[ronpowellsbutler]

I haven't been to a home game since going non-league so haven't been in the town for a while.

I called in a week ago and it struck me that the place looked a bit grim.

Is it just me looking through rose tinted specs or is it symptomatic of most town centres ?

Plus, I only saw one CFC badge all afternoon and that was mine.

[mr. smith]

ronpowellsbutler, on 10 November 2019 - 10:10 AM, said:

I haven't been to a home game since going non-league so haven't been in the town for a while.

I called in a week ago and it struck me that the place looked a bit grim.

Is it just me looking through rose tinted specs or is it symptomatic of most town centres ?

Plus, I only saw one CFC badge all afternoon and that was mine.

the town has been on its bottom for years.

[Blue roan lily]

Yes it’s typical of most towns our size these days. 20 years ago we had a thriving market,plenty of occupied shops and a bustling nightlife. There’s no doubt the internet as hit the economy of the town. The likes of Amazon etc making it very easy for folks to shop without leaving the house. Also parking in the town ain’t cheap. Boozing habits of the young uns as changed. Daytime in the town pubs can still get busy but the night
time revellers seem to be dwindling. Factor in the price of drink in the pubs compared to supermarkets and that’s got to be a major factor.

[Spire-Power]

The price of a glass of wine in a pub is almost the same as a bottle from supermarket!

[The Earl of Chesterfield]

There're better and worse.

Though perhaps it's indicative of the wider economy that relatively high employment figures aren't reflected in disposable income.

Minimum wage and zero hours contracts have seen in-work poverty rise alongside food bank usage.

As for Town badges, yeah, they're still around. However jogging past a line of vehicles outside a local school the other day I couldn't help noticing how many Blunts stickers were displayed.

There's a sick kinda irony in the bloke who bragged about his club being higher than them just three short years ago not only overseeing such a demise, but reduced to hosting their youth team for a few Sheffield shillings...

[azul]

On the subjecy of pubs and coffee shops there's still plenty doing business somehow

What happened to all these develpment projects around the town

[The Peoples Champion]

Travel all over the Country and town is a shadow of what it once was however there compared to others it's not too bad really

Rotherham is dire and I mean dire Grimsby, Haetlepool and some parts of Newcastle and Sunderland are desperate

Internet shopping and greedy councils charging way too much for business rates are the biggest contributors to the downfall IMO

[Exharboroughspireite]

There are many more town centres that are in a worse state than ours.

[Ernie Ernie Ernie]

The Peoples Champion, on 10 November 2019 - 04:23 PM, said:

Travel all over the Country and town is a shadow of what it once was however there compared to others it's not too bad really

Rotherham is dire and I mean dire Grimsby, Haetlepool and some parts of Newcastle and Sunderland are desperate

Internet shopping and greedy councils charging way too much for business rates are the biggest contributors to the downfall IMO

You’d rather pay more council tax to help with the up keep if the town centre rather than make businesses pay?

[Exharboroughspireite]

The Peoples Champion, on 10 November 2019 - 04:23 PM, said:

Travel all over the Country and town is a shadow of what it once was however there compared to others it's not too bad really

Rotherham is dire and I mean dire Grimsby, Haetlepool and some parts of Newcastle and Sunderland are desperate

Internet shopping and greedy councils charging way too much for business rates are the biggest contributors to the downfall IMO

Central govt sets business rates

[The Earl of Chesterfield]

The Peoples Champion, on 10 November 2019 - 04:23 PM, said:

Travel all over the Country and town is a shadow of what it once was however there compared to others it's not too bad really

Rotherham is dire and I mean dire Grimsby, Haetlepool and some parts of Newcastle and Sunderland are desperate

Internet shopping and greedy councils charging way too much for business rates are the biggest contributors to the downfall IMO

Councils have been hammered for the last nine years, a back-handed way of imposing austerity whilst shifting the blame.

The money has to come from somewhere, and I wonder how many residents would welcome free parking yet a huge hike in council tax.

[stainlessstephen]

From the late 70s until the early 90s when my parents stood the markets, I remember how busy Chesterfield town centre used to be. My parents back then cited the chain stores, too many shops, easy credit, and the Miners Strike as the start of the decline.

[stainlessstephen]

In fact, in those good old days, I remember the old fruit n't veg turf wars. Whilst my parents sold cloth, the backbiting between the greengrocers Ayres and Sons, Michael Ibbotson, and Ernald Hill (aka "The Ayatollah") still make me smile to this day. On Fridays we used to stand right by the pump opposite Littlewoods. Then a computer game stall sprung up next to ours. Trying to get games for my Oric-1 were like trying to find hens' teeth. Then there was getting breakfast from Hagenbachs (at the top of Packers Row) and Hinchliffes Cafe in the market hall... If it wasn't for my brilliant mum and dad, I'd have either ended up a Stoke or Vale fan, but Spireite till I die...

This post has been edited by stainlessstephen: 10 November 2019 - 09:03 PM

[CFC91]

I’ve moved about a bit and also travelled most of the country watching us I don’t think Town centre is that bad compared to elsewhere. Certainly a few decent bars / places to eat etc which is more than some places. Brampton seems to have improved when I went a few months back as well compared to a couple of years ago. Nightlife in the town centre isn’t the best though but that doesn’t bother me that much any more anyway.

Potentially looking at moving back this way after 10 years living away and certainly have no qualms about settling around the town, good transport links and plenty of new housing seems to make it viable for me now.

[stainlessstephen]

CFC91

Like you say, C'field town centre still not too compared to other places. As you get older, you travel about and, as I was told, travel broadens the horizons. That said, home is where the heart is, there is always someone worse off than you are.

[Paul stanley]

I have only lived here for nearly 4 year so can't comment too much on what things were like a few year ago but have travelled the country whether it be in the wagon with my dad before he retired, with work or watching football and bands and i can honestly say there's far worse towns of a similar size. The nearest town to me of a similar size growing up in my native north east was Darlington and these days the town centre has gone right back. Not even a McDonald's, Iceland or marks and Spencers there now! Odd canny pub still does a good trade but by 11 at night the town is like a ghost town. There's no Debenhams and the major retail park which houses the likes of Currys is a good 2 mile away on a very congested road, unlike the chesterfield retail park a short walk from the town centre. The football club have also been reduced to playing at some rubbish rugby ground with little hope of developing it. Of course if anyone is ever up that way go through bishop Auckland and shildon and they sure are depressing places, you may even still see folk on horses and carts. Ditto Luton where my mate lives, even the Tesco metro has shut and the rubbish shopping mall are hell bent on blocking development in the town. The nightlife in chesterfield is like the retail, could be better, not really much good for late night drinking after 11 but changing trends nationally. Most under 30s I work with are boring buggers to be frank and are more into health kicks than boozing and eating bar meals and takeaways. Alot of boozers in town seem to be propped up by the over 40s hence why they are busier earlier on. However there's far less empty pubs than alot of towns with pubs often reopening or new pubs still appearing. Was up Whittington moor way before and after the fireworks and was a canny few out for a Sunday. Don't often see a selection of drinks in pubs like the glassworks and beer parlour in the suburbs of other towns. Chesterfield is also not too bad for live entertainment. I get sick of folk I work with who only think live music exists in Sheffield when there's stuff locally.

This post has been edited by Paul stanley: 11 November 2019 - 01:26 AM

[Bobby Darling]

The Peoples Champion, on 10 November 2019 - 04:23 PM, said:

Travel all over the Country and town is a shadow of what it once was however there compared to others it's not too bad really

Rotherham is dire and I mean dire Grimsby, Haetlepool and some parts of Newcastle and Sunderland are desperate

Internet shopping and greedy councils charging way too much for business rates are the biggest contributors to the downfall IMO

Councils don’t set business rates. The Valuation Office does surely?

[Rodney's Moustache]

Bobby Darling, on 11 November 2019 - 07:31 AM, said:

<br />Councils don't set business rates. The Valuation Office does surely?<br />

<br /><br /><br />
Correct business rates are set by the VOA not Chesterfield Borough Council.

[Siberian Spireite]

Paul stanley, on 11 November 2019 - 01:22 AM, said:

I have only lived here for nearly 4 year so can't comment too much on what things were like a few year ago but have travelled the country whether it be in the wagon with my dad before he retired, with work or watching football and bands and i can honestly say there's far worse towns of a similar size. The nearest town to me of a similar size growing up in my native north east was Darlington and these days the town centre has gone right back. Not even a McDonald's, Iceland or marks and Spencers there now! Odd canny pub still does a good trade but by 11 at night the town is like a ghost town. There's no Debenhams and the major retail park which houses the likes of Currys is a good 2 mile away on a very congested road, unlike the chesterfield retail park a short walk from the town centre. The football club have also been reduced to playing at some rubbish rugby ground with little hope of developing it. Of course if anyone is ever up that way go through bishop Auckland and shildon and they sure are depressing places, you may even still see folk on horses and carts. Ditto Luton where my mate lives, even the Tesco metro has shut and the rubbish shopping mall are hell bent on blocking development in the town. The nightlife in chesterfield is like the retail, could be better, not really much good for late night drinking after 11 but changing trends nationally. Most under 30s I work with are boring buggers to be frank and are more into health kicks than boozing and eating bar meals and takeaways. Alot of boozers in town seem to be propped up by the over 40s hence why they are busier earlier on. However there's far less empty pubs than alot of towns with pubs often reopening or new pubs still appearing. Was up Whittington moor way before and after the fireworks and was a canny few out for a Sunday. Don't often see a selection of drinks in pubs like the glassworks and beer parlour in the suburbs of other towns. Chesterfield is also not too bad for live entertainment. I get sick of folk I work with who only think live music exists in Sheffield when there's stuff locally.

I love County Durham and am visiting Lumiere this coming weekend. I know Durham city is very different from the county surrounding it but I love it all, including Darlington, which has real character, I think. Stayed near Bishop Auckland last time and sure, it was a bit down at heel (not as noticeably so as neighbouring Spennymoor) but seemed a decent enough town filled with an unremarkable mixture of Victorian terraces..... what surprised me is that in Bishop Auckland each of those terraces costs around 25 to 30k. The town didn't seem that bad but reading further, is plagued by social problems.

As for Chesterfield, I grew up there in the 80s, just post-miners' strike, and recall the town being in a much worse state than it is now. I can't really speak for the last couple of years as I've only tended to come to Whit Moor for the 'football'.

This post has been edited by Siberian Spireite: 11 November 2019 - 10:12 AM

[JonB]

I go up to Sunderland now and then to watch football with my Sunderland supporting other half and do enjoy the trip up. Whilst i'm in no doubt it has some areas that arent great, which big towns and cities dont, it has plenty going for it. The beach front down at Roker is really nice...if rather blustery at times!!