If the council give this planning permission they need their heads looked at. The owners change a few shop fronts and move a few wires. In return they get permission to create 9 rentable properties. 9 x £500 a month, hmmm. Altruistic, I think not.

At long last someone has woken up and smelled the coffee! When the part of Botchergate, south of Tait Street was designated a Conservation Area, what plans did the ruling Council of the day have for it? For 18 years they have huffed and puffed and strutted around meetings and more meetings (most recently the dreaded Renaissance!)and all for nothing while Botchergate has remained the eyesore it has been allowed to become because of in-action by the ruling executive. They should be ashamed. I often wonder if our Councillors ever get out of their cars and actually take a walk around the City and form a personal opinion, yes a personal opinion, on the City they represent. Mmmmmmmm I wonder!

Delighted to hear at last that the Sherwood Hotel is being re-developed. It must be some three dedades since the nice lady who owned the hotel died and was charming to talk to. It was then a lovely plush hotel by 1950's standards. My granparents had lived nearby at 4 Tait Street, which was then part of The Clydesdale shop. The original small shop of 'The' Clydesdale. "For Everything Photographic" was recently converted into a house. The larger shop now being a food premises was I believe a farm shop with the then city auction nearby. This shop was owned by Mr Nixon who's son, or was it his grandson opened Banks Street's Nixon's Pet Shop in 1941. My uncle extended his small shop. Such foresight for success even in wartime! We now seem to surrender wholesale all over the city, as if no prosperity will ever exist again.

"We have owned the site for a long time" I'm aghast at the prolonged time that many such buildings in Carlisle are left empty
and devoid of opportunities to house or conduct business. Naming some seems like part of a TOTP's chart...

London Road Newspaper shop. ' Wearing Your Sun'day Best? '
St Nicholas Street's former Supedec?
Dias Shops.
Shops South Henry Street.
Botchergate, Main road Night Club Premises.
Lnndon Road Railway Station.
Currock Road Estate.
GPO.
Central Plaza Hotel.
Lonsdale ABC Cinema.
Past Times.
Fisher Street shops.
Central Methodist Hall.
Castle Street University Premises.
Rickergate Police station.
The Lanes Corner Shop.... Never ever occupied.
The Lanes. Various with paper hoardings.
Viaduct Estate. Former Council site.
Viaduct Estate. Former Car Showrooms (2) and garage workshops.
Willowholme Industrial Premises.
Newtown Road Shop.
Crown & Mitre's. Former Staff Quarters St Cuthberts Lane.

The above being mostly long term vacant, listed or unlisted suitable for a variety of uses. The Lonsdale and Central Hall have been mentioned as suitable for a small theatre, perhaps art galleries....

I think a revolution type policy needs adopted by either local councils or HM Government in getting many such building's back into active community use. I recently followed a German reg VW along Wigton road on a glorious day. It passed the Horse and Farrier which HRH Prince Charles commented on in saving for it's architectual merit, now the building being owned by another property group of Tesco's. Such Planning applications for non intended constructions of site developments should really carry a hefty funded deposit sum for non-developments. This city has enough decaying buildings. Some of these property companies buy such property to stop competitive development or others such as land owner Church of England was known to hold much property, as do British Railways Property/Residue Board was known to hold much city land sites. It maybe so that supermarkets now buy land for stopping adverse competition. It's a bit alike many disused Carlisle Allotments passed onto Riverside by Carlisle Council. They're all no longer active in the community apart from wood hoardings or seasonal land clean-up, or not at all. The thought's I had myself on driving past the Horse and Farrier was having been to Germany and having enjoyed a kind of the well known princes's song "drink, drink... was, what a waste of a lovely fine building and obvious no visual aspect (apart from a decaying city community) for the German tourist van's occupant's and driver as I was following along this main city road perhaps to the well occupied busy Lake District.

Most of the said majestic listed buildings should flying the red, white and blue as they have done in their heyday's.

Brilliant. Good to see the shop frontages are going to be changed, in-line with improving Botchergate's look.

Another step in the right direction for Botchergate.

Botchergate/ London Road area is one of the main approaches to the city and it must be a good thing to improve the appearance of properties in that area, creating a good impression on visitors will surely encourage their return and good publicity. It already sounds as if a favourable "snowball effect" is happening as opposed to an escalating downward spiral as ever more buildings are allowed to decay.
It shouldn't matter which part of the city this type of improvement is made it is all positive and being done by individuals not the local authority, otherwise known as Tax Payers. Well done to those involved.If there are retail outlets at ground level, development of flats etc. seems like a sensible option for upper stories, what would "Anonymous" suggest as an alternative?

A bit more good news. Any development that encourages people to move into or nearer the city centre should be welcomed.

TB: Neither Seymour nor Adam inferred or explicitly said that the council owned the building in question. You seem to have misapplied one of your favourite mantras in order to rail once more against the people of Carlisle who contribute to this website and for some inexplicable reason fail to appreciate granite slab benches and silly totem poles on Castle street and who don't quite see them as evidence of a "huge amount of time, effort and resources pumped into it."

I see the new influence is kicking in. WELL DONE J.

Do they not realise that Carlisle is well past saturation point with flats/apartments. People like myself just cannot give them away now and are stuck. There is no chance that I will ever have a garden now.

Good news again. This will be another building ticked off the list of those needing improving. The former Kwik Save is looking better already, and Stanley Hall is a perfect example of what can be done with a little investment.

Tim is right, the building formerly occupied by Mood should be top of the pile. Improving that really would transform Botchergate, and enhance the nightlife.

Seymour and Adam you seem to be under some kind of illusion. Are you confused? Carlisle City Council doesnt own this property - it does not lease it and has no intention to do either. The City Council has put forward multiple development briefs for many areas of the city. Your area which is referred to as 'the historic quarter' (though isnt all carlisle historic?) has had huge amount of time, effort and resources pumped into it.
Another example of the carlisle attitude. Not 'isnt it great that part of town is improving', it becomes 'why dont they do something with xxxx instead, lets fight to stop it'.

A shame really. Go and have a look at other cities in the North that transformed under the last governments largesse. Here we got stuck in enquiries, political fights with different councils and complete inertia and indifference.

The party's now over, with very little to show for it. Well done the people of Carlisle.