Southampton and Cruise ships

Meh. There have been endless plans to revamp Mayflower Park but very little has happened apart from taking away its best feature, the big slide. Have they actually got the money and a main contractor?

http://www.royalpierwaterfront.com/

http://www.royalpierwaterfront.com/

Thanks. Looks quite good. Very little on funding though.

Meh. There have been endless plans to revamp Mayflower Park but very little has happened apart from taking away its best feature, the big slide. Have they actually got the money and a main contractor?

Yes. Lucent Group is the organisation with resources behind the proposal.

Thanks. Looks quite good. Very little on funding though.

Dare say they wouldn't give too much away on their website, but there are some sizeable investors involved. Hopefully it's not BS!

The standard run to the Norwegian fjords tends to be in high summer, which is pretty useless for Northern lights. They have started to run Oriana up to Tromsø a couple of times in March which are specifically for the lights. For almost all other destinations Southampton is several hours steaming nearer which is very important in today's cruise world of slower speeds.

Thats what I was refering to Whitey just the odd cruise which takes in the Northern Lights but it is pot luck if you see them we were lucky a few years ago when we went up but I know some others that went up and did not see them.

http://www.royalpierwaterfront.com/

Extract from that website:-

In a 2013 study, the bank (HSBC) identified Southampton as the number one such market for residential investors in the UK. The cities of Blackpool, Kingston upon Hull, Manchester, Nottingham, Coventry, Slough, Oxford, Liverpool and Portsmouth followed.

We're 9 places above Portsmouth. Surely not?

When this development is finished, it will have one major advantage over Gunwharf; it will be directly connected to the High Street.

Dare say they wouldn't give too much away on their website, but there are some sizeable investors involved. Hopefully it's not BS!

Im assuming its some kind of planning gain process - they will renovate Mayflower Park in exchange for being able to build hundreds of flats somewhere. The acid test is the balance between number of flats and amount of public space.

Im assuming its some kind of planning gain process - they will renovate Mayflower Park in exchange for being able to build hundreds of flats somewhere. The acid test is the balance between number of flats and amount of public space.

And that's certainly been a fundamental failing in the past.

From the Royal Pier website:

With its distinguished maritime history, Southampton has long needed - and deserved - a bustling waterfront.

How very true. Hopefully whatever manifests out of this will all be worth it. I'm always surprised we don't make more of the cruise liners with decent places to see them, bars and restaurants that overlook etc. That whole road down by Dock Gate 4 has been refurbished and the area is on the upturn (Oxford Street is lovely) so hopefully that can spread onwards to the waterfront. Ocean Village and Town Quay were, unfortunately, poorly thought out executed and just didn't work. It all needs something to get people there and keep them there.

And that's certainly been a fundamental failing in the past.

 

From the Royal Pier website:

 

 

How very true. Hopefully whatever manifests out of this will all be worth it. I'm always surprised we don't make more of the cruise liners with decent places to see them, bars and restaurants that overlook etc. That whole road down by Dock Gate 4 has been refurbished and the area is on the upturn (Oxford Street is lovely) so hopefully that can spread onwards to the waterfront. Ocean Village and Town Quay were, unfortunately, poorly thought out executed and just didn't work. It all needs something to get people there and keep them there.[/font]

Indeed. If they can join up Ocean Village, Town Quay and Mayflower Park with something worth visiting, it could be fantastic. Add to the West Quay, Watermark West Quay and Oxford Street being close by it has a lot of potential.

What we also need in that development is a landmark. The Spinnaker Tower is Portsmouth's, the Pier is Brighton's, I'm not sure the Spitfire monument will quite work out to be ours.

Haven't lived in Southampton since 76/77 and that was as a student/graduate trainee but I visit a fair bit.. :-) All this is so true. I recall one of my football friends telling me about eating/drinking in one of the venues down by the water (possibly down near Harbour Lights) and being looked at like an alien when he asked why they didn't have windows at the end overlooking the water. It's most odd how little the water is exploited.

You have to retain continuous public access to the water as far as possible. You'll get people strolling along, stopping for a drink here, an icecream there etc. It would lift the whole area. A free shuttle bus from the central station via town would also be a good idea at peak times. I'm still looking forward to water taxis to St. Marys on match days - perhaps when it's expanded to 40K. ;-)

Indeed. If they can join up Ocean Village, Town Quay and Mayflower Park with something worth visiting, it could be fantastic. Add to the West Quay, Watermark West Quay and Oxford Street being close by it has a lot of potential.

 

What we also need in that development is a landmark. The Spinnaker Tower is Portsmouth's, the Pier is Brighton's, I'm not sure the Spitfire monument will quite work out to be ours.

We missed an opportunity to have either the Queen Mary or the Queen Elizabeth there. When I went to the Los Angeles Olympics I took the trouble to visit the Queen Mary at Long Beach, alongside the Spruce Goose. What they did to the Queen Mary is a travesty, with fast food outlets on the promenade decks and the Olde Worlde London Town mock-up adjacent to it was typically crass Yank Disney a la **** Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, but for visitors to LA, the three things were an attraction that was successful.