Shawlands Arcade

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Shawlands Arcade

Postby escotregen » Thu Feb 25, 2016 5:04 pm

Maybe the end of a long shabby decline and hope for renewal in the heart of Shawlands?
http://www.urbanrealm.com/news/5983/Shawlands_Arcade_to_be_redeveloped_following_sale.html
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby banjo » Thu Feb 25, 2016 7:41 pm

described as having a run down appearance.....................drumchapel shopping centre anyone?
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby MungoDundas » Fri Feb 26, 2016 8:47 pm

Looks like the Co-Op are trying to stymie progress in Drumchapel;

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/1423 ... f=mr&lp=16

Maybe Clydebank Co-operative could open a discount supermarket that would make Co-Op Manchester not react so strangely.

You'd think that a town the size of Drumchapel could support more than a Sainsbury + 1 discounter (not considering the existing
Iceland, Farmfoods, Costcutter, etc.).
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby tomvox » Fri Mar 11, 2016 10:36 pm

escotregen wrote:Maybe the end of a long shabby decline and hope for renewal in the heart of Shawlands?
http://www.urbanrealm.com/news/5983/Shawlands_Arcade_to_be_redeveloped_following_sale.html


The last revamp of Shawlands Arcade was a total disaster. I just hope they get it right this time because there is so much potential in that site.
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby Lucky Poet » Sat Mar 12, 2016 12:50 am

If the Shawlands Arcade site had been built on like the opposite side of that stretch of Kilmarnock Road in 1890-ish, would there be any desire to demolish and replace it with a 2010s shopping centre? If it can't be refurbished, then replace it with something unambitious and low-profile.

Some big money property developers might be crying out for some pile-em-high scheme like in that Urban Realm link, but that's a different matter altogether. The area seems to be doing pretty well, and doesn't seem to need saved in the slightest; it may well need saved from wealthy opportunists, though.
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby escotregen » Sat Mar 12, 2016 3:49 pm

Aside of the arguable merits of the new build scheme, I question the notion that Shawlands is doing pretty well. The heart of it is 'traditional' High Street heavily dependent of small retail. That small retail sector is in long term, and probably accelerating, decline. The lack of success of the original scheme and of subsequent efforts have paralleled that economic reality of long-term decline. As a non resident, I used to regularly visit the main shopping area, especially on Saturdays - in fact a small bunch of us used to meet for a pub lunch there after morning shopping. But it's not a shopping area I've been attracted to in a long time now.

The local housing stock, as traditional tenemental, is also at mid-term and long-term risk - most immediately from the unkind attentions of the dreaded buy-to-let fraternity (tenements always anyway being problematic on the common maintenance front, and a local authority increasingly disinclined to intervene to impose major repair works).

On the local economy front it's again typical of traditional inner suburban locales - no foreseeable generators of major incoming new employers or new indigenous drivers of growth (although some residents on here may know more on that latter issue?).
[BTW if any mods are reading this, I don't get notified of replies been posted even though I have ticked the box? I'm having to periodically having to log on and check for myself.]
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby RDR » Sun Mar 13, 2016 6:58 pm

Difficult to think what is best for Shawlands, much as Escotregen suggests I don't think it's doing that well and in the longer term I don't see it improving.
I worked close to the area in the 70's and lived round about it in the early 80's. My mum and dad, lived there for a long time before they passed away.
The arcade never really lived up to expectations at any stage and some of the through traffic in the area has now gone, with the closure of the Victoria Infirmary contributing to that, the replacement being much smaller and having much less staff.
I think the problem for Shawlands is, it doesn't know really what it is. Urban? An adjunct to the city centre? A niche area with specialised shops?
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby escotregen » Sun Mar 13, 2016 10:44 pm

Really incisive (and heartfelt) points RDR. Especially where you say, '...the problem for Shawlands is, it doesn't know really what it is...' Good few years ago (the early noughties?) the GCC had a stab at classifying a 'hierarchy' of local shopping centres. It was a commendable effort to recognise that many local centres were doomed. The idea was to try and concentrate Council investment and initiatives on the centres that seemed most likely to survive (not sure that 'prosper' even came into it. I'm not sure whatever became of that initiative. Interestingly the same challenge has faced The Scottish Government on the whole town centre scale.
[BTW again, if any mods are reading this I don't get advised of when any replies are posted even though I ticked for it. Apologies if I don't now answer anyone as I haven't always have the time to keep manually re-checking for replies]
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby RDR » Mon Mar 14, 2016 7:34 am

escotregen wrote:Really incisive (and heartfelt) points RDR. Especially where you say, '...the problem for Shawlands is, it doesn't know really what it is...' Good few years ago (the early noughties?) the GCC had a stab at classifying a 'hierarchy' of local shopping centres. It was a commendable effort to recognise that many local centres were doomed. The idea was to try and concentrate Council investment and initiatives on the centres that seemed most likely to survive (not sure that 'prosper' even came into it. I'm not sure whatever became of that initiative. Interestingly the same challenge has faced The Scottish Government on the whole town centre scale.
[BTW again, if any mods are reading this I don't get advised of when any replies are posted even though I ticked for it. Apologies if I don't now answer anyone as I haven't always have the time to keep manually re-checking for replies]


No data to support this but I don't think I would be widely off the mark to suggest that Silverburn hasn't helped and neither has the fact that there is a big supermarket at the Newlands end both of which contribute to drawing footfall away from the centre of Shawlands. Out of town malls really aren't that good for traditional 'high' streets and whilst Silverburn might have helped the Pollok scheme in the bigger scheme of things it must have had a detrimental impact on surrounding areas.
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby escotregen » Mon Mar 14, 2016 9:28 am

Agreed on the whole retail across Glasgow thing. IMO Glasgow is at a critical juncture on retail; isn't the regional market already saturated? The fall out of earlier big retail development has being at great cost to many of the towns around the region (Motherwell, Wishaw etc). Paisley-as-casualty-of-Braehead is another example. On the point of market saturation it's maybe noteworthy that the institutional fund managers just last week down-rated their valuation of Braehead as an investment asset.

Just for added spice there is the deeply worrying trend in these big retail developments towards the corporate 'privatisation' of what would have been public spaces.
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby Lucky Poet » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:12 pm

I struggle to see the place as being in trouble, I'm afraid - all things being relative and all that. There's any number of areas in any number of cities and towns with boarded up shops a-plenty, and Shawlands just doesn't feel like that.

The out-of-town shopping centre phenomenon is a general blight indeed, but Shawlands seems to be doing ok - by comparison with an awful lot of places at least. There's not a lot of premises to let, none boarded up on my last visit. Many cafes, all busy.

I'm going to invent the Eggs Benedict scale here and now. Shawlands is on a 2 out of 5. Arbitrary scale, and I've had it in two separate cafes there, and very nice it was both times. Almost everywhere else in Scotland is on a zero, for comparison.

(With my Mod hat on, as regards the notifications thing have you checked that yer email address is still valid? Just in case.)
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby escotregen » Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:48 pm

Well if Shawlands is doing OK it is a true rarity - indeed a remarkable exception. Only today I was at a retail conference where we heard from much respected Prof Sparks of Stirling Business School. The refrain of his presentation was to again confirm the reality that all small retail and all traditional High Streets across the UK are in trouble - and have been for a decade and more.

Add in my observations about the local economy and property and I stand by my judgement that it is a troubled locality.

Also noteworthy is the recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation Foundation think tank report on the hyped 'Northern Power House' in England and devolution to UK cities in general (i.e. City Deal). It demonstrated that in comparative terms Glasgow remains one of the economically poorest performing UK large cities. Maybe there's an argument that Shawlands is looking not so bad because it sits within the city's overall poor predicament and generally pretty low aspirations in the city?

And thanks for asking about the 'not getting notified of replies'. It's odd. I'm getting advised on another discussion but not on this one. I did check my junk but nothing getting directed there.
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby RDR » Wed Mar 16, 2016 8:21 pm

escotregen wrote:Well if Shawlands is doing OK it is a true rarity - indeed a remarkable exception. Only today I was at a retail conference where we heard from much respected Prof Sparks of Stirling Business School. The refrain of his presentation was to again confirm the reality that all small retail and all traditional High Streets across the UK are in trouble - and have been for a decade and more.

Add in my observations about the local economy and property and I stand by my judgement that it is a troubled locality.

Also noteworthy is the recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation Foundation think tank report on the hyped 'Northern Power House' in England and devolution to UK cities in general (i.e. City Deal). It demonstrated that in comparative terms Glasgow remains one of the economically poorest performing UK large cities. Maybe there's an argument that Shawlands is looking not so bad because it sits within the city's overall poor predicament and generally pretty low aspirations in the city?

And thanks for asking about the 'not getting notified of replies'. It's odd. I'm getting advised on another discussion but not on this one. I did check my junk but nothing getting directed there.


Just an observation, but an awful lot of Shawlands, particularly one side of Kilmarnock Road, is now all cafe's, restaurants, take aways and drinking premises. Most of the traditional shops have disappeared (butchers, grocery & the like) so maybe that gives an illusion of relative prosperity that isn't actually sustainable for folk that live there?
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby escotregen » Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:23 am

At least that suggests that Shawlands is little different from the UK in general - still dining out on growing debt, and a declining economic base with which to create real new material wealth?
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Re: Shawlands Arcade

Postby RDR » Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:39 pm

escotregen wrote:At least that suggests that Shawlands is little different from the UK in general - still dining out on growing debt, and a declining economic base with which to create real new material wealth?


Shawlands was always a family area and I have the feeling the demographics might have altered a bit, with a lot more buy to let properties going to a younger client base. Rents are certainly cheaper (my daughter lives there) than the west end or city centre and it might be with good bus and rail links it's an attractive area to rent in?
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