Off Topic Hull City Centre Public Realm Strategy

Having toured the country comedian Mark Steel came up with his list of best (and most eccentric) places he'd been. Hull's on it!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ar...c-towns-across-the-uk-according-to-mark-steel


Hull
Hull was City of Culture in 2017, as it deserved to be.

One way this was celebrated was a machine was installed by the docks, that picked up everything said as anyone walked past it. Those words were then immediately shone in light on a tower a little way down the road.

So of course, thousands of people took turns at swearing into it, joyfully queuing up to go **** **** **** **** **** and giggling as those words were beamed from the tower.

This was dealt with by changing the software, so it didn’t recognise sweary language, and I asked the audience what was the rudest swear word that it would still light up. Without a pause one man shouted “Leeds.”

 

I've always thought it odd that the majority of Hull's waterfront is industrial. I mean, apartments and offices would sell well overlooking water - why have a giant tin shed for car sales on a prime site?! Even more bizarre when you think the car dealerships along the waterfront all face away from the water!

There's a need to have industrial land in and around the working docks (like King George Dock and Alexandra Dock), but not on derelict land or spaces along the waterfront which aren't needed for anything specific to water use (such as car sales).

 

Have a look at old photos of Leeds behind the station in the 1960s. Miles of crumbling, derelict buildings alongside the river and canal. Now it has in demand apartments, restaurants, bars, boats using the canals and a major tourist attraction, the Armouries. All done under a Labour Council as well.

 

Have to say after just coming back from Portsmouth and Southampton, Hull is sadly way behind waterfront Cities when it comes to regeneration. It’s not too late but will take a lot of cash and will.

 

What are people making there? What does he envisage them making there in the future?

 

There are grim parts of Portsmouth but the shopping complex and Spinnaker Tower puts anything in Hull in the shade. Of course it does have a major attraction in the Naval Dockyards.
Bristol is another example. And Gloucester where they have done a great job converting the buildings around the canal and dock into attractive areas with apartments, bars and restaurants.

 

Was also in Bristol in June and was really impressed by the regeneration. Great vibe to the place. Let’s hope the maritime project in Hull looks the part.

 

Problem is in Hull is that a lot of the places we have mentioned have a large river running through them, or canals, with buildings on both sides. In Hull the river that gives the city its name is not very impressive and the city has the Humber running down one side. And, despite the delusions of some it is not a coastal city. Another place with a good waterfront is Plymouth. Though away from there it is like Hull in the centre, higgledy piggledy development with undeveloped areas.

 

Yeah very much in Bristols case. Hull would of had to use the old inland dock areas. The council would need to step up its vision and work with business more. While not reaching the heights of the previous mentioned cities Hull can certainly up its game. Covid set back had slowed down a lot of movement nationally.Time will tell.

 

Yes, they could use the inland dock areas like Gloucester has round theirs. And built a more impressive shopping area in a smaller city than Hull.

 

Those photos take me back, in 1960 my first job after leaving school was at IMR ( Industrial Maritime Riggers ) which is the building on the right looking at the Lock gates towards the Humber. Happy days.

 

Agreed - the water is our biggest asset, an asset that has been wasted for 50 years

 

I actually think we have come a long way from when Humber Dock looked like this. We have evolved at our own pace but the C4DI and now Arco tech hub really compliment Humber Street and the Marina and its knitting together with the new bridge and other things like the Yorkshire Maritime City Project. We have the old town and a rich history as well as just a long waterfront and muddy river.

 

Worked at IMR in the late seventies

 

I left in 1965.

 

Ah, was racking my brains trying to think who you might be

 

Even older man!

 

It is coastal.