Now that would cause a meltdown on that forum.

Having worked in what was one of the busiest shops in Wakefield city centre pre Trinity walk for the last 7 years and 12 of the last 13 years I have got to say that trading levels in Wakefield in general are currently at the lowest they have ever been in the time I've worked there. Businesses go bust and shops close daily to the point where there are nearly as many empty shops as occupied ones, so I would be interested to know where this massive boost to the economy as a result of a free to enter art gallery on the outskirts of town is going because it certainly isn't creating an increase in trade in the city.
The art gallery boosting the economy is just a myth pushed by the council in an attempt to justify wasting tax payers money on building it, rather than there being a return on the cost of building it through a boost to the economy, it is actually costing us more due to having to pay exorbitant salaries to the people that run it.

I'm not sure of the economic value in £ notes - I'm just going by the figures I've seen in various media sources, suggesting that in the first year of opening, it attracted 1/2 million visitors and won a series of prestigious awards; that's footfall, with money attached, coming into the City - that has to be of value?

I'm with you on the fact that Wakefield City Centre is changing - it's clear that The Ridings has taken a hit since Trinity Walk opened but I strongly believe that's just a levelling out process; the last I saw, they were at 95% occupancy and I'm pretty sure that Monkey, a long established Wakefield business, have just moved in?

There's no doubt that times are tough in the retail sector - I would've thought therefore that an attraction like The Hepworth would have been welcomed by most retailers?

There must be something in it for local businesses because even with all the pubs shutting around the country, a brand newly built one has popped up right outside the place, Ruddy Duck it's called and before that The Warfedale across the river from it opened up just because the Museum was getting built.

Quote: Shifty Cat "There must be something in it for local businesses because even with all the pubs shutting around the country, a brand newly built one has popped up right outside the place, Ruddy Duck it's called and before that The Warfedale across the river from it opened up just because the Museum was getting built.'" can you remember the pub that got knocked years ago where the Ruddy Duck is now think it was called the ship freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ ... inn_1.html

Quote: Shifty Cat "There must be something in it for local businesses because even with all the pubs shutting around the country, a brand newly built one has popped up right outside the place, Ruddy Duck it's called and before that The Warfedale across the river from it opened up just because the Museum was getting built.'" can you remember the pub that got knocked years ago where the Ruddy Duck is now think it was called the ship freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ ... inn_1.html

But isn't a "boost to the local economy" about creating increased business and therefore bringing more pound notes into the area? The various figures suggesting how many have visited the gallery don't inform you how much in pound notes it's worth to the local economy because the council don't have a clue, but most businesses will tell you it's been worth nothing because most are struggling to survive.
There is a lot more to Wakefield than the ridings and trinity walk, and the rest of town is near derelict as a shopping centre because the council have put everything they've got into Trinity walk at the cost of all the small businesses in the rest of town.
Most business owners that I've spoken to are indifferent to the Hepworth except to be annoyed at the council's constant claims that it is helping them to grow when most of them are struggling to survive.

I'll wager (not much) that not one visitor from out of town who entered the Gallery spent 1p in the place were Catnap works, or the shops either side of it.

Like Shifty says we have a new pub but thats about it imo.

It may raise the profile Wakefield but it adds nothing to the ailing town centre, i did visit when it first opened and i doubt i'll ever set foot in it again.

Bit before my time mate but funnily enough someone posted an old home video from around 1974 of a car trip around Wakey, that went past that old pub and I was asking my mother about it and I think she said it was called the Ship.

Was the warfedale the old Jolly sailor?

I haven't a clue how much difference one place like that will have on a city as a whole and it'd be very hard to put a monetary figure on the amount of people that visit it from out of the area, then maybe gone on into town for a meal, or to do a bit of shopping, no doubt quite a few will do that but not enough to make a huge impact.

Sure was, nice little pub now.

There used to be a couple more in the same area, one where Halfords is and another where Dixon Hall is, literally 4 pubs in spiting distance, those were the days eh

So it hasn't just been built because of the Hepworth then? it was the Warfedale a long time before the Hepworth was finished and possibly before building commenced, I know because we used to supply it with meat for the meals when it first opened, and then they dropped us for microwave meals because they couldn't get enough trade to make propper meals viable.