Will more student rooms serve as town catalyst?
If the roads and services were not maintained surely they’d eventually become unusable by potential customers so either way the business suffers short or longer term? Just a thought.
Susan Hill, novelist, 78; Michael Mann, director, 77; Charlotte Rampling (above), actress, 74; Barbara Hershey, actress, 72; Jennifer Jason Leigh, actress, 58; Jose Maria Olazabal (above), golfer, 54; Bobby Brown, singer, 51; Andy Hinchcliffe, ex-footballer, 51; Cristiano Ronaldo, footballer, 35.
IN the last week it was reported that the council want a new and improved George Hotel to be the catalyst for a vibrant St George’s Square area, now apparently called the Northern Quarter.
They quite rightly presume that a successful hotel, full of business people and travellers will also want to ‘wine and dine’ in the nearby excellent bars and restaurants. So why have the council given planning permission to the owner to turn the hotel into an apartment hotel, 50 bedrooms with kitchens?
Leading the transformation of the George Hotel will be specialists in student accommodation. Will the owner fill the hotel with international students on 12-month leases? Without our university, our town would be nowhere now, and without the demand for student accommodation many of our heritage buildings would be derelict.
However, if the George Hotel is the key to revitalising the Northern Quarter, as our leaders make us believe, then a George Hotel full of international students who for cultural and financial reasons may not wish to visit our bars and restaurants, is not the answer.
As a former student myself I know trips to restaurants are for special occasions only.
The old Crescent Pub, down Northumberland Street has been fully occupied with international students for a while now, but there has been no positive impact on the local bars and restaurants.
No, I am sorry, but if our leaders think that cash-strapped students living in apartments with full kitchen facilities are going to miraculously transform the ailing bars and restaurants of the St. George’s Square area then they are as naive as some people suggest.
Glad to see the back of Veganuary
NEVER mind Brexit, I shall just be glad to see the back of the tomfoolery known as ‘Veganuary.’ I am at a loss to understand how such an insignificant percentage of the population has managed to secure such a disproportionately large media footprint in recent weeks.
You cannot open a page without the word ‘vegan’ leaping out. Surely it is time to shunt this particular bandwagon into some remote siding, and let the other 99% of us omnivores, vegetarians and flexitarians enjoy our chosen diet in peace.
Comments about Brexit don’t add up
BARRY Sheerman
Jan 30) says he thinks rubbing noses in it is not appropriate to celebrate leaving the EU.
His (comment) that “people who voted to leave were uneducated” – was that not rubbing noses in it?
Fill us in on just how much cash there is
WHILST concurring wholeheartedly with Mr J Whiteing
January 29) about the consequences of the Tour de Yorkshire for Huddersfield, I suggest it should be noted that at least £180,000 has already been passed to Welcome to Yorkshire cycle department.
How many potholes etc would that have repaired?