Author: Newcastle Historian

It was quite a long time coming, but we finally got our own sub-forum on 14th October 2009.

Since then, if I can express my own opinion on this, our forum has grown almost beyond belief, and has gone from strength to strength . . and MORE!

However, not everyone on here might feel that it is working (for them) quite as well as I think it is?

The idea of this thread is to use it as a place where we can all come on to discuss and praise and criticise, or whatever, and "plan together" for the future of our forum.

I think this would be a very useful tool, somewhere where we can pool all our thoughts and ideas all in one place?

Anyway, to start the debate off . . there have been some VERY interesting comments made recently, on a thread called "Should some subforums be merged?" which bigchrisfgb drew to our attention a week or so ago on the Skybar.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1043353

I have inserted parts of two of the comments from that thread, below.

They are significant because of who wrote them. As most of you know, Gothicform is the website (ALL of Skyscraper City) owner. To receive two such strong praiseworthy comments about us on this forum, is excellent, but I think that it is what Gothic writes in the second quote, that is the most significant. I interpret what Gothic writes, to mean that we (little old us) are really making our mark on SSC, and all to the good!

The below article in todays (23rd Jan 2010) Evening Chronicle, prompted me to start this thread today!

Iconic Chinese archway facing safety repairs
Jan 23 2010 by Tom Mullen, Evening Chronicle.

A LANDMARK at the heart of Newcastle’s Chinese community is being repaired after tiles began to fall down onto a road below.

The iconic Chinese archway at the entrance to the city’s Chinatown is today covered in scaffolding after fears for the safety of road users.

A section of road at the junction of Gallowgate and St Andrew’s Street was closed for several days this week while council workmen carried out repairs.

The archway is the symbolic entrance of Chinatown – the bustling centre of trade, cuisine and Far East culture in Newcastle.

Thousands are expected to flock to the area for Chinese New Year celebrations next month, when the archway becomes the forefront of the merriment.

However, repair work is said to be nearing completion and the cordoned-off stretch of road was reopened yesterday. It is believed natural weather erosion was the cause of damage to the structure.

Members of the public yesterday expressed their concern about the state of the archway, which was completed in 2004 to a fanfare of traditional Feng Shui ceremonies.

Business student Sio Hong Cheong, who regularly visits Chinatown, said: “It’s here so everyone knows it’s Chinatown. It’s important to have an archway and Chinese people are proud because there are not many Chinatowns in cities in the UK.

“I think it’s one of the landmarks of Newcastle.”

Part-time bar worker Rachel Lyn, 21, of Wickham, Gateshead, said: “I love coming to Chinatown.

“We often come for birthday celebrations at some of the restaurants.”

Others, however, were more sceptical about the significance of the archway and suggested taxpayers’ money should not be used to maintain it.

Danny Gallagher, of West Denton, a drinker at the nearby Irish Centre, said: “It’s part and parcel of the culture of Newcastle and the Chinese – more Chinese culture than Newcastle culture if you ask me.

That’s not being racist but if there’s a problem with the archway the onus should be on the Chinese and not the man on the street to pay for it.”

There are specific project threads for those new hotels currently proposed, and while that will doubtless continue to be what happens on here when a specific hotel project reaches the ‘proposal’ stage, I see no reason why future plans cannot be discussed in general on here, along with the present and the past. Hence the thread title of "Hotels of the past, the present and future plans"

Also, while most hotels are/will be, in Newcastle, we can also include those from Gateshead/North Tyneside, etc (the "Newcastle Metro Area", in fact!).

First we had the NEDC (North of England Development Corporation) then we had the NDC (Northern Development Company) and now we have ONE NorthEast.

OK, I may have missed some out there, not sure?

I left the UDC (Urban Development Corporation) called Tyne & Wear Development Corporation, out on purpose, as that was something specific, temporary and different.

BUT, do these ‘Regional Development Agencies’ really do any good? What have any of them achieved for us?

This thread has been prompted by the article in todays (9th January 2010) Newcastle Journal . . .

Tories reveal plans to break up agency
Jan 9 2010 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

CONSERVATIVE plans to scrap development agencies could see the North East split into three parts.

The Tories have told the region’s council chiefs they will allow them to get together with business and decide whether or not to scrap the £250m-a-year regeneration body One North East. While many councillors attending yesterday’s Association of North East Councils summit in Gateshead have publicly supported the agency, behind the scenes there are rumours some would be greatly tempted by the Tory offer.

Shadow local government minister Bob Neill told the summit his party was of the opinion that the cash behind the agency would be put to better use if it was handed to groups of authorities built around smaller economic areas such as Tyneside and Teesside.

Council chiefs could potentially come together and be handed control of millions of pounds for major projects, an option which would make it easy for an elected councillor to show voters how he or she had brought jobs to their patch.

Tyneside and Teesside could form two easy economic areas, with city leaders aware of suggestions that Sunderland and Durham could also form their own partnership.

Between them they account for two of the region’s biggest authorities.

Speaking to The Journal, Mr Neill said “natural economic areas” such as these deserved to have a greater say over jobs funds and warned quango bosses a new era of accountability would follow a Conservative election victory.

He added: “We will give local authorities the chance to have their say on whether the agency goes, and we would want to give those councils the chance to bid to take over the funding, so the money will stay local.

“The areas that the money is handed to will have to be decided locally, but I think that is a much more accountable way of dealing with this.

“I think people here do want to see that happen, that they have a much greater say over where the money is spent. If in the North East they think the agency works well for this region – and in a region of this size it might – then they can put that case to the Department for Business, but at least they will have the option.”

Under current funding rules a council bidding for cash from One North East for a jobs project in Alnwick would have to compete for the funds against projects from as far south as Redcar in Teesside.

Minister for the North East Nick Brown last night said the Tory plans would spell disaster for the region.

He said: “They are preparing to make a terrible mistake. We have a proven track record of working together on the key economic issues that matter and seeing the benefits for all. I don’t think breaking up that partnership into several sites will help anyone.”

So, in the interests of fairness, we should include it as a ‘project’, with its own project thread on here, I feel.

There is also, understandably, a thread for this project, on the ‘Sunderland & Durham’ sub-forum.

DETAILS . . .