Rare Selbourne Posted December 2, 2020 #9801 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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) 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Selbourne Posted December 2, 2020 #9802 Share Posted December 2, 2020 I have no time for anti-vaxxers, but must confess to being an anti-smart meterer (is that a word)? 😂 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 2, 2020 #9803 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wowzz Posted December 2, 2020 #9804 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodaxe Posted December 2, 2020 #9805 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Peterson Posted December 2, 2020 #9806 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adawn47 Posted December 2, 2020 #9807 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamianG Posted December 2, 2020 #9808 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamianG Posted December 2, 2020 #9809 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalos Posted December 2, 2020 #9810 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adawn47 Posted December 2, 2020 #9811 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Peterson Posted December 2, 2020 #9812 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardennais Posted December 2, 2020 #9813 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamianG Posted December 2, 2020 #9814 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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). 😠 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalos Posted December 2, 2020 #9815 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adawn47 Posted December 2, 2020 #9816 Share Posted December 2, 2020 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplesea Posted December 2, 2020 #9817 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalos Posted December 2, 2020 #9818 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adawn47 Posted December 2, 2020 #9819 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplesea Posted December 2, 2020 #9820 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Peterson Posted December 2, 2020 #9821 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wowzz Posted December 2, 2020 #9822 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel57 Posted December 2, 2020 #9823 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Selbourne Posted December 2, 2020 #9824 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyMichelle Posted December 2, 2020 #9825 Share Posted December 2, 2020 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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