Forum for residents of St Georges Park and Long Leys Road Lincoln

[wayne]

hi

also wanted to raise this to, are there any shops close by?

it would have been a good idea to have it at the bottom of the street rather than a hairdressers..... maybe thats just me.

so have there been any plans to have a shop

also i have not noticed any post boxes in my area, is there one?

thanks

[tonyandcarol]

wayne.the nearest postbox is 50 yds south of bus shelter in the wall of the entrance to gervas house on long leys rd.
tony

[Rachael]

Wayne
I would absolutely love a local shop, with 2 small children constantly needing bread and milk! The nearest are either Burton Road, up Higson steps, or along West Parade, over the common. It is very poor that there aren't amenities any closer, we were told the unit was to be a shop when we bought the house and it since became Utopia hairdressers.
Rachael

[Neville]

my understanding that the former social education centre sited on long leys road is being sold off for development by lincolnshire county council. residents were informed that there was a possiblity of a local shop to be included. so what is the update from the residents association please. was told by the council that more houses were likely to be built on this site. is there going to be a shop anywhere for our area? i have been here a long time and nothing has happened. i have to get a bus or a lift into town to get the basics.

[deb]

yes the 'shops' became a hairdresser/salon because when the space was rented any one could take up the rental. The residents' association approached the Co-op as they have a good community ethic but the catchment of numbers of people was not sufficiently high. I can't remember the exact figures but they have the shop and post office up on the new mini shopping complex on outer circle and it took years to make a profit even there.
Depending on your mobility, the nearest shop is therefore about 15 minutes walk in any direction.
There are plans to knock down the SEC and rebuild possibly with units and housing but there is no definite outline yet.

[Neville]

councillors for carholme ward used to contribute news on this web site. now they have all gone silent. they are suppose to represent us. they are members of the labour party. the liberal dem councillor has not been heard or seen for some time. so has been with the tory mp who promised much to help out about the shop. the mp has not done anything. goes to show how politics comes first before people. did not the council spend the 106 section money elsewhere as nothing has been shown for the so called urban village on long leys road. i have been told by pc coaches that if the council withdraws the subsidy it gets for running the st georges bus service we will lose that too. one word comes to my mind as a person who uses the bus service is "deception." but then do residents really care about it all. no community spirit. the big society is a joke. peeved off with it all.

[Jeff]

I do support what Neville has said having been a resident before the urban village was ever built. Both officers and councillors at the time said mucn and made commitments which never materialised. We are told instead to shop at Burton Road or across the common. 70 and 80 year olds are expected to walk or use a taxi as PC Coaches who provide the only bus service may not after the next financial year beginning April. Pensioners like me have been betrayed. Where are the councillors who suppose to represent the people on Long Leys Road. They have disappeared into thin air. Where are their newsletters. Where is the Lincoln MP who promised when he canvassed for our votes to do something about the education centre and take on board the call for a local shop. We have been forgotten. But I and many others will not forget them when voting comes around next. It makes you want to vomit. Past caring anymore like Neville. There I have given my comments. Very angry and not amused. Roll on the revolution like what is going on in Egypt.

[wayne]

Wayne
I would absolutely love a local shop, with 2 small children constantly needing bread and milk! The nearest are either Burton Road, up Higson steps, or along West Parade, over the common. It is very poor that there aren't amenities any closer, we were told the unit was to be a shop when we bought the house and it since became Utopia hairdressers.
Rachael

Rachael. I agree with you so much, imagine how easy would it be not to have to put the kids in the car or have to get a taxi just to go to the local shop for basic things such as bread and milk, I no its only a short drive etc... Which is what most people will say but we shouldn’t have to do that... The hairdressers is a prime location for a small local shop like a Spar or Co-op. this would be something everyone would benefit from and I think the local council or who ever is in charge of making that decision should consider this. Lets face it if the person(s) who makes these decisions lived in our area I can almost guarantee that a shop would be built…

[Captain K]

Totally agree with everything stated above!! Why have we not got a bloomin shop?! The disused council buildings on the Mitchell Drive side of LLR have sat dormant now for months since we were all informed it was to be developed!

Does anyone know what is happening with it?

If someone has some time on their hands (I simply dont't) it may well be worth contacting companies such as Spar, Select & Save, Tesco Express and Newsagent chains to make them aware of a possible development opportunity. I had a friend who was employed by one of those companies to go out and find such locations so it may be worth while if someone has the time. With the area housing as many people as it does now surely a local shop would be a profit maker in that location, not taking into account the passing trade! You never know, we may in a addition squeese a local Pub on the plot!

If the local planning department happen to be made aware of this thread - PLEASE, NO MORE HOUSES WITHOUT SOME FORM OF AMENITIES. ! It seems to be a common trate in this City to pile houses on a development and not bother with any shops, etc etc.

[deb]

see previous. 'shopkeepers' were approached. footfall, passers by not sufficient. no one can make a shop take a unit if they don't consider the business is there.yes we'd all love the convenience. the odd loaf of bread. dvd. milk. bottle of wine, but sufficient to run a business? no one should have made any promises when houses were bought and no solicitor should have upheld it.
the estates are now finished, maybe when the SEC is developed there will be a second chance.

[fiona]

It is unfair of us all to take our need and passion for a shop out on Utopia, it is not Lisa's fault that she has had the bottle to take on 2 units and try and make a business work in these hard times.

The units stood empty for months, and as Deb says several business were appraoched, even McColls, one stop, forbouys were approached and all said the same, rent to high for foot traffic.

I do agree that we are in desperate need for a shop, but alas it takes people to make noise and turn up to meetings and kick some behinds of the council. It is currently costing the council thousands a year to secure the buliding on Longleys Road, this money they could have offered to residents to open the old school, to run a Village Hall, Doctors, Dentist, various other medical services, tuck shop style shop and even to build some small offices to rent out (my hubby was interested in this, as were others in the area). Alas as not enough people showed an interest in setting up this and volunteering to be part of a committee to run it, caretaker, treasuers, admin, key holders, licence holder etc then we were not able to fight and win to gain the building.

I am more than willing to find time to be part of a committee but as todays life means everyone only has a small amount of time to spare, we would need lots of people to run it. Going to Bookers is no problem to me, as I almost live there these days and Sainsburys and have good contacts within several different supplies and would be willing to pass on my discounts to a committee to run this.

[deb]

ah that kicking the council and having volunteers were all that was needed to make a shop happen. I wonder whether the approach now needs to be the other way around, approach likely 'small shops' (that can mean big like Tesco Express, Sainsbury local, Co-op etc) and ask what they need to make it happen and if there's anything we can do to help that along (surveys, traffic monitoring etc). If a shop is interested then they will have a bigger voice even alone than a big group of people because it' s business. I will put it on my 'to do' list!

However the SEC is not dead as you will have seen from previous posts and money from that could allow the refurb of an empty hospital building when the new one is up and running and the old ones vacated; now that will need A LOT of help!

I agree Fiona, no point in bashing Utopia at all.