City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[Stadt]

25 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Yet more, still more, student accommodation.

This is getting beyond a joke now. Build housing on brown field sites first an foremost . 

It is brownfield  

[Stadt]

32 minutes ago, davieG said:

Woodgate Residents Association objected to the plans last year citing, among other things, concerns around the number of high rise buildings in the area

It's 8 storeys and they live within half a mile of a city centre  

[Free Falling Foxes]

9 minutes ago, Stadt said:

It is brownfield  

I know, I said so in my reply.

I said build HOUSING on these sites. You know, places where folk other than students can live.

 

 

[westernpark]

23 hours ago, Stadt said:

Depressing seeing such ornate buildings lost for dross.

It is. I find it interesting because if we go back to a period when these pubs were built/established, they were there to serve the community. Whilst drinking habits changed, many of the regenerations of the buildings have not happened to serve this purpose.

[Stadt]

32 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

I know, I said so in my reply.

I said build HOUSING on these sites. You know, places where folk other than students can live.

 

 

Sorry, I'd misread your post.

 

Councils supposedly like student accommodation because it stops students renting in houses, rarely seems to happen in my experience though. The minimum space standards for student accommodation aren't as stringent either so developers can cram more into to maximise yields for whichever company takes the building on.

[Free Falling Foxes]

1 hour ago, Stadt said:

Sorry, I'd misread your post.

 

Councils supposedly like student accommodation because it stops students renting in houses, rarely seems to happen in my experience though. The minimum space standards for student accommodation aren't as stringent either so developers can cram more into to maximise yields for whichever company takes the building on.

No worries,  we've all done that.

 

Regarding students: I'm reading that numbers are down. Conversely , demand and waiting for housing is up.

So what do they do?

 

Green spaces are being squeezed and squeezed, so should be an absolute last resort imo.

Utilise these and other brownfield sites first and foremost for homes.

 

Whilst we're at it: no more 'Places of worship' A large house in Braunstone was recently converted to such use. Not the first and won't be the last.

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

No worries,  we've all done that.

 

Regarding students: I'm reading that numbers are down. Conversely , demand and waiting for housing is up.

So what do they do?

 

Green spaces are being squeezed and squeezed, so should be an absolute last resort imo.

Utilise these and other brownfield sites first and foremost for homes.

 

Whilst we're at it: no more 'Places of worship' A large house in Braunstone was recently converted to such use. Not the first and won't be the last.

The council have been instructed by the government to build thousands more house by a certain date which they are struggling to achieve even pushing some of the allocation out to the county. I wonder if as @Stadtsays they can squeeze in more with student builds whether these are included in those numbers.

[Jon the Hat]

I am in Hobart, Tasmania this week and came across this fine piece of Leicester Engineering on the side of constitution dock - which is where the Sydney Hobart yacht race finishes.

[Parafox]

17 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

I am in Hobart, Tasmania this week and came across this fine piece of Leicester Engineering on the side of constitution dock - which is where the Sydney Hobart yacht race finishes.

Looks fantastic. I guess it's a steam driven dockside crane.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/history/gallery/archive-mercury-photos-show-leicester-7480099

 

Archive Mercury photos show Leicester Market through the years in 31 pictures

[davieG]

LEICESTER PAST: Dismantling of the Great Central Railway at West Bridge, Leicester. (Buildings in the background are at the city end of King Richard's Road), 4th December 1978.

[davieG]

Leicestershire's favourite green space Bradgate Park in 25 archive Mercury photos

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/history/gallery/leicestershires-favourite-green-space-bradgate-7480182

[davieG]

Wigston In Photos 1950-1990 added a new photo to the album Lost Wigston.
  · 
Wigston Magna Railway Station
Spion Kop, Station Road, Wigston
c.1950

[WarehamFox]

Where on Station Road was this situated? 

Edited 22 August 2022 by WarehamFox
Spelling

[davieG]

12 minutes ago, WarehamFox said:

Where on Station Road was this situated? 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/wigston_magna/

 

    
At the road bridge on the south side of Station Road (B582) on the western edge of Wigston Magna.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wigston+Magna+Railway+Station+site/@52.5815756,-1.1233942,18.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x487767c8a0b25c35:0x3e70f254202956f!8m2!3d52.5813594!4d-1.1228729

[davieG]

LEICESTER ROYAL INFIRMARY
The hospital was founded by Reverend William Watts as the Leicester Infirmary with 40 beds in 1771. Patients were forced to pay a deposit when they went in; if they went home, the money was repaid; if they died their deposit would be spent on burying them. When first opened, there was no running water, but there was the nearby brewery, which was used to treat the patients. 
By 1808, the infirmary had expanded by 20 beds, to a total of 60 beds.
A fever house opened at the infirmary in 1820 and nurses were first trained there in 1870. St Luke's Chapel, which benefited from extensive stained glass windows and memorials, was built in 1887.
The facility became Leicester Infirmary and Children's Hospital in 1911 and Leicester Royal Infirmary and Children's Hospital in 1914 before it joined the National Health Service in 1948.
The Windsor building was opened by the Queen in December 1993 and a new accident and emergency department was opened by the Princess Royal in March 2018.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/free-bus-service-set-launch-7500906

 

Free bus service set to launch around Leicester city centre
The council aims to increase bus travel in the city by 25% by 2025 and over 40% by 2030

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ByHannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter
04:00, 25 AUG 2022
e

Leicester's fleet of electric buses. L to R : County Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, Jonathan Hunt of Roberts Travel Group. (Image: Leicester Mercury / Chris Gordon)

A new city centre bus service looks set to be introduced next year – and it will be free to ride. The route – called Hop! - will circle the city centre, connecting the bus stations, Leicester Railway Station, Leicester Royal Infirmary and key shopping streets.

It is on track to be launched in March next year, according to documents published by Leicester City Council. The route – which will be serviced by electric buses – will operate every 10 minutes.

There will be stops in High Street, Gravel Street, Charles Street, Granby Street, Bishop Street, Oxford Street and Grange Lane. There is also the possibility of another stop being added at a later date in Fox Street.

 

The final route and timetable for the service will be available towards the end of the year. Details will also be released about who will be running the service.

The free bus route plan will improve accessibility and make it far easier for people to get around the city, Leicester City Council has said. The Hop! service comes as part of the city council’s bid to encourage more people to travel by bus, with an aim to increase bus travel in the city by 25 per cent by 2025 and over 40 per cent by 2030.

It forms part of the integrated Greenlines electric network, which currently includes the Hospital Hopper service and the Birstall, Meynell’s Gorse and Enderby Park and Ride services. The electric buses are also a step in the council's plans to delivering a net-zero carbon city.

Leicester deputy city mayor with responsibility for transport, clean air and climate emergency, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “The new city centre Hop! service promises to provide people with an easily accessible, free transport option connecting sites around the city, meaning people can easily get to places like the bus stations, the market, LRI and St Nicholas Circle and make onward journeys from these places.

“We’re proud of our city centre and want those who might struggle to access it, including older residents and people with mobility problems, to be able to enjoy all it has to offer, sustainably. The new Hop! will also be an attractive service for people visiting our city on business or as tourists."

He added that this is not the only change coming to the city's bus services in the coming months. Leicester City Council is also looking to make improvements to the existing 40 Circle Line service that operates around the edges of the city. The rebranded service – to be called Orbital – will be launched in October this year, with addition of six electric buses.

It will include connections to key shopping and workplace hubs, including General Hospital, Oadby, Wigston, Fosse Park, Thorpe Astley, Glenfield, Glenfield Hospital, Beaumont Leys, Rushey Mead, Hamilton and Scraptoft, according to the council. The new service will be more frequent than the current Circle Line, with buses every 15 minutes rather than every hour.

A new 300-space park and ride terminal is also planned near the Beaumont Leys shopping centre, giving a 10 to 15 minute connection time to both the city centre and Glenfield Hospital. The Hospital Hopper, which connects Leicester’s three hospitals, and the new Orbital service would both stop there.

Passengers would be able to park for free at the site and then just pay the relevant bus fare for their journey. The site is expected to be ready by May next year.

A new Park and Ride site at the General Hospital is also expected to open in September this year. The car park, to be subsidised by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, will have 80 to 100 spaces.

The service would allow passengers to drive only as far as the Evington site and then take electric buses on to the Leicester Royal Infirmary so they do not have to add to or endure congestion in the city centre. They would also be able to use the Hospital Hopper service to travel onwards to the Glenfield Hospital from the new terminal which will be near Coleman Road.

Around £100 million has already been secured for Leicester’s plans to improve, modernise and make green the city’s bus services, which also include new bus lanes, bus shelters and information displays. However, the council estimates it will need a further £200 million between now and 2030.

This money is expected to come from operator investments, Government grants and, if approved, the controversial Workplace Parking Levy which will see businesses with 10 or more parking spaces charged £550 a year for each employee parking there. It will be up to employer whether they pass the charges onto workers or not – leading some to slam it as a ‘stealth tax’ – but the city council has said it is integral to funding their transport plans.

[davieG]

Memories of Leicester

Great Central Railway premises at No.25 Gallowtree Gate, Leicester, circa 1900. Dean & Dawson is one of the names that appear in the shop window. These were the agents behind many of the Great Central's cheap excursion offers, begun in an effort to attract people to the new Main Line, and take passengers away from established services like the Midland Railway. 
Copyright © Leicestershire County Council 2008

[davieG]

Demolition of Great Central Railway viaduct at Dun's Lane, Leicester in February 1984

[davieG]

A former office block in the city centre will be knocked down to allow the site to be redeveloped in the future, council documents show. Permission has been granted by Leicester City Council for the demolition of James House, in Welford Road.

The 1960s building is nine storeys at its highest point, and has two, three-storey sections. Work will take place in stages, with the inside of the building being stripped first, before d-rigs – machinery with long arms used to pulverise and break of parts of a structure – are used for the phased demolition of the external structure. Finally, the foundations will be removed.

It is not yet known what the site might be used for. The city council said it had not received a planning application for the land.

 

Measures will be put in place to protect neighbouring buildings, including the Boot and Shoe Factory next door, to minimise dust created during the demolition, and to safely remove the asbestos that has been found on-site, the documents state.

During some stages of the demolition, there will be temporary closures to the footpaths around the site. There will also be restrictions on parking and some lane closures in Welford Road. These will need to be recorded with and approved by the council’s highways department before they can go ahead.

Work will be carried out by applicants Cheswold Welford Road Ltd between 8am and 6pm on weekdays and 8am and 1pm on Saturdays. No work can take place on Sundays or bank holidays, according to conditions set out by city planning officers. No date was given for the start of the work.

 

 

Another 60's office block not built to last, that's ok there's plenty more bricks, steel and concrete around to build another short life building.

[Free Falling Foxes]

7 hours ago, davieG said:

A former office block in the city centre will be knocked down to allow the site to be redeveloped in the future, council documents show. Permission has been granted by Leicester City Council for the demolition of James House, in Welford Road.

The 1960s building is nine storeys at its highest point, and has two, three-storey sections. Work will take place in stages, with the inside of the building being stripped first, before d-rigs – machinery with long arms used to pulverise and break of parts of a structure – are used for the phased demolition of the external structure. Finally, the foundations will be removed.

It is not yet known what the site might be used for. The city council said it had not received a planning application for the land.

 

Measures will be put in place to protect neighbouring buildings, including the Boot and Shoe Factory next door, to minimise dust created during the demolition, and to safely remove the asbestos that has been found on-site, the documents state.

During some stages of the demolition, there will be temporary closures to the footpaths around the site. There will also be restrictions on parking and some lane closures in Welford Road. These will need to be recorded with and approved by the council’s highways department before they can go ahead.

Work will be carried out by applicants Cheswold Welford Road Ltd between 8am and 6pm on weekdays and 8am and 1pm on Saturdays. No work can take place on Sundays or bank holidays, according to conditions set out by city planning officers. No date was given for the start of the work.

 

 

Another 60's office block not built to last, that's ok there's plenty more bricks, steel and concrete around to build another short life building.

I know, build yet more student accommodation on the site.

[Parafox]

10 hours ago, davieG said:

Demolition of Great Central Railway viaduct at Dun's Lane, Leicester in February 1984

H&S fail. These days the entire road would be closed. All they have there is some picket fencing. And even that's not properly installed. And pedestrians could just walk by the site on the same side of the road. 

[Parafox]

9 hours ago, davieG said:

A former office block in the city centre will be knocked down to allow the site to be redeveloped in the future, council documents show. Permission has been granted by Leicester City Council for the demolition of James House, in Welford Road.

The 1960s building is nine storeys at its highest point, and has two, three-storey sections. Work will take place in stages, with the inside of the building being stripped first, before d-rigs – machinery with long arms used to pulverise and break of parts of a structure – are used for the phased demolition of the external structure. Finally, the foundations will be removed.

It is not yet known what the site might be used for. The city council said it had not received a planning application for the land.

 

Measures will be put in place to protect neighbouring buildings, including the Boot and Shoe Factory next door, to minimise dust created during the demolition, and to safely remove the asbestos that has been found on-site, the documents state.

During some stages of the demolition, there will be temporary closures to the footpaths around the site. There will also be restrictions on parking and some lane closures in Welford Road. These will need to be recorded with and approved by the council’s highways department before they can go ahead.

Work will be carried out by applicants Cheswold Welford Road Ltd between 8am and 6pm on weekdays and 8am and 1pm on Saturdays. No work can take place on Sundays or bank holidays, according to conditions set out by city planning officers. No date was given for the start of the work.

 

 

Another 60's office block not built to last, that's ok there's plenty more bricks, steel and concrete around to build another short life building.

This is bound to mean even more traffic disruption and lane closures in that area. As if the whole cattle market/ Aylestone Road debacle hasn't been enough.

[Bordersfox]

On 15/07/2022 at 11:18, kushiro said:

 

Brilliant that, thanks mate. 

 

Edit: I sent this to my parents.  My dad worked at Dunlop starting as an apprentice engineer in the 60s and retiring a few years ago from Trelleborg as it is now - the factory in the video is indeed the old Dunlop site and he even recognised the machines! 

Edited 29 August 2022 by Bordersfox

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/spectacular-installation-compass-world-premiere-7511590

 

Spectacular installation The Compass to have world premiere in Leicester's Jubilee Square
It relates to how scientific research can be a compass to guide our curiosity

 

An 'immersive' meeting of science and art is set to launch next month, and Leicester will be the first to experience it. The Compass art installation will have its world premiere here in Leicester city centre as part of the British Science Festival.

Europe’s longest standing science festival will this year be taking place at De Montfort University from Tuesday, September 13 until Saturday, September 17. Alongside a programme of free events, the festival will welcome The Compass to Jubilee Square.

The Compass will be in position over the same period and aims to give people an opportunity to immerse themselves in a 'unique and mesmerising' walk through various stories of scientific discovery. It has been commissioned and created for Leicester and specially built to fit in the location.

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Antonio Benitez, director of the British Science Festival, said: “The British Science Festival is the perfect host to showcase such a truly exceptional installation as a celebration of British science, research and innovation. Bringing The Compass to life with Illuminos, Inspirate and other partners, alongside input from local community groups and pioneers in British research, has been such a unique project which we’re very excited to open to the public.”

The Compass will be open until 10pm, transforming from its internal installation format in the day into a spectacular 360 degree projection experience after dark, giving two experiences for audiences to enjoy.

Illuminos is made up of brothers Matt and Rob Vale, who have been creating projection artworks and experiences for more than 10 years. Past projects have included installations at Les Troyens for Lyric Opera, Chicago, US and the 2017 Capital of Culture closing ceremony in Paphos, Cyprus.

In a statement, Matt and Rob said: "The Compass is a rolling piece, which allows visitors to start and end their journey at any point. The overarching narrative and soundtrack allow you to experience how the varied elements fit together through sights and sounds, as you feel the movement and trajectory through researcher’s commentary.

“The Compass has been specially built in response to the shape and layout of Jubilee Square in Leicester, echoing its North, South, East and West walkways, and we can’t wait to premiere it at the British Science Festival.”

Jiten Anand, director of Inspirate, said: “We wanted to choose a concept which would educate but also encapsulate the imagination of visitors. The local youth panel offered a range of voices as we considered some fantastic proposals. The Compass looks set to be a spectacular installation and a standout event for Leicester.”

The Compass will be open on Jubilee Square from Tuesday, September 13 to Saturday, September 17. The opening hours are Tuesday September 13: 11am – 6pm, Wednesday September 14 – Saturday September 17: 11am – 10pm.

The Compass is a drop-in activity and pre-booking is not required. Entry is free for all attendees.