Costa and Ol' Blue Eyes

[steveL]

I'm quite chuffed that Costa is opening in Middleton Grange - especially as even the likes of little old Seaham have been able to boast of a Costa for quite a while. It means at least one more unit is occupied, a few extra jobs are provided and there's another place to get a decent, if over-priced, cup of coffee.

According to today's Mail article, Director of Regeneration Denise Ogden also thinks it's good news but as ol' Blue Eyes said:

"Then you go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like ........... 'the plans are a sign of the town's economic growth'"

For God's sake, get a grip, Denise - it's a coffee shop!

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/caffeine-invasion-costa-coffee-prepares-to-open-three-new-branches-in-hartlepool-1-7943153

[Land Phil]

The windows need a clean in Ivory Towers.

[fred c]

What chance has the town got when the Director of Regeneration, on the thick end of £100,000 a year thinks a coffee shop is a barometer of economic growth.....
she really does need to get out more.....especially.... In F****n Hartlepool

[mk1]

The BHS 'rescue' has just gone down the pan. All the stores will be closing. Never mind, have a cup of coffe........................

[steveL]

I don't think the presence of Costa is such a big deal; it was really its absence that said so much about Middleton Grange given that Costa is pretty much a standard franchise everywhere else. There are still over 30 empty units in the Shopping Centre and that is the main story here whatever Ms Ogden says. We're not going to make much progress as a town until we first rid ourselves of the spin.

BTW the renamed 'Vision' retail park was supposed to have been completed last August. It's still a building site and the progress (is there any?) seems very slow.  I have the feeling all is not well with this scheme.

[Inspector Knacker]

That's nowt, remember when the Bridge Hotel was demolished in Northgate, we were told the new row of shops on the site would be completed in time for the tall ships. The weeds are still growing on the site.

[fred c]

The town has no chance of any improvement until senior council officers Stop Kissing the collective LabTorMob a**e, & tell the Mob what Can be done & Not what they Want to be done, the town is on it's knees & no matter how much bulls**t the PR department & the Mail keep trotting out, we still haven't seen any major improvement in employment prospects or living standards for the last 20 years or so.

The LabTor Mob keep spinning the plates hoping a couple of them will keep spinning, the truth is, theres more broken crockery in the  Mayors Parlour than at a Greek wedding, they have no idea when or even if, any of their grandiose plans will ever bare fruit.

With the exception of a few LabTor councillors the ruling group are about as much use as T*ts on a Bull.......They can't even run a Cafe in a Crem at a profit.

[steveL]

20 years? That only get us back to 1996. The town has never recovered from the last of the ship yards closing in 1962 - 54 years ago and sitting on your ar** in the office for £100,000 a year, waiting for the phone to ring with news of a few more low paid retail or bar jobs isn't going to change anything.

Money laundering, drug peddling, cigarette smuggling, tax evasion and leeching off public funds are the chief businesses in Hartlepool.

[mk1]

20 years? That only get us back to 1996. The town has never recovered from the last of the ship yards closing in 1962 - 54 years ago

Hartlepool 'died' after WW1. The surplus of war built ships  meant new builds were scarce and the Shipyards had a lean time until the crash almost put them under. WW2 provided a  short respite but again a post -war Liberty ship glut finished Hartlepool shipbuilding. The town has been deprived since the 1920's.

[fred c]

I sgree with both mk1 & steveL... it has been generations of neglect..... but most people have difficulty grasping the situation going back 10 years..... which coincidentally  was around the time Drummond & then the LabTor Mob began there  Delusionary Visons & Masterplans, that have produced the square root of sweet FA since.

[seaton]

The windows need a clean in Ivory Towers.

Thought hey paid a fortune for 'self cleaning' ones ?

[seaton]

All the Costa will do is take business away from the other Coffee Shops, people aren't going to visit the Centre because of it. The ideal location for a Coffee Shop is where there is passing trade, people on their way to work in the morning looking for a caffeine top up.
It would be interesting for a Work Study person to monitor what the Rengenration person does in a day well I will give her a week and report what she actually achieves.

[Lord Elpus]

I sgree with both mk1 & steveL... it has been generations of neglect..... but most people have difficulty grasping the situation going back 10 years..... which coincidentally  was around the time Drummond & then the LabTor Mob began there  Delusionary Visons & Masterplans, that have produced the square root of sweet FA since.

I look my relations offspring who've left Hartlepool over the last 80 years, all have done well and prospered. 

For all I like Hartlepool I encouraged all my children to leave, I only wish I had 50 years ago.

It never ceases to amaze me the hair brain schemes so called regeneration experts come up with. The main beneficiary being themselves and their positions.

What's wrong with just ditching all the vision shight and just concentrating on providing decent services, improving the town and its residents quality of life.  I would suggest that would play a more positive role in attracting business than all the other vision stuff put together.  Plus it would encourage politicians to focus on those key issues.

[Stationario]

Isn't it ironic that our noteworthy member is the Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills. Has he personally brought any of these three to the town? Coffee making skills maybe?

[Alnwickist]

Had a conversation with my two youngest children on skype last night. Both now live in Austria in the mountains. They are 22 and 23, both have honours degrees and their older sister is a doctor.

I asked them the question would you ever come back to live in Hartlepool. The laughter and four letter words summed it up.Their main laughter was aimed at HBC councillors. can't write what they said as you would delete it.