47-524: Shopping City may refer to: Runcorn Shopping City , a shopping centre in Cheshire, England The Mall Wood Green , a shopping centre in north London, England Salford Shopping Centre , formerly Salford Shopping City Shopping City (television programme) , a British consumer survey television programme Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
94-504: A 217,393 sq ft (20,196.5 m ) outdoor shopping park named Trident Retail Park, including a 9-screen cinema complex. In 1989, expansion land which had been set aside to the west of the centre was used to open a 90,000 sq ft (8,400 m ) Asda superstore, later extended to 106,000 sq ft (9,800 m ) and joined by a McDonald's restaurant. Halton Lea was taken into receivership in September 2009 which
141-503: A community housing families. Some have questioned whether the architect's radical design, incorporating garish plastic panelling, pre-cast concrete panels, and large porthole windows, was ever likely to be appropriate for use as family housing in a small town located in the plains of northern Cheshire. Stirling, the architect, later argued that the Development Corporation, whilst adopting his architectural concept, deviated from
188-473: A demerger, the centre was transferred to Capreon before entering administration in 2019. Runcorn Shopping City comprises over 60 stores. Originally anchored by Littlewoods and Woolworths. For some time the main anchor store was The Range but they closed their doors at the end of February 2021. This unit is currently (April 2021) empty. The centre also hosts many smaller retailers and has introduced an incubator for local start up outlets in 'The Box'. The centre
235-517: A number of whom could not afford to heat their homes. This led to a proliferation of damp problems within the development. The blocks of flats were particularly problematic. The deck-access design and repetitive use of stairwell towers, where there was an absence of natural surveillance , encouraged criminal activity, and made the control of these problems very difficult. Occupants complained of anti-social behaviour ; high rental and heating costs; impact noise entering their homes resulting from use of
282-597: A short drive away. The centre has four multi-storey car parks containing 2,200 spaces. Car parking is free and each car park features disabled and infant & parent spots close to the entrances on the shopping level. Two major railway stations are nearby, both of which are a short commute away. Runcorn provides services north to Liverpool Lime Street and south to Birmingham New Street and London Euston . Runcorn East connects Manchester Piccadilly , Warrington Bank Quay , Frodsham , Helsby , Chester and North Wales. Southgate Estate The Southgate Estate
329-611: Is a medium-sized indoor shopping centre in Runcorn , England. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972, it is the main shopping area in Runcorn and is visited around 6.5 million times per year. It was the largest enclosed shopping centre in Europe at the time of its construction and remains the largest in Cheshire . Runcorn was designated as a New Town in 1964 and a masterplan drawn up which would see
376-457: Is also complemented by surrounding developments, including large supermarkets, drive through fast food restaurants, and the adjacent Trident Retail Park and its multiplex cinema. Local amenities like the main library and Council 'Direct Link' centres are also attached to the Shopping City in the civic quarter. In April 2018, Halton Borough Council unveiled concept plans for the regeneration of
423-505: The Georgian city of Bath . Instead, architect James Stirling devised a radical new housing type. The estate comprised a combination of deck-access apartment blocks, mainly located at its northern end, along with flat-roofed terraced housing at its southern end. The estate was connected by a pedestrian bridge linking the complex of deck-access flats to the nearby Shopping City development (later Halton Lea, now Runcorn Shopping City ), which
470-456: The Machine Age ", before adding drily "But, like James Stirling, I don't live there." From its inception, the project had been beset with problems and by the mid 1980s was described as being "a mess". The choice of an oil-fired, communal heating system proved to be an expensive one as the global oil crisis of the late 1970s led to spiraling heating costs for the occupants of the development,
517-505: The Urban District Council and existing traders. Ling's vision was favoured and a greenfield site near Halton Village was chosen. Shopping City was to be the centrepiece of Runcorn New Town. Ling, envisaged that it would become the "natural meeting place for the town's social and cultural life as well as for shopping, offices and specialised amenities such as theatre, library, central sports hall etc." It would also be linked to
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#1732852425876564-518: The 'spacious, beautifully lighted shops'. The interior was finished with white terrazzo floor tiles throughout and Sicilian marble lining the walls, columns and shop fronts. The shops are laid out along malls in an H formation, with the 'Town Square' in the centre. There is a second storey around the square intended for restaurants and bars. At the time of its opening, it was the largest fully enclosed shopping centre in Europe. Served by excellent transport links, not just within Runcorn itself (including
611-545: The New Town. The combination of these factors led to a significant proportion of the estate's families leaving the development to be replaced by younger, single people, which often exacerbated the problems. A large number of homes were left vacant and these became prone to vandalism . The estate's condition deteriorated throughout the 1980s and by 1989, the Development Corporation took the decision to demolish and replace
658-479: The Runcorn Development Corporation. The build cost £10 million and was privately financed by Grosvenor. The centre was completed by 1971 and Runcorn Shopping City was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 5 May 1972. Shopping City and all of its surrounding ancillary buildings were encased in brilliant white tiles which were chosen to be self-cleansing; their crisp whiteness contrasting with
705-519: The Shopping City with indoor waiting areas. Shopping City is the main bus interchange for the town and its unique system of dedicated busways. The Shopping City sits alongside the A533 , the main route north to Widnes and Liverpool across the Mersey Gateway Bridge . To the south is the nearby M56 motorway to Manchester , Chester and North Wales . Warrington , Northwich and Frodsham are
752-600: The Shopping City. The scheme did not go ahead and by November 2014 the fourth car park was also under the ownership of BMO. Trident Retail Park was also sold separately from the enclosed shopping centre and in April 2014 was acquired by KWE . In summer 2012, plans were announced for the renovation of the exterior of the building and three of the four multi-storey car parks to the designs of architects Leach Rhodes Walker of Manchester. The total sum invested by BMO exceeded £3 million. The exterior had not been modified significantly since
799-469: The adjacent Trident Retail Park and its multiplex cinema. The Old Town area of Runcorn with its Brindley Theatre is a few minutes drive away and the shopping centre is overlooked by the historic Halton Castle . It has a core catchment population of 120,000. Runcorn Shopping City is serviced by two bus stations which provide both local and regional services across Runcorn, Widnes, Warrington, Huyton, Chester and Liverpool. Both stations are integrated with
846-478: The area surrounding and adjoining the Shopping City under the theme, 'Halton Healthy New Town'. The centrepiece of this plan had been the reconstruction of the neighbouring Halton General Hospital site but funding from central government programmes was denied and the wider regeneration plans stalled. Following the centre entering receivership in 2019, Savills appointed RivingtonHark to work with Halton Borough Council and asset management company ICG Longbow to develop
893-400: The blocks were formed of 3–5 bedroom duplex family homes; at second and third floor levels, smaller duplex family homes located off the raised pedestrian access decks; and at fourth floor level, single storey penthouse flats. The fronts of the blocks included car parking garages along with a series of stairwell towers providing access to the upper floors. The most notable design features on
940-402: The building's original construction in the 1970s, and in 2010, a net was fitted around the building to stop detaching tiles from falling. In October 2013, following the renovation, the centre was re-branded to Runcorn Shopping Centre. Also in 2013, the surrounding area saw new investment by developer Opus Land North with the construction of a new Lidl, Burger King, garages and a car dealership on
987-406: The buildings. The estate was connected to the nearby shopping complex, but was not otherwise served by local shops, which could be problematic for the estate's inhabitants as Shopping City would close in the evenings and on Sundays. The estate was served by a public house . Construction had commenced on a church but this was never completed. In 1977 architectural writer Sutherland Lyall described
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#17328524258761034-425: The developers of Shopping City, there was a need to provide a given volume of housing units in close proximity to the new shopping centre to aid the centre's commercial viability. Time and cost constraints along with physical limitations at the site led to the use of industrialised, mass building techniques. It has been argued that the layout and design were too dense and "harsh" for the development's intended purpose as
1081-541: The estate's layout were the Georgian squares of the Cities of Bath and Edinburgh, whilst the large round windows were intended by James Stirling to reflect the maritime roots of the estate's intended inhabitants, being drawn mainly from Merseyside . The blocks were colloquially referred to as "washing machines". The two and three-storey, flat-roofed, terraced houses were clad in blue, green, and orange plastic panels and included
1128-557: The estate, despite it being barely 15 years old. It was demolished in 1990. The problems experienced at the Southgate Estate were typical of modernist housing developments built in Europe and North America during the post-war period, particularly those employing the deck-access principle. Owing to a contractual obligation between the Urban Development Corporation (responsible for the New Town's development), and
1175-440: The finished estate as follows: "There is a nice, colourful, cheap and cheerful air about in the squares which are mostly planted out in grids of trees... In the squares the brightly coloured GRP more or less comes off. Deliberate or not it is two fingers to the bureaucrats who insist that architecture should be dignified and banal and colourless... But behind the back it is straight Butlins : long rows of corrugated plastic walls with
1222-460: The four multi-storey car parks and, in August 2011, attained planning permission to build a 148,348 sq ft superstore adjoining the shopping centre in place of the multi-storey car park, East Lane House and a Territorial Army Centre. Fordgate had said they would pay for a replacement TA Centre elsewhere in the town and the plan was approved by Halton Borough Council, despite objections from the new owners of
1269-405: The fronts of the blocks were the large, circular windows and plastic panelling, which related to the fronts of the upper level duplexes. The rear of the blocks, which generally enclosed the landscaped squares, had private gardens at ground floor level along with balconies to the upper level duplexes and penthouses. The rear of the blocks also included large round windows . The design inspiration of
1316-433: The hill to the north and the trees and dense planting which would come to surround it. On its opening, The Times commented that, 'Shopping City is possibly the nearest planners have come to the sort of building imagined by science fiction writers. In appearance, it resembles a supersonic mosque, with gleaming white bricks even on the dullest day'. It also noted the 'clarity of the design of shops, malls and public squares' and
1363-506: The intended design for reasons of cost and time savings. He also suggested the developer and contractor did not share his commitment to quality. The original estate was subsequently replaced by a housing development called Hallwood Park, which was designed and laid out in accordance with more traditional planning and architectural concepts. The homes are primarily two-storey, semi-detached , pitch roofed dwellings constructed of brick and located within landscaped cul de sacs . The new estate
1410-422: The large round windows seen in the apartment blocks. The cladding materials employed led to the estate being colloquially known as "Legoland" . The estate included a primary school at its south eastern end along with a nursery at deck level within the complex of flatted buildings. As discussed, the estate was served by a communal, oil fired heating system and was served by landscaped open spaces located in amongst
1457-404: The latter is for services and vertical access points. The building is raised on columns, partly to tackle the valley like topography, but also to allow the segregation of cars, buses and pedestrians on three different levels. Vehicles arrive at ground level, giving access to the four multi-storey car parks on each corner for customers and to the shop basements for deliveries. Pedestrians arrive at
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1504-457: The new law courts, police station and general hospital. Roche's design was influenced by the fully enclosed, drive-in shopping malls that had begun to emerge in North America in the 1960s. The design is of a megastructure of pyramid roofs on an alternating grid of 108 feet (33 m) and 18 feet (5.5 m). The former gives large spans and allows for flexible shop space without columns, and
1551-493: The occasional service pipe running up the walls and across gaps between rows of houses." Writer and social historian Colin Ward was considerably more critical: In Episode 3 of the 1979 BBC documentary series Where We Live Now , subtitled "New Home, New Town", Ward visited and discussed four new towns, one of which was Runcorn. He described Southgate as "a colossal ego trip by the architect (James Stirling)" and "a romanticised version of
1598-488: The owners at that time, Grosvenor , pushed rents up in an attempt to capitalise on the centre's popularity. Spiralling rents soon saw many of the big names close and move to centres with lower rents. The centre was bought by Fordgate Midland Properties Limited in January 1989 but a dispute arose about the property's condition at the time of sale. The previous owners, Grosvenor, had contracted with Laing to encapsulate asbestos in
1645-430: The pedestrian access decks; an inability to personalise the exterior of their homes; an absence of private garden spaces for the mid-level family duplexes; remoteness from local shopping and public transport facilities; and pollution from the oil-fired power plant. Moreover, the radical and harsh appearance of the development was not to the tastes of many residents who preferred the more traditional housing built elsewhere in
1692-470: The roof voids and decontaminate those areas in 1988. This became the source of legal disputes between the three parties since Fordgate alleged that Grosvenor had, in the words of Lord Justice Saville, "fraudulently or negligently misrepresented the true condition of the premises so that the Appellants were induced to purchase the premises, believing them to contain treated and encapsulated asbestos when, in fact,
1739-464: The roof voids were dreadfully...contaminated with loose asbestos fibre". Fordgate undertook significant works to remove asbestos, replace and lower the original suspended ceiling, block up sky lights and replace damaged floor tiles and expansion joints, culminating with a rebranding in 1995 to Halton Lea Shopping Centre. In 1999, Fordgate used vacant land to the south of the centre, which had originally been intended for leisure and cultural use, to create
1786-504: The shopping level using elevated walkways from neighbouring estates such as the radical but ill-fated Southgate Estate . Buses arrive at the highest level on an elevated section of the Runcorn Busway , the world's first bus rapid transit system, which circles the town in a figure of 8 with Shopping City at the centre. Construction began in 1968 by John Laing Group , commissioned by Grosvenor Estate Commercial Developments Limited and
1833-437: The site into a 'mixed use retail, lifestyle and wellness centre.' The Shopping City was built as a central focus for the New Town centre, and a civic quarter was built adjoining the centre which includes a library, police station and local government offices. Halton General Hospital is also nearby. The centre is also complemented by surrounding developments, including large supermarkets, drive through fast food restaurants, and
1880-447: The site of the former Vestric House. A setback occurred in April 2015 when Tesco , one of the centre's anchor tenants, announced it was closing several stores across the UK, including its Runcorn store. Tesco had operated a large supermarket in the shopping centre since the 1970s. The floor-space had been reduced in the early 2000s and the store rebranded as a Tesco Metro. The large Tesco unit
1927-543: The title Shopping City . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shopping_City&oldid=978158492 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Runcorn Shopping City Runcorn Shopping City (formerly Halton Lea and Runcorn Shopping Centre )
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1974-486: The town more than double in size. The site of the town centre for Runcorn New Town was a source of conflict between Arthur Ling , the New Town Master Planner, and Fred Roche , Chief Architect. Whereas Ling envisaged a centre reminiscent of a citadel or acropolis at the base of Halton Castle and at the geographical centre of the expanded town, Roche preferred to redevelop the existing town centre, partly to placate
2021-515: The town's innovative busway system), but also with surrounding towns and cities, it quickly established itself as a premier shopping destination. By the early 1980s all the units were fully let and new town residents recall the four multi-storey car parks - 2,200 spaces - as being almost full in the early days. The centre's early success at attracting huge numbers of shoppers, brought in by Runcorn's unique transportation system and its central location between Manchester and Liverpool , did not last as
2068-541: Was a modernist public housing project located in Runcorn New Town ( Cheshire , England) and completed in 1977. The estate was designed by James Stirling , and comprised 1,500 residential units intended to house 6,000 people. The estate was demolished between 1990 and 1992 and replaced with another housing development, known as Hallwood Park, based around more traditional design principles. The design brief for Southgate asked for formal streets and squares, citing
2115-668: Was intended as the New Town centre and, at the time of its completion, was one of the largest covered shopping centres in Europe. The apartment blocks were connected to one another by a network of raised walkways following the "streets in the sky" principle, separating pedestrian access from the system of vehicular access roads located to the front of the blocks at ground level. The apartment blocks were constructed of pre-cast concrete panelling along with colourful GRP cladding and were arranged around landscaped squares, some of which included children's parks. The blocks were formed of three types of dwelling: at ground and first floor levels,
2162-457: Was managed by Savills , though the centre continued to operate as normal. In September 2010, the centre was put up for sale and on 24 March 2011 it was announced that the centre had been sold to F&C Reit (since rebranded BMO Real Estate Partners) for approximately £29.1 million using an offshore company, Runcorn One Ltd, registered in Guernsey. However, Fordgate retained ownership of one of
2209-470: Was not long vacant when The Range announced in August the same year that they were to open a new store in the same units. Despite its many name changes, most Runcorn residents continued to call it by its original name of Runcorn Shopping City; it reverted to its original name for its 45th birthday in July 2017. Its new logo, inspired by original signage, was created by John Saunders. In August 2017, as part of
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