Re: Re: Smithfield Wasteland

Well this is only too true. Aside from The Lighthouse, there really is no draw for the average citizen. But this is because Smithfield is a work in progress; as things stand it’s a residential area, which by definition is somewhere an outsider has no reason to frequent. The odd bewildered tourist has greater cause to attend than locals, and if shown what they were in for from the outset, they wouldn’t bother either. For citizens there are no cultural draws. There is no retail of note. There are no services. There are few commercial/office uses. Therefore there are no people. But this can change if the square and its hinterlands can be resolved in the longer term (though how the suburban housing on the eastern side can be ‘managed’ is beyond me – it should never have been permitted).

In the interim, a market is definitely the way to go. It could be an especially vibrant spot on designated summer nights, with a special evening market with a festival-like atmosphere, the cinema, al fresco eating and drinking – a real night out in a neat package. It can’t be that difficult to cobble together with a bit of guidance from the planning authority.

@ac1976 wrote:

I thought you were a northsider!

I’m neither! I’m omnipresent 🙂