but outside non integrational attitudes are a big problem in Blackburn.

Jack cannot do anything. He's over a barrell and it's his own making. Asked to comment on the front page issue on the front page of the LT yesterday he simply issued a curt 'No comment'. He knows that he'll soon be on his civil service pension and outta here in a year or two and leaving us up to our necks in the mire of his and Barbara's making, so keeping his nose clean until then will be his only local ambition.

[Ozz]

To be fair, of all the bigger Lancashire towns, Blackburn has always, in my memory at least, been the cruddiest of town centres. I don't think it is a new thing. But it has been left behind by Preston , Bolton and Wigan over the last twenty years.

[gillibrand]

What was on the front page of the LT yesterday?

[leftfooter]

Why is the name Enoch used so much on here?

It's a bit like Godwin's law, which posits that any cyber argument must end with a Nazi analogy.

Think about it in terms of the critical mass theory according to the laws of physics. As the discussion thread progresses (or regresses usually), and the end game approaches, the debate will reach an irreducible minimum. The probability of a Hitler or Nazi comparison reaches a critical mass.

It's generally held that whoever falls back on the Hitler/Nazi analogy has lost the argument.

Hence Commissar Jimski's constant knee-jerk reference to 'Enoch' with whomsoever he happens to be in disagreement (that's virtually everybody to be fair) or the physical constant of 'Daily Mail' or 'Dailymailesque' denunciations, (the debating equivalent of a security blanket).

The resulting chain reaction usually precedes the closing of the thread and banning of contributors.

[philipl]

Well now I can post this in its proper place I will do so:

Having spent little time in the north west in the past seven years and now being here on and off near Blackpool since mid February caring for my mother (I am lucky- work is mostly where an internet connection is these days) my over riding impression has been very positive:

- everywhere looks much more affluent and vastly tidier than it did in 2002

- I had expected Blackburn to be a total dump visually. In fact most of the new buildings since 2002 are architecturally of much higher quality than the stuff built between the 60s and 90s and the town looks a lot better than I had expected or remembered

- The train service is vastly improved

- I have been very impressed by the health and caring services. Blackpool Victoria is the third largest general hospital in the UK but it is spotlessly clean and seems to work ok. Staff morale seems to be fine and the standard of care my mother received 24 hours a day was very good. The interface to the voluntary sector (hospice and McMillan Nurses and Marie Curie Nurses), to the Social Services and to the NHS in the Community (District Nurses and GP) has been pretty seemless.

- I wandered round Blackburn town centre on my own on two Friday nights. The atmosphere seemed relaxed with no under lying feeling of threat whatsoever.

Mum is having a rough time with the chemo but the home support has been exemplary. She is a tough lady and looking after her is not the most straightforward of tasks (getting her to say what is wrong with her before she is really suffering needs great skill!).

[Guest Vinjay606]

Well the mall is being improved with a big extension under construction. That's a sign of improvement and plans for the biggest youth centre in the region as well.

[Grabbi Graeme]

When the extension of the Mall is complete, how many shop units are going to be left empty, what retail companies are going to fill them, come to think of it how many comapanies will still be in business by the time the Mall is finished.

[jim mk2]

Well now I can post this in its proper place I will do so:

Having spent little time in the north west in the past seven years and now being here on and off near Blackpool since mid February caring for my mother (I am lucky- work is mostly where an internet connection is these days) my over riding impression has been very positive:

- everywhere looks much more affluent and vastly tidier than it did in 2002

- I had expected Blackburn to be a total dump visually. In fact most of the new buildings since 2002 are architecturally of much higher quality than the stuff built between the 60s and 90s and the town looks a lot better than I had expected or remembered

- The train service is vastly improved

- I have been very impressed by the health and caring services. Blackpool Victoria is the third largest general hospital in the UK but it is spotlessly clean and seems to work ok. Staff morale seems to be fine and the standard of care my mother received 24 hours a day was very good. The interface to the voluntary sector (hospice and McMillan Nurses and Marie Curie Nurses), to the Social Services and to the NHS in the Community (District Nurses and GP) has been pretty seemless.

- I wandered round Blackburn town centre on my own on two Friday nights. The atmosphere seemed relaxed with no under lying feeling of threat whatsoever.

Mum is having a rough time with the chemo but the home support has been exemplary. She is a tough lady and looking after her is not the most straightforward of tasks (getting her to say what is wrong with her before she is really suffering needs great skill!).

And I can reply in the proper place too.

Good to hear and corroborates what people have said to me on their visits to the area after time away.

The Daily Mail miserablists won't agree but Labour's 12 years in power has seen money well spent on better public services which has led to increased wealth and a better quality of life all round. Blackburn is certainly a better place than when the Tories were kicked out in 1997.

The Tory years of 1979-1997 were characterised by private affluence and public squalor. Those contemplating a return to those dark days by voting for Cameron next year have been warned.

[broadsword]

The Tory years of 1979-1997 were characterised by private affluence and public squalor. Those contemplating a return to those dark days by voting for Cameron next year have been warned.

it doesn't matter who gets in.

Get ready for a slash and burn of public spending, there's no more money left.