Demise of the city centre

[slick]

My local copper, ex-mob, would mutter “money laundering”.

along with nail bars and car washes....

 

[monkey123]

Missus reckons she's seen a story in the local rag where a car dealership building is to be converted into offices. As if there aren't enough vacant office buildings around already that will never be occupied in future, given the shift to working from home. Which genius thought this was a viable money-making idea?

probably leased & they have to return to how they got it ?

 

[Civvy Scum]

probably leased & they have to return to how they got it ?

Dunno, but a quick wander around the city shows many, many vacant office buildings. This will just be another one that never gets a tenant.

 

[truck_trasher]

Dunno, but a quick wander around the city shows many, many vacant office buildings. This will just be another one that never gets a tenant.

Maybe they are doing mini-offices, fully serviced, by the month? Prior to the lockdowns, several cafes in town here had converted part of their space to 'office tables', with fast wifi and a professional-grade colour laser-printer. Ideal for many self-employed. When the C19 and distancing arrived the cafes were just as broke as all the rest, though they will pick up quickly when (if?) things get going again.

 

[Civvy Scum]

Maybe they are doing mini-offices, fully serviced, by the month? Prior to the lockdowns, several cafes in town here had converted part of their space to 'office tables', with fast wifi and a professional-grade colour laser-printer. Ideal for many self-employed. When the C19 and distancing arrived the cafes were just as broke as all the rest, though they will pick up quickly when (if?) things get going again.

Perhaps but I can't see there's the volume of demand from that market to fill more than a small fraction of the empty floor space that is around now.

 

[bobthebuilder]

There's plenty of small iffy businesses where I would be very reluctant to use plastic , due to the possibility of fraud....... they can't clone cash.

Begs the question, why would you use a business that you don’t trust not to clone your card?

In any event, they can’t clone a card used with Apple Pay, Android Pay or Google Pay. Even if you have a steam driven phone that doesn’t do payments, you could always set daily limits and a maximum transaction value on your card.

 

[The Assassin]

Dunno, but a quick wander around the city shows many, many vacant office buildings. This will just be another one that never gets a tenant.

But car dealerships being converted to offices has one serious advantage - all that parking space

 

[Civvy Scum]

But car dealerships being converted to offices has one serious advantage - all that parking space

With the rider that many cities are due to introduce Clean Air Zones. Depending on the type of zone imposed, car drivers may be required to pay several pounds each day to enter the zone. So if the office is inside the zone, (which I think this one is), why would anyone in their right mind want to rent/lease it?

Not that this will stop certain short-sighted/stupid local authorities from trying to fill their coffers via taxing motorists save the planet.

 

[Turret_Monster]

With the rider that many cities are due to introduce Clean Air Zones. Depending on the type of zone imposed, car drivers may be required to pay several pounds each day to enter the zone. So if the office is inside the zone, (which I think this one is), why would anyone in their right mind want to rent/lease it?

Not that this will stop certain short-sighted/stupid local authorities from trying to fill their coffers via taxing motorists save the planet.

I thought that CAZs were tied to EU environmental legislation? Surely we can now breathe in as much pollution as we like?

 

[76mill]

With the rider that many cities are due to introduce Clean Air Zones. Depending on the type of zone imposed, car drivers may be required to pay several pounds each day to enter the zone. So if the office is inside the zone, (which I think this one is), why would anyone in their right mind want to rent/lease it?

Not that this will stop certain short-sighted/stupid local authorities from trying to fill their coffers via taxing motorists save the planet.

Please don't give the Labour morons who have bankrupted Croydon Council any more ideas.

 

[WolvoExPunk]

The Newcastle side of the Tyne Bridge has a few office blocks that have been vacant for years.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

goo.gl

 

[ExREME.TECH]

I like to think any cash spent with a small retailer, public house or takeaway is hidden from the tax man & wisely spent on booze, fast cars & slappers...

I hope they waste some

 

[ExREME.TECH]

George Best and slappers? Don't think so. He was in bed in a hotel room with two Miss Worlds and champagne bottles everywhere. Porter looked at him and asked "where did it all go wrong George?"

He had also won big at the casino and the money was all over the bed

 

[ExREME.TECH]

along with nail bars and car washes....

With my old job, I have left now. I was a point of call for Modern Slavery (See Rooneys)
Going rate for car wash worker in Lincs for a 10 to 12 hour day (without ID) is £30
Many EU nationals are not exercising their treaty rights as they do not have ID.
A little birdy tell me come Aug this year.....

 

[ExREME.TECH]

Begs the question, why would you use a business that you don’t trust not to clone your card?

In any event, they can’t clone a card used with Apple Pay, Android Pay or Google Pay. Even if you have a steam driven phone that doesn’t do payments, you could always set daily limits and a maximum transaction value on your card.

Barbers Kebabs etc?

 

[ExREME.TECH]

But car dealerships being converted to offices has one serious advantage - all that parking space

You watch, a lot of offices will get change of use to be accommodation

 

[Teeblerone]

You watch, a lot of offices will get change of use to be accommodation

Same with barbershops/hairdressers and phone shops - they rent out a chair, a 4foot square area to put a phone card stand / popcorn/sweetcorn/hotdog cart etc in. Guaranteed cash income, no records, no ID needed....
Edit: and handy stash for street sales of 'perfume'

 

[bobthebuilder]

Barbers Kebabs etc?

Illustrates my point. If you can’t trust a kebab shop enough to use a card, why would you trust it’s food safety?

 

[Cold_Collation]

I thought that CAZs were tied to EU environmental legislation? Surely we can now breathe in as much pollution as we like?

We had the Clean Air Act long before the EU had equivalent legislation. One of the many things the EU was credited for bringing to ugly, Victorian Britain, as run by the Evil Tories, where we were in fact ahead of the game.

 

[bobthebuilder]

We had the Clean Air Act long before the EU had equivalent legislation. One of the many things the EU was credited for bringing to ugly, Victorian Britain, as run by the Evil Tories, where we were in fact ahead of the game.

Not sure the Tories were ahead of the game. The Clean Air Act 1956 was a reaction to London’s Great Smog of 1952 and was a result of a Private Members Bill. Churchill was pretty slow to act on the Great Smog and his hand was rather forced.

That said, there had been some pollution control legislation as far back as early Victorian times, but it only covered industry.

The 1993 Clean Act replaced the 1956 legislation and embodied EU law.