[Archived] The Mall Extention

[Seggie]

  On 21/11/2010 at 10:54, thenodrog said:

SAS if you are simply going shopping then try the park and ride from Walton le Dale. It's a superb service and if you do that you'll never drive into Preston again..... nor Blackburn for that matter!

Superb and cheap. I used it all the time when I was driving into Preston daily for Uni before I moved here.

[jim mk2]

  On 21/11/2010 at 18:36, thenodrog said:

Very poor Jim. Unfortunately silly immature comments don't pay any bills.

How's that for a non-sequitur !

[SAS]

  On 21/11/2010 at 18:45, Seggie said:

Superb and cheap. I used it all the time when I was driving into Preston daily for Uni before I moved here.

I don't want to be reliant on a park and ride. It would just be easier for me to get a bus.

Having the luxury of a car, I prefer to park very close to wherever I am shopping.

I now park in the new section of the mall car park.

I have tried the councils new car park but that is expensive and tricky to use as it is all electronically secure.

[Ewood Spark]

  On 21/11/2010 at 10:53, Mattyblue said:

'Drog like usual gets everybody biting! However, he is not far off a lot of working Blackburners opinion of their town.

Racking my brain's for almost every Blackburner I know, unless they have a quick errand to run, nearly everyone of them will go elsewhere for their shopping- be it Preston, be it the Trafford Centre, be it even Bolton or Bury!

why? Too many roaming gangs of white and Asian ilk, too many no marks just hanging around, that ridiculous orbital driving route and not enough variety of shop. Granted, the new development has helped somewhat, but Blackburn has still gone past the point of no return when it comes to competing with Preston etc.

Well shock horror, somebody dares to criticize Theno and stand up for their town and guess what ... Blackburn's very own Lord Haw Haw delights us with his predictable presence yet again. For what it's worth Matt, I'm sure the organ-grinder is big enough to fight his own battles.

[Ewood Spark]

  On 21/11/2010 at 10:54, thenodrog said:

Also no matter what anyone say's Blackburn Town centre is not a pleasant place to shop unless one has a white stick and a guide dog.

How the hell would you know, since by your own admission you haven't set foot in the place in the last couple of years. Using the logic you employ on the football threads to dismiss members comments who can not attend Ewood on a regular basis I will from now on simply disregard what you have to say in regards to Blackburn town center.

  On 21/11/2010 at 10:54, thenodrog said:

SAS if you are simply going shopping then try the park and ride from Walton le Dale. It's a superb service and if you do that you'll never drive into Preston again.....

I don't know why but I can't help laughing to myself when I imagine Theno with his shopping bag, boarding a little bus ... Ah bless!

[Tom]

  On 21/11/2010 at 22:19, SAS said:

I don't want to be reliant on a park and ride. It would just be easier for me to get a bus.

Having the luxury of a car, I prefer to park very close to wherever I am shopping.

I now park in the new section of the mall car park.

I have tried the councils new car park but that is expensive and tricky to use as it is all electronically secure.

If I go in Blackburn I park on Morrisons these days, it's a quid but you get it back if you spend anything instore.

Plus from Rishton you avoid Barbara Castle way which can be a pain.

[thenodrog]

  On 22/11/2010 at 00:03, TCO said:

Plus from Rishton you avoid Barbara Castle way which can be a pain.

It'll be Ok I'm sure by about 2030.

[sambo]

  On 22/11/2010 at 00:20, thenodrog said:

It'll be Ok I'm sure by about 2030.

If you hate Blackburn so much, why support the football team? After all, we are BLACKBURN Rovers, representing the people of Blackburn and surrounding areas, who you obviously despise.

[JAL]

  On 20/11/2010 at 10:56, thenodrog said:

I go to Preston now. It's a miles better shopping experience. You should try it. It came as quite a suprise to discover that Preston actually caters for shoppers rather than dolloppers, lank haired obese women with clothes two sizes too small and no make up as well as various gangs of marauding teenagers with not a penny to spend between them.

You get what you deserve in life and sadly Blackburn's attitude to people with spending power proves that. Any further comparisons are invalid.

OK Theno, you're obviously at the higher valued end of the shopping market which in reality Blackburn is not, as you point out.

Blackburn has to target itself in the mid to bottom end of the purchasing league and do that very well at this in order to survive and grow. Right now that investment in the Mall is doing that very well indeed, so much so that its turned Blackburn shopping centre into a cash pit which can only be good for Blackburn.

Right now though I, just cant see what Preston would have for me, shopping wise, that Blackburn couldnt offer, but I fully understand that the higher valued end of the market isnt available in Blackburn.

[Simon Says]

  On 22/11/2010 at 16:53, JAL said:

Right now though I, just cant see what Preston would have for me, shopping wise, that Blackburn couldnt offer, but I fully understand that the higher valued end of the market isnt available in Blackburn.

Waterstones for me.

I think the Mall has significantly improved the shopping experience in Blackburn, but still think its a scandal that a town with a population of in access of 100,000 does not have a quality book shop.

[AndyNeil]

I think scandal is a bit strong however again it comes down to pricing and the race to the bottom by supermarkets. WH Smith have a decent book section, but even this is smaller than the book section on the 'old' shop. I really don't think that a quality book shop would survive in Blackburn however I would love to be proved wrong.

[SAS]

Been the mall today, nothing to do on my day off.

Went and bought quite a few things on impulse buy. A coffee and a general chill out browsing plenty of new and old shops.

New pandora shop open now, that will make a bomb in the run up to xmas.

[Mattyblue]

  On 21/11/2010 at 23:45, Ewood Spark said:

Well shock horror, somebody dares to criticize Theno and stand up for their town and guess what ... Blackburn's very own Lord Haw Haw delights us with his predictable presence yet again. For what it's worth Matt, I'm sure the organ-grinder is big enough to fight his own battles.

I would love to slap thenodrog down, but are you seriously telling me that my comment is far off the mark?

Most Blackburnians and those from the surrounding areas (which is just as important for building a shopping hub) I know as friends, as family, through work with a couple of quid in their pocket would not choose Blackburn.

For what it's worth, the new extension is a marked improvement and I have been into town more in the last couple of months than I had in two years. Every credit for BwD Council, the Mall et al for finally starting to get their act together, hopefully the new market will do well also.

However Blackburn has suffered from decades of neglect and this is clear to see when you see its lack of a sizeable business sector, no main line train line, no university, no real nightlife to speak of, vey few restaurants, the list is endless. This is the reality and we are so far behind with so many local alternatives I can't see us ever having the amenities a town of 100,000 and borough of 140,000 people should have.

[ABBEY]

  On 22/11/2010 at 15:15, sambo said:

If you hate Blackburn so much, why support the football team? After all, we are BLACKBURN Rovers, representing the people of Blackburn and surrounding areas, who you obviously despise.

you should be a stanley fan then?

[JAL]

For mattyblue, i'd definitely say that Blackburn HAS THE BEST railway station in Lancashire.

Now thats another thing to boast about wether it be mainline or not.

[92er]

  On 21/11/2010 at 22:19, SAS said:

I have tried the councils new car park but that is expensive and tricky to use as it is all electronically secure.

I don't know about the second half of your sentence, but I do know the Council have reduced the prices in the car park.

[Ewood Spark]

  On 22/11/2010 at 15:15, sambo said:

If you hate Blackburn so much, why support the football team? After all, we are BLACKBURN Rovers, representing the people of Blackburn and surrounding areas, who you obviously despise.

It's a condition known as 'self loathing by proxy' .... the shrinks would have a field day.

[Ewood Spark]

  On 22/11/2010 at 18:31, Mattyblue said:

I would love to slap thenodrog down, but are you seriously telling me that my comment is far off the mark?

Most Blackburnians and those from the surrounding areas (which is just as important for building a shopping hub) I know as friends, as family, through work with a couple of quid in their pocket would not choose Blackburn.

For what it's worth, the new extension is a marked improvement and I have been into town more in the last couple of months than I had in two years. Every credit for BwD Council, the Mall et al for finally starting to get their act together, hopefully the new market will do well also.

However Blackburn has suffered from decades of neglect and this is clear to see when you see its lack of a sizeable business sector, no main line train line, no university, no real nightlife to speak of, vey few restaurants, the list is endless. This is the reality and we are so far behind with so many local alternatives I can't see us ever having the amenities a town of 100,000 and borough of 140,000 people should have.

So what are we supposed to do ... just give-up?

What frustrates me more than anything is the obvious talent we have got in Blackburn ... falls over itself to discredit the town at every opportunity. The very people who have the verbal and literary skills to help, are the very ones who, more often than not, let us down.

It's not easy sustaining a population of over a 100,000 on a cul-de-sac up on the moors. Historically nobody lives here ... check-out your own family tree and I bet you don't have to go back too many generations before you find your not-too-distant relatives hailing from other parts of the country. Blackburn WAS a boom-town ... a bubble so dependent on one product that it's inevitable burst should not have come as a shock to anybody with half-an-ounce of fiscal sense. The greatest threat to a town is a lack of population ... fact. Nothing else can do as much damage ... depopulation is the cancer of conurbations. Blackburn got lucky in that repect ... just as the population was beginning to melt away, back from whence it came, a new source of inhabitants came over from the sub-continent ... obviously low skilled ... but providing the market for goods that is essential for the survival of a town. This is our hope for the future ... education is the key (take a bow University Center of Blackburn) ... the raw young talent with strong family ties is emerging ... potential professional middle-class... we now just need the businesses to come.

On the other hand we have somewhere like Preston ... born with the silver spoon of transport links, and seat of the self-serving County Council. Attracting new money there is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is certainly nothing to do with Preston having a better class of local politician ... after all would you want this man in charge of Blackburn?.

[thenodrog]

  On 22/11/2010 at 15:15, sambo said:

If you hate Blackburn so much, why support the football team? After all, we are BLACKBURN Rovers, representing the people of Blackburn and surrounding areas, who you obviously despise.

Dunno.

[thenodrog]

  On 23/11/2010 at 00:08, Ewood Spark said:

So what are we supposed to do ... just give-up?

What frustrates me more than anything is the obvious talent we have got in Blackburn ... falls over itself to discredit the town at every opportunity. The very people who have the verbal and literary skills to help, are the very ones who, more often than not, let us down.

It's not easy sustaining a population of over a 100,000 on a cul-de-sac up on the moors. Historically nobody lives here ... check-out your own family tree and I bet you don't have to go back too many generations before you find your not-too-distant relatives hailing from other parts of the country. Blackburn WAS a boom-town ... a bubble so dependent on one product that it's inevitable burst should not have come as a shock to anybody with half-an-ounce of fiscal sense. The greatest threat to a town is a lack of population ... fact. Nothing else can do as much damage ... depopulation is the cancer of conurbations. Blackburn got lucky in that repect ... just as the population was beginning to melt away, back from whence it came, a new source of inhabitants came over from the sub-continent ... obviously low skilled ... but providing the market for goods that is essential for the survival of a town. This is our hope for the future ... education is the key (take a bow University Center of Blackburn) ... the raw young talent with strong family ties is emerging ... potential professional middle-class... we now just need the businesses to come.

Great sentiment and unswerving loyalty to the cause ES but unfortunately, to mix metaphors you are flogging a dead horse and attempting to close the stable doors after said horse has bolted.

[jim mk2]

  On 23/11/2010 at 02:22, thenodrog said:

Dunno.

Silly response to a reasonable question. Explain why you continue to live in the town when you obviously hate it so much.

[Paul]

Interesting post from ES, I hadn't thought of it in this way. Following this discussion I'll be visiting the Mall to decide for myself as I haven't shopped in town for perhaps 10 years other than Reidy's, Outdoor Action and Ewood Bikes. I have to say my impression of Preston is not great either and neither town would be top of my list for a shopping trip.

We've been in our house for 26/27 years and reached the point where we have to spend money on it (again!). It is surprisingly difficult to find good local shops / suppliers though we are getting there!! I was amazed to find we had to pay a deposit to book a slot for the bathroom fitters to come before we had chosen the fittings! Certainly concentrated my wife's thoughts. All of the quality places we've found are busy.

[Mattyblue]

  On 23/11/2010 at 00:08, Ewood Spark said:

So what are we supposed to do ... just give-up?

What frustrates me more than anything is the obvious talent we have got in Blackburn ... falls over itself to discredit the town at every opportunity. The very people who have the verbal and literary skills to help, are the very ones who, more often than not, let us down.

It's not easy sustaining a population of over a 100,000 on a cul-de-sac up on the moors. Historically nobody lives here ... check-out your own family tree and I bet you don't have to go back too many generations before you find your not-too-distant relatives hailing from other parts of the country. Blackburn WAS a boom-town ... a bubble so dependent on one product that it's inevitable burst should not have come as a shock to anybody with half-an-ounce of fiscal sense. The greatest threat to a town is a lack of population ... fact. Nothing else can do as much damage ... depopulation is the cancer of conurbations. Blackburn got lucky in that repect ... just as the population was beginning to melt away, back from whence it came, a new source of inhabitants came over from the sub-continent ... obviously low skilled ... but providing the market for goods that is essential for the survival of a town. This is our hope for the future ... education is the key (take a bow University Center of Blackburn) ... the raw young talent with strong family ties is emerging ... potential professional middle-class... we now just need the businesses to come.

On the other hand we have somewhere like Preston ... born with the silver spoon of transport links, and seat of the self-serving County Council. Attracting new money there is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is certainly nothing to do with Preston having a better class of local politician ... after all would you want this man in charge of Blackburn?.

Your views on Preston, mirror exactly my views on the place, don't misunderstand me I hold no candle for it.

However your views on Blackburn's population fluxes are wide of the mark- and you know that. Without going into Blackburn's population changes to say 'we got lucky' would not be the viewpoint you would get on the doorstep. Do you seriously believe that without 60s immigration Blackburn's population would now be at 60,000?

BwD has 140,000 people, East Lancashire is 500,000, Burnley aside Blackburn is the big hitter of an area that has the popluation to make Blackburn thrive, places like Accrington, the Ribble Valley, Haslingden etc have been associated with us for generations- however you ask residents of those areas their opinion of the place and you are more often than not met with derision and they would scoff if you told them to shop here. You need the wider area to identify with a hub- Preston has this with the PR postcode area- Blackburn does not.

A lack of work and outside investment is the death of a town, there are towns with populations smaller than Blackburn that are booming- unfortunately a business looking to choose a locaton in modern day Lancs would not (usually) pick Blackburn, but Preston or its suburbs- business parks are springing up all over- Bamber Bridge, Fulwood, Red Scar etc.

I am Blackburn to my core and it hurts to see how far it has regressed in just my relatively short lifetime, you believe the town can boom again, I hope you are right, but I just cannnot see it.

[SAS]

  On 22/11/2010 at 22:08, 92er said:

I don't know about the second half of your sentence, but I do know the Council have reduced the prices in the car park.

You have to use electronic keypads to get in out. A pain in the arse.

[thenodrog]

  On 23/11/2010 at 02:58, jim mk2 said:

Silly response to a reasonable question. Explain why you continue to live in the town when you obviously hate it so much.

You explain why you don't live in Blackburn first.