LEICESTER | Full Summary of Projects

[Leicity82]

So true...

Having returned home late on Thursday from another personally funded trip to MIPIM (the world's largest property conference in Cannes, south of France) I, along with my fellow travellers, am left pondering over many points including that old chestnut: 'Why did we bother again?'
Being somewhat on the fringes of the property sector perhaps I am better placed to try to answer this question.

Yes, there is a chance I may strike up a new relationship with a potential client for Cooper Parry, but to be perfectly frank I could do this much more successfully by staying at home.
The main reason I and a number of other Leicester business people spend our own time and money travelling to Cannes is essentially a desire to see Leicester grow and prosper.
Over the past three years at MIPIM, I have attended a number of promotional events for various UK cities, and at almost every one I would have been able to exhibit why Leicester would come out on top in a straight race for funds, especially now given the exciting developments planned and on-going.
The frustration at having to sit and listen to representatives of other UK cities spout on about how great their workforce, infrastructure, history and culture is can be galling when you know what we have to offer.
Most of these cities are supported by the big employers in their region, another factor sadly lacking in Leicester's case. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that Leicester is perfect by any stretch of the imagination but nowhere is – the point is that you don't win the lottery unless you buy a ticket. And the lottery prize on offer here is significant.
It is great the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has taken the decision to support MIPIM in 2013.
The key questions which now arise are what will this support entail and how serious are we about promoting Leicester as an attractive place to invest?
As someone who gets close to investors on a regular basis, I can say with certainty that funds are out there looking for a credible home, despite the much-publicised economic downturn.
These funds are available at a regional, national, and more widely, at an international level, which makes attendance at MIPIM all the more important. How many other opportunities exist to showcase what Leicester has to offer to willing and credible international investors?
Yes, it will cost some money to do this successfully but how much is spent is not the key factor here. More important is the need for a sound proposition and energetic people to deliver it.
The latter should not be a problem for Leicester given we already have the only unofficial delegation at MIPIM flying the flag for any city.
So the real challenges for MIPIM 2013 involve firstly identifying what it is about Leicester that makes it unique and worth investing in, and secondly, making sure this message is delivered to the right audience.
Not easy, I agree, but certainly achievable and with 12 months to plan there can be no excuses for getting it wrong. Engaging with the large local employers and well-known businesses is another key challenge for the LEP; take Jaguar Land Rover's continued support for Coventry at MIPIM as an example.
I urge the LEP, those private entities who formed the "informal Leicester delegation" again this year – namely Cooper Parry, Freeth Cartwright, Pick Everard, MIRA, Raynsway Properties, Pedigree Filbert and Waldeck – and those absent employers, to start work now on ensuring that MIPIM 2013 is synonymous with 'Team Leicester'. Who knows we may even emerge as a lottery winner.
Kevin Harris...is a partner at accountants Cooper Parry in Leicester and deputy chairman of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce.

See: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

So it's not just us locals who are fed up the the lack of progress by LLEP.

[Regeneration is cool]

A fucking bloody Tesco on fucking Narborough Road. Can Tesco just fucking fuck off

[duane]

Originally Posted by Regeneration is cool

A fucking bloody Tesco on fucking Narborough Road. Can Tesco just fucking fuck off

Is this another one in addition to the few that are already on Narborough Road and the soon to be giant Tesco around Braunstone Gate/Narborough Road?

[Lears City]

Might lead to another Science Park...

[candida]

Any comments on the Jubilee Square to be created? Or not if LCC has anything to do with it.

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/EasySite...ype=Attachment

[Leicity82]

I like it and will definitely improve the area.

[Leicity82]

From Mercury:

A crumbling council office block is set to be razed to the ground within weeks.

Demolition workers have moved into Marlborough House, at the corner of Welford Road and Marlborough Street, to prepare the building to be knocked down.

The work, which will cost about £200,000, is scheduled to take place within the next few weeks.

The contractor tasked with demolishing the building is deciding on the best way to tear down the structure.

It is unclear whether any roads will have to be partially or completely closed as a result of the work, which will take around three months to complete.

Welford Road is a key artery at rush hour and any restriction on traffic flow could cause disruption

Full article: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

[WOTZDA POINT]

Originally Posted by Leicity82

From Mercury:

Full article: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

Hmmmm the city council are very good at knocking buildings down not so good at building replacements !!!!!!!!

Would be nice to have a solid plan in place as to the future development rather than a peice of brownfield land which will just become another car park.

[Lears City]

Thought the same thing myself, when I read the report this morning...

Bet it does end up as a new car park for years.

Like so many before it...

[DBadger]

The phrase "car park" being used lightly of course, I don't think a pile of rubble that one could plonk some cars on really counts as a car park! (Filbert street, applegate, etc...)

Regardless, won't exactly be sad to see it go.

The New Walk centre's going isn't it? Maybe they could do something to make use of both sites together.

[Lears City]

A really big "car park"?

[Leicity82]

from the Merc:

Residents might know about the great things Leicester has to offer, but it seems foreign tourists need a little more persuasion.

Despite attractions such as the National Space Centre, Curve theatre and the Golden Mile, the city has failed to make a top 20 list of the most popular British destinations for international visitors.

It trailed behind cities such as London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham, according to the International Passenger Survey commissioned by national tourist agency VisitBritain.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "I'm determined that in future years, Leicester will be in the top 20 list for overseas tourists.

"I believe the city is one of the best kept secrets anywhere in the UK. It is a brilliant city with a rich history and an awful lot to welcome international visitors.

"We need to be much more confident about what we have to offer and shout much more loudly about it."

Leicester welcomed 132,000 overseas guests in 2011 – an increase of 14,000 visitors on the previous year.

For full article see: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

The Mayor's on a roll!

Once we have all/most of our historic buildings open to the public, we can definitely show-off more, rather than about the same old lines of being multi-cultural/Space Centre, etc (which are also important).

[Leicity82]

Random question, but does anyone know what the top floors of the red brick building of the Haymarket Centre (Humberstone Gate side above Currys Digital, Pandora, etc.) are used for? Are they even occupied? I assume they are offices.

This one:
image hosted on flickr

[di Livio]

Is there a viewing platform on one of the shops on Leicester's high street, possibly on the roof of an art deco thirties building?

[Leicity82]

About Leics and MIPIM 2013:

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

[Leicity82]

From Merc:

Leicester should be at the top of the list of places that receive Government funding to create jobs, according to commercial property experts.

Research by property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton concluded that the city meets the criteria for the Government's Regional Growth Fund, which will be offering £1 million to local authorities to help businesses expand and create jobs.

The firm said Leicester qualified because it had high unemployment, a higher than average percentage of people employed in the public sector and a relatively low number of private sector businesses.

Geoff Gibson, head of Lambert Smith Hampton's Leicester office, said: "I would urge companies in the area to look at this very seriously.

"It's a tremendous opportunity and with the work we have been doing with the Local Enterprise Partnership, we are well-placed to advise market entrants on property and locations."

See: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

[candida]

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

The population of Leicester has increased by 47,100 in the last 10 years according to new census data released today.

In March 2011 everyone in the country was asked to fill in a form giving a snapshot of the population, the census data for the decade.

Census data 2011 released today shows a rise in Leicester's population

The figures, released by the Government today, show Leicester's population is 329,900 compared with 282,800 in 2001, an increase of almost 17%.

The figures are used by the Government to determine how much money the city should be given for services such as education and social services.

The figures show the biggest age group in the city is 20 to 24-year-olds, which make up 35,400 people.

There are also 1,800 people in the city aged more than 90.

Overall there are more than 37,200 people in Leicester past retirement age.

The figures also count 24,300 under fives in Leicester.

The figures show the population of Leicestershire in 2011 was 650,500 compared with 609,579 in 2001.

The rest of the census data, including information on occupations, religions etc, is to be released later in the year.

Nationally, the population of England and Wales has leapt by 3.7 million over the last decade, the biggest growth between censuses since records began, according to new figures.

The number of people living in England and Wales stands at 56.1 million, a rise of just over 7% on the 52.4 million registered in the 2001 census.

The growth in population was fuelled by migration, increased life expectancy and a rise in fertility rates, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The new figures show the biggest growth in numbers in any period between censuses since the headcount began 210 years ago in 1801, with England now the fifth fastest growing country in the European Union.

The ONS said the figures showed that the population for England and Wales was just under half a million higher, or 480,000, than was previously estimated.

Glen Watson, director of the 2011 Census, said: “In 2011, growth of 3.7 million stands out as being the largest growth in any 10-year period in the last 210 years.

“The population has been growing throughout the decade since 2001. These latest 2011 population estimates are 1% higher than we previously thought, just under half a million higher.”

Read more on: Leicestershire County Council leader welcomes new 2011 census data
For more onformation on the national picture see the Office for National Statistics: Census 2011 (pdf file)

There is a excel sheet on the census website with exact figures.

[candida]

Do you think we will finally get some more moneyfrom the government for our city now? It's long overdue as far as I am concerned.

[candida]

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

Calls have been made for more Government funding and extra schools in Leicester after the census revealed the city's population had risen by 47,000 between 2001 and 2011.

The Leicester City Council area now holds 329,900 people – 16 per cent more than in 2001, when there were about 282,800, the fastest growth of any city in the region.

More than a quarter of Leicester's population – 27 per cent – is aged 20 or under, making it the city with the youngest population in the East Midlands.

Assistant city mayor Manjula Sood said more money was needed to cope with the extra pressure that the surge in numbers placed on already-strained finances.

She said she hoped the stark statistics would strengthen the council's case for more funding for the Government, as grants are determined by population figures.

She said: "This sort of growth is a big challenge and there's a clear financial burden on health services and a lack of resources, as well as school places.

"We need more schools because our admission numbers are high for secondary and primary schools.

"Leicester has got a very young population and young people need education, further education and skills training.

"We have to face these challenges but now we can go to the Government and these figures will help our case because 47,000 extra people is a lot."

Figures outlining the nationality and ethnicity of the population will not be released until November this year.

Coun Sood said she expected a wide-ranging ethnic mix to account for the growth. This is in line with the analysis from the Office of National Statistics, which said the rise in the numbers of young people seen nationally was due partly to increased fertility in women from the UK and partly to a growing number of women of child-bearing age coming to the country from overseas.

She said: "As well as children being born, there have been people coming from eastern Europe in that time as well as Afghanistan and the Middle East and family members from Asia and Somalia joining people who came here in the past."

Max Boden, policy manager at the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "There are obviously are a lot of young people today who are looking for work but in the coming years the Baby Boomer generation will be leaving the employment market and it will be important to have younger people.

"A growing generation of youngsters is good for retail and the house building industry. A lot of the extra people will be our growing population of students coming from overseas to the universities and they obviously bring money into Leicestershire."

The Leicestershire County Council area population grew by 6.7 per cent from 609,600 in 2001 to 650,500 in 2011, which is about average for the UK.

Within that growth was an extra 20,000 people aged 65 and over. Nearly one in five county residents are over 65.

Councillor Nick Rushton, the council's acting leader, said: "The latest figures show the council is correct to plan on the basis of increased demand for adult social care services, which will take up a growing part of the budget."

Rutland had the smallest population of all East Midlands areas with 37,000 people, but it still grew by more than eight per cent from 2001 to 2011.

[Lears City]

If this population rise has been the same across the Leicester Urban Area, then the population may now be roughly 523,000. Also will be interesting to see whether urban expansions have pulled any other areas into the LUA, especially to the south of Fosse Park. If so the Leicester Urban Area may be getting closer to 600,000 and we can start dreaming about trams, arenas and government funding!