More Impressions of Cabot Circus

For reasons too opaque to go into, I visited the Cabot Circus website again this afternoon.

Based on the tiny amount I know of how businesses and organisations do branding exercises, I will assume that the Cabot Circus team (aka the Bristol Alliance) got their marketing and design people together in one of the office buildings where the Alliance's two partners are based - Land Securities at 5 The Strand in central London and Hamerson based round the corner on Grosvenor Street - and had that "let's think creatively about who we are as a retail concept" discussion so beloved of marketing and communications people.

Assuming the people in these two teams know their stuff, and have an understanding of their target market (Susan from Southville, perhaps) I find the result both revealing and depressing.

The average customer who might be attracted to the new Cabot Circus is, judging by the images on the home page, aged 20-35, white, single or in a relationship. In addition to this, they are perennially unhappy (not a smile on the model's faces) and, it appears, attracted to androgyny.

At least a couple of reasons therefore why I won't be at the front of the queue on the grand opening on September 25th.

Go on. Take a look. You know you want to.

Hmm.

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Cabot Circus Impressions

Driving up Newfoundland Road this evening, I was struck by the outside of the nearly-completed Cabot Circus.

I found myself wondering how many European cities would consider undertaking the equivalent (to quote the official PR) of "Bristols [sic] largest and most important city centre regeneration programme since the post World War 2 reconstruction" by bolting together a conglomeration of huge concrete blocks at distressingly random angles.

I hope the inside will be more visually pleasing than the exterior.

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Failure of Memorial Stadium May Not be the Best Thing for Local Residents

Local residents around the Memorial Stadium on Filton Avenue are said to be "delighted" by the news that the planned development of the ground has been delayed by the withdrawal of a main contractor.

Spokesman for the Residents Opposed to the Stadium Expansion (ROSE) pressure group, said: "We've said all along that it doesn't make financial sense to shell out millions on a new stadium that is in the wrong place. It seems we have now been proved right. It now seems more likely than ever before that this development will never get off the ground, something we have campaigned long and hard for."

The campaigners may want to pause before breaking open the bubbly and think about the consequences of the failure of the Stadium to redevelop.

I lived through a similar story in Brighton many years ago. Although work has now started on a brand new out-of-town stadium for Brighton and Hove Albion, their former ground (the Goldstone Ground on the Old Shoreham Road in Hove) has already been converted into a soulless retail park, housing such wonderful attractions as Toys R Us, DFS, Homebase and Carpet Right.

The fact is that if the memorial Ground is not redeveloped and the clubs which use it have to move elsewhere, the residents of Horfield will be facing much more difficult battles against infinitely more aggressive opponents that Bristol Rovers.

The lifestyle implications of having a retail park at the bottom of Filton Avenue, not to mention the damage this would do to the independent shops on Gloucester Road, seem to me far more damaging than a larger Memorial Stadium, which was of course there long before any of the present residents moved into the neighbourhood.

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Severn Barrage Could Reduce Flooding

One of the benefits of building a tidal barrage across the Severn to generate electricity is that such a structure could reduce the risk of flooding further up the Severn, according to Professor Roger Falconer of Cardiff University.

I have no reason to doubt this claim. The good Professor's thirty year career in generating models to predict tidal flow places his knowledge in this area considerably ahead of my own.

Despite this, I still feel a little uneasy about the barrage proposal, previously reported on here. Although it may be able to produce up to 5% of the country's electricity needs, it does have some down sides:

• the destruction of up to 75% of the Severn's wildfowl habitat (including Slimbridge)
• an estimated cost of £15 billion - which must mean in reality a final bill of nearer £50 billion
  
• 14 years to construct
• the likelihood of the barrage becoming a focus for further development either side of the estuary

The report recommending the barrage, produced by the Sustainable Development Commission, also acknowledges that tidal stream technology also has a lot to commend it. It seems, however, that this option, which involves underwater turbines being powered by the movement of the tide, and which is far less intrusive from a development point of view, has been overlooked primarily because the technology is at a less advanced stage of its development.

Tidal stream, however, seems to me to represent a different type of thinking about energy production in a post-carbon world, being smaller scale and less invasive. I can't help thinking that the barrage is yesterday's thinking not tomorrow's.

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End of an Era? The Big New House on Henbury Road

It's finally up for sale.

I refer of course to the very large house at the bottom end of Henbury Road in Westbury on Trym.

The new-build house has gone on the market with Savills estate agent for a cool £995,000, a price which confirms my long-held view that the odd five thousand is neither here nor there .

The house, which is not yet finished, has been built on one of the last green field plots in the village of Westbury on Trym and, in that sense, represents a symbolic milestone in the history of the community. From now on, unless developers take over the hidden valley between Westbury C of E School and Southmead, new developments to the housing and infrastructure of the ancient village will be built on top of what was previously there.

Tall Pines, to give the 6-bedroomed house its official name, will be gated from the road and is built, according to the blurb, to an "eco-build" standard - a deliciously vague term which commits the builders to no particular level of environmental rigor while taking full advantage of a growing desire for environmentally friendly housing. Greenwashing, I believe, is the official term for this particular marketing strategy.

At 327 sq m (3523 sq ft), the new house has considerably more space than the average three-bed semi and, in the unlikely event that you are not invited to the house warming party, you can do the next best thing and take a look at the floor plan of Tall Pines by clicking here. All things considered, I think it is a rather fine looking property, in keeping with its surroundings on the main route in to the village.

Interestingly, despite a generally flat housing market, which has seen house prices in Bristol drop by up to 5% in recent months, houses at the very top end of the market are bucking the trend and selling for above the odds.

Residential property specialists Frank Knight describe a marked increase in demand for "super-prime" houses in recent months, with over 40% of such properties in the south east being purchased by foreign nationals, especially from Russia and Eastern Europe. More on all things property related here.

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Westbury Residents Divided Over New Texaco Somerfield

Westbury on Trym has been split apart by the opening of the new Texaco Somerfield on Falcondale Road.

The divisions - exclusively revealed on Trym Tales following an exhaustive poll of blog readers - cast doubt on the suburb's ability to remain united in the wake of the supermarket's latest development in the heart of the community.

"The village feels like Mitovica," said one Westbury resident who wished to remain anonymous. "We all used to get on happily until the petrol station was bulldozed."

Key survey findings reveal:

• 33% of residents describe the petrol station as "the source of all evil"
• an identical percentage accept that "it's got to go somewhere"
• a staggering 22% claim the new mart means that "all my shopping needs are met at last"
• a mere 11% describe the dadaist building as "a wonder of design and innovation"

With opinion so sharply divided, community leaders on both sides of the River Trym (which flows symbolically underneath the re-built petrol station) have appealed for calm in light of the shock survey.

"We appeal for calm," said one community leader on the north pro-Somerfield bank who wished to remain anonymous.

"So do we," replied a south-bank leader, "though we do have grave concerns for the long-term viability of the Canford Road Somerfield."



Editor's notes:

The Trym Tales survey was conducted over a 28 day period in Jan-Feb 2008. The nine votes cast represent the lowest turn out for a local survey since records began.

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Hartcliffe is Changing

The transformation in the physical environment of Hartcliffe is remarkable.

The Symes Avenue shops were, in recent years, a symbol of urban decay with barely a shop open and with the apartments above derelict and vandalized. It was a bleak and depressing site.

Symes Avenue is now no more, replaced by a brand new retail centre with a new Morrison's at its heart.

The latest changes, which include a face lift to the library and the creation of a playground adjacent to the new shopping centre, follow on from renovations to the tower blocks and the construction of several new homes in the area.

The brand new River of Life Christian Centre also spoke of changing times and was a positive addition to the community.

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Kidderminster

Today, for family reasons, I had to make my first trip ever to Kidderminster, an experience that I hope to never repeat.

The town is a monument to bland, thoughtless and chaotic urban planning with the main road in from the M5 taking you through a grim wilderness of warehouses ("good motorway connections"), light industrial units and then a 1960s-American-inspired strip of car dealers, DIY stores and fast food drive throughs (wait, that should be drive-thrus in keeping with the modernity of the place).

Through gritted teeth, I assumed that the urban sprawl would give way to a more pleasant vista as I approached the historic heart of the town. I unfortunately missed the new retail park known locally as "Weaver's Wharf" or something equally appalling. Had I done so, my impression of the town centre may have been slightly different. As it was, I concluded that it was without a doubt the most visually unpleasant town I had ever been to.

I can only assume that at some point the town or county planners got together and had a conversation that went something like this:

"Right, how are we going to develop this town for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century?"

"I know, we need to take advantage of our proximity to Birmingham and our central location in the country."

"What would you suggest?"

At which point, presumably the lead planner picked up a handful of Lego bricks and dropped them from a height of 6 inches over a map of the Elizabethan market town and said "how about that?" to a murmur of general approval from the assembled officials.

The final decision in the disastrous process was presumably when some bright spark piped up and suggested an "inner ring road" through the chaos to enable everyone to drive through and admire the finished product.

All in all it was a grim experience. I include a few images salvaged from various sources, including the Town Council, which is presumably seeking to put across a positive image of the town.

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Tidal Power for the Severn - the Next Stage

As previously reported in this blog, The Sustainable Development Commission last year carried out a comprehensive study of tidal power in the UK, with a significant amount of this research focused on the Severn Estuary.

The background to this report, of course, is the attempt to shift the balance in the UK from a carbon-based to a renewable-based model of energy supply.

As far as the Severn is concerned, the report focuses on two main areas: tidal power and barrage technology with, it is claimed, the potential for 10% of the UK's electricity to be produced by these two forms of technology.

A barrage in the Severn Estuary could, according to the SDC, supply over 4% of the country's electricity supply for 120 years resulting in "significant climate change and energy security benefits."

A barrage is effectively a dam across the estuary. As the tide rises, water flows into the area behind the barrage. As the tide ebbs, the barrage keeps the trapped water behind it until low tide, when its sluice gates are opened and water pours down to the low tide level, turning turbines in the process and generating electricity.

A major concern with any barrage is the impact on the local environment and this is highlighted in the report, which estimates that such a scheme would result in the loss of up to 75% of the Severn's internationally-protected inter-tidal habitat. There would also be a number of impacts on local communities and the regional economy. Furthermore, such a barrage would tend to become an easy focal point for further development either side of the river. In fact, discussions about a road being built across the barrage (effectively a third Severn crossing) or a rail track are already underway.

The SDC has therefore laid down a series of conditions which a Severn barrage would have to meet in order to be considered sustainable. These include:

• The barrage must be publically owned
• alternative wildlife habitats must be created "on an unprecedented scale". [I think that means relocating Slimbridge, among other things.]
  

In short, the SDC seem to be saying that they think a barrage would be a good thing from the point of view of sustainable energy subject to specific environmental safeguards and that they would like this to progress to the next stage of public debate and discussion.

The report is much more vague on the prospects of tidal stream technology - essentially underwater turbines that are turned by the ebb and flow of the tide. Acknowledging that "the UK has an excellent tidal stream resource, and is leading the world in the development of a wide range of tidal stream devices", the SDC goes no further in its recommendations than to urge the UK to "stay the course" in developing these technologies, as the climate change benefits are potentially very large.

Recommendations for a specific programme of investment in this technology and its application to the Severn are distinctly lacking, despite its significantly lower environmental impact.

In summary, it's the barrage which looks the most likely to be recommended, though of course there are numerous issues to discuss and resolve before this project even reaches the planning stage.

Your opinions, as ever, welcome via the comments button below.

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Westbury's Finest?

Westbury on Trym residents and visitors will have noticed the new Finest Deli that has opened on Canford Lane opposite Somerfield.

Intrigued by all things edible, I set off to investigate and have a chat with the shop owner Bridget who was very happy to tell me all about the new venture, which opened at the end of November last year.

Declining Bridget's kind offers of free snacks in the interests of journalistic objectivity, I learned that she and her business partner Richard aim to provide a food shop that specialises in quality produce at affordable prices.

Although the store has a range of locally-sourced items - including faggots and scotch eggs from the Iron Acton Farm, a range of cheeses from the Bath-based Fine Cheese Company and Gloucester Old Spot Pork - local produce alone is not its central doctrine. Similarly, it is not an organic store, though it carries some organic products. Finest, as the name implies, is interested in quality food.


The range of foods on offer seemed familiar rather than totally unknown, which fits Bridget's description of the store's produce as "unusual but not too exotic." The pick and mix selection (right) seemed like a tasty way of spending a few quid.

The Deli is the result of many years in the food and retail trade (including a stint with Tesco) and the formation of the Snackology company which supplies quality snacks to petrol and convenience stores. Westbury on Trym was chosen as the location for the retail outlet after a process of research and provides an example of the changing nature of shops in the village, a trend highlighted in an earlier post on this blog.

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Westbury to go Yuppie?

As another local business shuts up shop for the last time this month - the hairdressers next to Somerfield on Canford Road - it looks like the owner of these retail units is set on attracting a new clientèle to Westbury over the next few years. This announcement follows the closure of Trappings earlier in the year, the electrical store the year before and the fish shop in Carlton Court way back when.

Word is that the owners of the retail units around Somerfield have dramatically put up the prices on the units around the centre of the village in order to market them to shops and eateries focused on high-earning single professionals.

The trouble is, Westbury is not known for its high yuppie population, which means the landlord is either on a hiding to nothing or is hoping to attract some single professionals by doing up the flats above the said retail units. This, added to the new flats that will accompany the Doctor's surgery in the old car park on Westbury Hill and those on the corner of Henbury and Falcondale roads, means that in 2007 a step may have been taken to try and bring more single professionals to the village.

It will hardly become Clifton, but who knows, maybe the average age of Westbury on Trym may drop to below 75. Which will be of little comfort to the recently-retired shop keepers.

Texaco Takedown

If you wondered what will become of the Texaco garage on Falcondale Road, I have it on good authority that it has officially been designated a skate park. The platforms on which the petrol pumps used to rest look pretty good for grinding and the main surface is well maintained and slick, with all that oil that's been dropped on it over the years.

At least that's how it looked to me when I saw some local skaters this evening who'd climbed over the security barriers and were using it as a practice park.

Falcondale Road Development

After a lengthy application process and opposition from some local residents, the detached house on the corner of Falcondale Road and Henbury Road is finally being turned into flats.

On the one hand, I understand why some local residents are unhappy about this decision. The presence of low rise flats in a neighbourhood does change its feel and does make it easier to apply for changed usage in the future. Furthermore, the loss of a prominent and attractive detached family house is a shame on aesthetic and historic grounds. I also appreciate concerns about the extra traffic that a development of flats will generate at the already congested junction with Henbury Road.

Having said all that, I also recognise that Britain is suffering a chronic shortage of affordable housing and that the South West is a particularly difficult area in which first time buyers can
get onto the property ladder. I've seen work colleagues face the struggle of buying their first home and the lengths many have to go to just to afford a starter property.

Furthermore, if we need to build new homes, which seems an essential fact of national life, I would rather they were built on brown field sites than on farming land in the middle of the countryside. This type of development has a far greater environmental impact than turning a house into flats.

The fact that Westbury on Trym has historically been an area with a lot of family homes - which I'm sure will remain the case for decades to come - does not change the reality that Britain is changing. Families are smaller than they were, the number of household units is increasing and the type of properties such households need is changing. This is the big picture. Personally, I'd much rather see less divorce, more stable families and larger households. If this were the case, I think housing needs would reflect this social reality. Since the trends are going in the opposite direction, I just don't think we can deny single people the chance to buy a home.