Express & Star

Wolverhampton and Leicester: Just 50 miles yet so far apart

It's a tale of two cities. Wolverhampton and Leicester - on opposite sides of the Midlands but similar in size, character and cultural makeup.

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Even the names on the streets are the same with St Peter's Square, Queen Street, and Cheapside all prominent in both city centres.

But both these former manufacturing powerhouses have seen their fortunes take different directions in recent years.

Leicester is experiencing one of the largest levels of growth in the country - outperforming Nottingham, Coventry and Birmingham according to the the Good Growth for Cities index produced by accountancy firm PwC and the Demos think tank.

Whereas Wolverhampton, our proud city of the Black Country, suffers high levels of unemployment and empty shops on the high street.

A report into the city's economy, revealed by the Express & Star, warned that unless more restaurants, household-named shops and leisure activities were brought in, the city would lose out to big brand dominated shopping centres in Telford, Merry Hill, and Birmingham.

The assessment by retail experts also said the city was dominated by a night time drinking culture.

So the Express & Star took the 50-mile journey to the East Midlands city to find out what Leicester has to offer.

The impressive £350m Highcross shopping centre – a jewel in the Leicester crown

The Highcross shopping centre is an impressive £350 million extension to the old Shires complex.

It contains more than 120 shop including branches of the department stores House of Fraser, Debenhams and a huge John Lewis that dominates the skyline of the city's plush new St Peter's Square.

Inside there are top fashion brands Levis, Superdry, Urban Outfitters, G-star, Lacoste, Hugo Boss and Zara, and there is also an Apple Store.

Opened in 2008, there are 15 restaurants and cafés including, Bill's, Carluccio's, Chilacas, Chimichanga, Coast to Coast, Ed's Easy Diner, Wagamama , Yo! Sushi, and Zizzi.

There is a 12-screen stainless steel clad Cinema de Lux and two large car parks - open 24 hours with 3,000 parking spaces.

Outside there are also two new public squares promoting a continental cafe culture, and a series of trendy apartments providing homes in the city centre.

"Leicester is a really great place to shop," said Chelsea Oliver an 18-year-old student.

"Everything is here - you have all the top names like Urban Outfitters and a big Top Shop. The city looks nice and it is an enjoyable place to come whether you want to shop or have something to eat or just grab a coffee."

Kirsty Freeman, also 18, is from nearby Loughborough.

She has been coming to the city to shop all her life and says the Highcross development had transformed the experience.

Wolverhampton: Snow Hill had been due to benefit from Summer Row. Leicester: Some of the cafes and restaurants in St Peter's Square

"It has got a lot better," she said. "I love the John Lewis store - it is the main reason a lot of people come in and it now has all the restaurants you want."

What Highcross has done for Leicester is perhaps a parallel universe of what could have happened in Wolverhampton had the £300 million Summer Row complex become reality.

The project was ditched after more than six years of work trying to get the showpiece off the ground.

Council chiefs had hoped the ambitious project would rival Merry Hill Centre. But the plan was left in tatters after a deal was unable to be reached and developer Multi UK failed to find a new backer.

The vision was similar to Highcross. Summer Row would have meant the buying up of shops in Temple Street, Cleveland Street, Worcester Street and the southern end of Victoria Street and replacing it with a 600,000 sq ft shopping complex anchored by Debenhams and Marks & Spencer as well as boasting restaurants and a bowling alley.

An artist's impression of the proposed Summer Row development in Wolverhampton which was fated never to come to fruition

Other major retailers including H&M, Jane Norman, Warehouse and Monsoon had all confirmed an interest in moving in.

Back in Leicester, it is not just Highcross which is helping the city's regeneration.

Walk along Queen Street and you can't miss the huge £61 million Curve theatre that looks like a spaceship set amongst a cluster of early 20th century buildings - including the old Odeon cinema that has been transformed into the Athena banqueting and conference centre.

It is a part of the city that could easily have been left to decay but the Curve opened in 2008 and features two auditoria, one with 750 fixed seats while a 350 seat auditorium provides a smaller space.

Across the road from one of the entrances to Highcross is Cheapside which leads to Leicester Market, situated in the heart of the city. With more than 300 stalls - it is the largest of its kind in Europe.

Open for six days a week, Monday to Saturday, there is a vast array of food with more than 100 stalls alone selling fresh produce ranging from traditional fruit and vegetables, to ethnic herbs and spices.

Wolverhampton's markets badly need some investment. Leicester's market is the biggest of its kind in Europe.

Wolverhampton's markets are about half the size, with the outdoor market open four days a week and the indoor market open five.

Price hikes in stall prices has also seen traders threaten to leave.

The Leicester Lanes also provide an independent shopping hub with a number of streets coming off the main High Street.

Chloe Coyne, 20, said: "It is a very clean city centre and a huge range of things to do. The market is huge and I love going their for my fresh fruit and vegetable shopping. It is handy as I can go there and it is close to all the big shops like Urban Outfitters, New Look, Primark."

Abbie Henesy, 18, said: "Saturdays are really hectic - the city is so busy. You come in the week and there are a lot of people around but it is steady. Come Saturday there are thousands of people. I like the fact that there are lots of quirky and independent shops as well as the big brands - it is a really good mix."

Throw in a Premier League football team, European rugby giants, a nationally-acclaimed comedy festival, as well as hosting three games for this summer's Rugby World Cup - with Leicester you have all the ingredients of a vibrant, thriving city.

Leicester's gleaming St Peter's Square – with top fashion brands, restaurants and cafés, a Cinema de Lux and two large car parks to cater for shoppers

The elected City Mayor of Leicester Peter Soulsby said: "When I was elected as Leicester's first City Mayor in 2011, one of my first actions was to develop an Economic Action Plan. This set out an ambition vision for attracting inward investment to support the city's growth.

"Since its launch in November 2012, we have successfully attracted £22 million of outside investment, which is a fantastic endorsement of what we set out to achieve.

"We have also made significant investment in projects aimed at business growth and launched Connecting Leicester, a major programme to improve the quality and competitiveness of the city centre.

"We're now at an exciting phase where we're beginning to see these major projects reach completion, and help attract further investment into the city.

"By building on what already makes our city unique, we are making a huge investment in Leicester's economic wellbeing and future prosperity.

"Having an elected mayor means you can make things happen, and investors known who they can come to talk to.

"I am confident that Leicester will continue to grow as a fantastic place to visit, to do business and to live in."

A constant frustration in Wolverhampton for traders and shoppers is car parking - the cost and the number of spaces.

Wolverhampton: Buildings in Temple Street are in a poor way. Leicester: The striking £61m Curve Theatre is set among the city's original buildings.

In Leicester there are more than 8,500 car parking spaces available in the city centre and 1,500 additional car parking spaces available at a park and ride.

Parking charges have also be simplified with the cost of parking never working out at more than £1 hour, with many car parks free on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Parking in Wolverhampton can cost more than £1 per hour for long stays and there are charges on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The lack of a proper car parking plan is also a cause of concern for consultants assessing the state of Wolverhampton city centre.

The city has 17 per cent of shops empty – while the national average is 10.6 per cent.

And retail experts Bruton Knowles and HollissVincent say the city centre is in desperate need of more restaurants and is missing 25 of the top 100 national shopping brands such as Superdry, Monsoon and Laura Ashley - exactly the sort of shops and restaurants that are offered in Leicester.

Burton is one of the many shops in Wolverhampton to close

However, it is not all doom and gloom.

Wolverhampton has attracted the £500 million Jaguar Land Rover plant and Wolverhampton City Council has drawn up a masterplan with a vision to regenerate the city centre.

A bustling canal quarter, city centre cinema, gleaming public squares and thousands of new homes will be built under the 12-year regeneration proposal, which also features scores of shops and a supermarket in Stafford Street.

As part of the plan 2,123 homes will be built across the city by 2026, with 630 of those in the new canalside development, which will stretch from Horseley Fields to Fiveways Island.

The council wants to breathe new life into the city centre and surrounding areas with All Saints, Blakenhall, Graiseley, Chapel Ash and West Park also part of the regeneration plan.

Councillor Peter Bilson, the city's regeneration and economy chief, has also gone on record as saying there is development interest in the city.

He said: "There has been extensive interest by developers and potential investors who want to come and work with us."

There is also the major Interchange project which has already seen a new bus station and approval granted for redevelopment at Wolverhampton railway station.

The sale of the Mander Centre to Benson Elliot for £59m with its commitment for a £30m revamp – and the impending arrival of Debenhams – are also signs of improvement.

If Wolverhampton is to survive - and fight off the threat from Telford, Merry Hill, and Birmingham - getting the backing from major brand stores is vital to installing new confidence in our beloved city.

With the right plan there is no reason why Wolverhampton cannot emulate what has happened 50 miles away and mirror Leicester's success story.

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