P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[Selbourne]

6 hours ago, pete14 said:

Just a small question to while away the time in tier 3:
 

How many of the beautiful quail scotch eggs sold in the Glasshouse would constitute a substantial meal, on their own with nothing else?

 

Any advance on 8?

I have never considered any of those ‘small plates’ in the Glasshouse to be a substantial meal - even three of them 😂 I love the sea bass and prawn in curried broth though, with or without alcohol (usually with) 😉 

[Selbourne]

I have no time for anti-vaxxers, but must confess to being an anti-smart meterer (is that a word)? 😂 

[grapau27]

12 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I have no time for anti-vaxxers, but must confess to being an anti-smart meterer (is that a word)? 😂 

+1

[wowzz]

Thought I'd just change the subject to something totally different. 

Given that Debenhams are likely to soon close all their stores, many of which are enormous, and spread over two or three floors,  if you were the landlord,  what would you try and do with these premises,  given that you are not going to find  many takers for the property.

[Bloodaxe]

When House of Frazer closed in Hull it was rumoured to be turned into

a Hotel, has far has I know nothing has happened and it's still empty.

Debenhams down the road will joining it and a large British Home Stores already gone.

Sadly town centre shopping has had its day.

 

[Harry Peterson]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Thought I'd just change the subject to something totally different. 

Given that Debenhams are likely to soon close all their stores, many of which are enormous, and spread over two or three floors,  if you were the landlord,  what would you try and do with these premises,  given that you are not going to find  many takers for the property.

Without hesitation, apartment conversions, depending on location. You and I probably both know the Lincoln one, and it’s perfect, either for students or for more general use.

 

Far too much retail space now, far too little accommodation for people. The perfect match, subject to some changes in planning law, some of which are already here.

 

European cities like Amsterdam very successfully combine shopping and residential. We should do the same. Benefits all round.

[Adawn47]

51 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I have no time for anti-vaxxers, but must confess to being an anti-smart meterer (is that a word)? 😂 

Well it wasn't, but it is now😉

Avril

[DamianG]

7 hours ago, brian1 said:

Great post Damian,belated congrats on new job.In this day and age the old saying of"it ain't what you know but who you know" is obsolete.The person that put you in the frame for the job obviously knew you were competent and wouldn't risk her reputation otherwise.Our Son in law contracted GBS years ago via a bout of food poisoning abroad.He was paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator but after a transfusion of specially treated blood,made a full recovery.He was obviously younger but hopefully your dad will be OK.Good luck,cheers,Brian.

 

Thanks Brian, welcome back to the UK and have a Great Christmas!

[DamianG]

6 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

Sorry I missed this post before, I’m so pleased you’ve found a new job. Hopefully it might lead to something more permanent. 
Sorry to hear about your Dad, I hope he gets the care he needs.

 

My poor old mum has had 3 falls this week but she keeps laughing! One was into a glass door so was a bit subdued about that one. Elderly parents are such a worry.

 

Thanks Sue

[kalos]

55 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I have no time for anti-vaxxers, but must confess to being an anti-smart meterer (is that a word)? 😂 

 

it is now  

[Adawn47]

38 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Thought I'd just change the subject to something totally different. 

Given that Debenhams are likely to soon close all their stores, many of which are enormous, and spread over two or three floors,  if you were the landlord,  what would you try and do with these premises,  given that you are not going to find  many takers for the property.

Convert them into housing for the homeless and those who are already housed in unfit and unsanitary conditions.

Avril

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, Adawn47 said:

Well it wasn't, but it is now😉

Avril

Insist on a second generation SMETS2 replacement, if you decide to have one, and you should be fine, Avril. Very few problems with these, and all suppliers should now be using them.

 

I’d like one to avoid reading meters every month, but had to turn down the offer because it involved someone coming inside the house to connect to the consumer unit.

[Ardennais]

The only Debenhams stores that I’m familiar with are slap bang in the middle of shopping centres (Telford., Wrexham and Carmarthen) and I don’t think that domestic use would suit those premises. 

[DamianG]

3 hours ago, SeaJane said:

Just heard that our niece is quite poorly and has tested positive for COVID-19. She is a primary school teacher in Essex and apparently her school has quite a large outbreak. She is in her 30s and very fit and active, but nevertheless we are concerned for her. 

 

Best wishes to your niece for a full recovery and for her family too.

 

1 hour ago, Eglesbrech said:

I hope she gets over it quickly, thankfully at her age it is highly likely that she will.

 

Teachers have been thrown to the wolves IMO. Other front line staff have PPE or physical barriers like Perspex etc. Teachers have to face potential COVID from 30 or more households every day in classes which are sometimes too small to distance. Governments keep saying children don’t get it but they do carry it and pass it on to adults.

 

You're absolutely right, our son's Primary School have been ever so careful with their protocols but have still had to send classes home at different times including our son's (he's been learning at home via Zoom meetings for the last 8 days). It doesn't help when parents or carers ignore things like the one-way system around the school premises and still can't help talking in groups with little social distancing. The one-way ignorance in particular really annoys me and you would not believe how many try to exit through a gate with a large "No Exit" sign on it. They comply if there is a member of staff stood guard but when there isn't they just go through in order to save a few minutes walk back to their cars (usually parked in a residents zone or on double yellow lines). 😠

 

 

[kalos]

3 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Convert them into housing for the homeless and those who are already housed in unfit and unsanitary conditions.

Avril

 

Watching the news on tv  this morning a retail expert was saying some of the former 

Debenhams stores would be turned into living   accommodation .

This has been happening in Rotherham for a while now .When they knocked down the

old market area, this was replaced with private apartments and there are plans to do the

same up the high street where British Home Stores sat .

It does make sense for people who otherwise commute each day to their work place 

within the town centre .

 

[Adawn47]

27 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Insist on a second generation SMETS2 replacement, if you decide to have one, and you should be fine, Avril. Very few problems with these, and all suppliers should now be using them.

 

I’d like one to avoid reading meters every month, but had to turn down the offer because it involved someone coming inside the house to connect to the consumer unit.

Thanks Harry, but I don't want a smart meter. Every 3 months I read the meter, enter it into my online account, two days later they email me and I pay my bill online. Once every 12/18 months someone will come out to read it as well, but I think that's to make sure I'm not  being naughty with the numbers😉 Simple. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Avril

Edited December 2, 2020 by Adawn47

[purplesea]

3 hours ago, SeaJane said:

Just heard that our niece is quite poorly and has tested positive for COVID-19. She is a primary school teacher in Essex and apparently her school has quite a large outbreak. She is in her 30s and very fit and active, but nevertheless we are concerned for her. 

Sorry to hear about your niece. I hope she doesn't suffer too much, also that her husband and son stay safe. Wishing them all the besst.

 

One of my daughters is also a primary school teacher. Another is a teaching assistant who has a compromised immune system and covid cases have been reported in her school. I agree worrying times.

[kalos]

Just now, Adawn47 said:

Thank s Harry, but I don't want a smart meter. Every 3 months I read the meter, enter it into my online account, two days later they email me and I pay my bill online. Once every 12/18 months someone will come out to read it as well, but I think that's to make sure I'm not  being naughty with the numbers😉 Simple. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Avril

 

Exactly the same here but unlike you I have to step outside the house to read our gas meter 

but that's no hardship to me .

[Adawn47]

6 minutes ago, kalos said:

 

Watching the news on tv  this morning a retail expert was saying some of the former 

Debenhams stores would be turned into living   accommodation .

This has been happening in Rotherham for a while now .When they knocked down the

old market area, this was replaced with private apartments and there are plans to do the

same up the high street where British Home Stores sat .

It does make sense for people who otherwise commute each day to their work place 

within the town centre .

 

Anything is better than leaving our towns looking like post nuclear war zones.

Avril

[purplesea]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Thought I'd just change the subject to something totally different. 

Given that Debenhams are likely to soon close all their stores, many of which are enormous, and spread over two or three floors,  if you were the landlord,  what would you try and do with these premises,  given that you are not going to find  many takers for the property.

Our nearest Debenhams is in Truro which has been closed for a while now, the next one is Plymouth which is right in the city centre. I don't think either of them are suitable to be made into accomodation, which will just leave two more empty properties.

[Harry Peterson]

15 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Thanks Harry, but I don't want a smart meter. Every 3 months I read the meter, enter it into my online account, two days later they email me and I pay my bill online. Once every 12/18 months someone will come out to read it as well, but I think that's to make sure I'm not  being naughty with the numbers😉 Simple. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Avril

I used to take the same approach, Avril. Until I realised that unless you have, or agree to have, a smart meter, some of the cheapest tariffs aren’t available to you. 

[wowzz]

7 minutes ago, purplesea said:

I don't think either of them are suitable to be made into accomodation, which will just leave two more empty properties.

I think that will be an issue for many of them. The one in Lincoln, that Harry referred to, is large,  but to convert to accomodation, where every flat will require natural light, plus all the usual services, would be astronomic,  and probably uneconomic given student rents.

And the one in Meadowhall in Sheffield is obviously never going to be used for accomodation,  so is likely to remain empty for ever.

Personally, I would like to see the stores partitioned into smaller units, suitable for independent retailers, craftsmen,  etc, but realistically I can't see how that would make economic sense for the landlords, although some income is possibly better than none.

[Angel57]

30 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Thanks Harry, but I don't want a smart meter. Every 3 months I read the meter, enter it into my online account, two days later they email me and I pay my bill online. Once every 12/18 months someone will come out to read it as well, but I think that's to make sure I'm not  being naughty with the numbers😉 Simple. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Avril

Me too April. I like to pay for what I have used and no more.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Thought I'd just change the subject to something totally different. 

Given that Debenhams are likely to soon close all their stores, many of which are enormous, and spread over two or three floors,  if you were the landlord,  what would you try and do with these premises,  given that you are not going to find  many takers for the property.

For reasons that have never made sense to me (even though I’ve dealt with loads of commercial leases) many landlords would prefer to have properties sitting empty, rather than heavily discount them to ensure occupancy, in order to protect the ‘rental tone’ (as they call it) of an area. Once the rent plummets on one property, all other tenants in the same location use that as ‘evidence’ to support lower rent themselves and it becomes a downward spiral , the losers being the landlords, most of whom (in the case of stores like Debenhams) will be major institutional investors. The best option in the long term will be ‘change of use’ as virtually no retailers will want physical stores of that size now. 

[AndyMichelle]

9 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

For reasons that have never made sense to me (even though I’ve dealt with loads of commercial leases) many landlords would prefer to have properties sitting empty, rather than heavily discount them to ensure occupancy, in order to protect the ‘rental tone’ (as they call it) of an area. Once the rent plummets on one property, all other tenants in the same location use that as ‘evidence’ to support lower rent themselves and it becomes a downward spiral , the losers being the landlords, most of whom (in the case of stores like Debenhams) will be major institutional investors. The best option in the long term will be ‘change of use’ as virtually no retailers will want physical stores of that size now. 

Speaking locally, I suspect ours will be knocked down and replaced with student accommodation. 

The site opposite Debenhams has just re applied for planning permission as it was incorporating a hotel, homes and retail but now wants to be majority homes. 

There are still some companies who take on larger units like Primark and Sports Direct, but they are already in most towns. 

The High Streets have been changing for years and will continue to evolve. 

Andy