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Northern Avenue Shopping Centre Arbourthorne


DaveH

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Those are also flats Dave, im sure that is where my nan / suzy's mum lived as the flat she was in was on brimmersfield road itself.

notice how the doorway to one of them is bricked up?

this must mean they were houses at some point.

IIRC, the flats are split into four with nans flat being the one on the right, both upstairs windows

These flats, which look similar to the Brimmesfield ones but bigger, are actually on Northern Avenue right next to the shopping centre, next to the Short Cutz hairdressers and that delapidated old garage in fact.

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Not exactly but, -

Last time I went to the doctors at Northern Avenue Surgery for my repeat prescription on the wall they had plans and an artists impression of the "New Northern Avenue Surgery"

It looked very large and modern and not fitting with other buildings in the centre and with insufficient space to build it.

A receptionist told me the new proposed building for "Northern Avenue Medical Centre" wasn't going to be on Northern Avenue :blink: but on East Bank and Errington Roads :o

Now it just so happens that since last November I have periodically being watching a team of demolition men systematically demolish the old Finnegan's prefabs (got that from plaintalker, - they are Finnegans and not Vic Hallams) and the 3 storey maisonettes in the same area.

Having lived through the 1962 gale (so another thread near here) and the demolition of the original asbestos prefabs on this site I have a fascination going back almost 50 years with demolishing buildings on the Arbourthorne.

This demolition work is nowhere near finished and so far I have taken around 100 photographs (admittedly many of them are very similar, - seen one smashed up prefab and you've seen them all)

I am saving these pictures up for eventually a new topic on here called something like "The end of the prefabs and maisonettes"

Then if they start building a new futuristic looking health centre on the same cleared land I will do something on that as well.

My post from 20th April this year, the story continues below

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CHAPTER ONE

A NICE LITTLE PRACTICE

Once upon a time there was a doctor’s surgery just beyond the Co-Op in Northern Avenue shopping centre.

For a long time it was run by a single doctor but unfortunately he liked strong drink and although his surgery smelt of surgical spirits his bin outside was full to overflowing with empty spirit bottles. <_<

Even more unfortunately he was secretly the “Arbourthorne Flasher” and when he was “uncovered” and his case went to court he wasn’t allowed to be a doctor any more. :o

So, those nice people at the NHS extended his surgery and brought in a group practice of doctors and nurses to run it.

This was a very good thing because when DaveH was ill, unwell or showing signs of advancing age those nice doctors and nurses looked after him and tried to make him well again. :)

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CHAPTER 2

MORE DAMAGE THAN THE LUFTWAFFE DID IN THE BLITZ

But all was not well on the Arbourthorne.

Those nasty people that we voted for down at the Town Hall put some even nastier people in charge of the town planning department.

The planners were a set of Luddites who had a policy that any buildings over 40 years old in Sheffield that needed any money spending on them for maintenance should be demolished.

When they looked at their map of the Arbourthorne, they noticed some maisonettes (flats)and Finnegan prefabs (or they could have been Vic Hallams) they had built in the late 1960’s and decided that they should go.

So the demolition teams were sent in

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CHAPTER 3

THE PREFABS COME DOWN, - AGAIN!!!

So for most of the last year the demolition teams did their work.

Families that had lived on the Arbourthorne for years were moved out.

Families that had bought their council homes were “compulsory purchased” at the depths of an economic depression when house prices were rock bottom.

All of this saddened DaveH and made him quite unhappy.

Not only did he think it was a waste of good serviceable houses in need of a bit of TLC but he had a feeling of déjà-vu, a feeling that he had been through this before.

In 1962 the original prefabs had been damaged in the Sheffield Gale and demolition teams had removed the damaged homes. Fortunately DaveH’s house survived this ordeal.

In 1966 all the remaining prefabs were demolished to make way for the houses that are under threat of demolition now. DaveH had to move out to an even older house on the Arbourthorne made of brick, so that if the nasty gale came back it could huff and puff but would not be able to blow his house down.

Now as DaveH watched the demolition teams move in during 2009 it was all happening again.

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CHAPTER 4

A HEALTHIER FUTURE

When DaveH was ill one day he went to the Northern Avenue Surgery where they would help him get better again.

While he was waiting to be seen he looked around the waiting room and saw some amazing plans for a new Northern Avenue Health Centre.

A3 Arbourthorne Fields current 0ct081.pdf

Amazing for 2 reasons

Firstly the Northern Avenue Health Centre wasn’t going to be on Northern Avenue. :o

Instead it would be on Errington Road near its junction with East Bank Road <_<

This would be better for DaveH as it is nearer his home, but worse for his elderly mother with an artificial knee and a walking stick to get about as it will be further for her.

Secondly, the new health centre was going to be bigger, better and fully state of the art in the medical treatment it gives.

So big that Lloyds the chemist, who have a branch in Northern Avenue shopping centre will be able to have a branch in the health centre so that you can get your prescription medicines straight away.

That will be a lot better for DaveH, his mum, and all the patients that currently use Northern Avenue health centre.

In these hard economic times, if they ever build it, then it will be much better for anyone on the Arbourthorne who is unwell

:):) :)

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CHAPTER 5

THE DREAM TAKES SHAPE

Recently DaveH has noticed some new building work on Eastern Avenue / Errington Road.

The building is marked up as being the new health centre

The sign even says that the centre is due to open in March 2011.

That only allows 6 months or so to complete this building, - but redevelopment work always takes place quickly.

DaveH looks forward to being able to attend the new health centre where his doctors and nurses can provide him with even better care.

:)

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The sign even says that the centre is due to open in March 2011.

That only allows 6 months or so to complete this building, - but redevelopment work always takes place quickly.

Due to open in March 2011.

Well on target for the completion date then, - look at how it is progressing already

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Due to open in March 2011.

Well on target for the completion date then, - look at how it is progressing already

They even continued to work on it in dense fog.

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State of work by the end of October 2010

As well as telling you that it is due to open in March 2011 they now have this display showing an artists impression / CGI graphics of the completed building.

These are the same images and display that are currently on display in the existing Northern Avenue surgery.

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As well as telling you that it is due to open in March 2011 they now have this display showing an artists impression / CGI graphics of the completed building.

These are the same images and display that are currently on display in the existing Northern Avenue surgery.

Now into November, Bonfire Night out of the way, and work progresses even further.

No sign of the Arbourthorne Lights being put back up yet for Christmas though :(

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No sign of the Arbourthorne Lights being put back up yet for Christmas though :(

Just across East Bank Road from the new building in the "Spire Centre" (old Hurlfield School site) I saw this sign.

Now that made me smile. lol

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Now into November, Bonfire Night out of the way, and work progresses even further.

No sign of the Arbourthorne Lights being put back up yet for Christmas though :(

Still no Arbourthorne lights (or Aaarberthooern Leets as we locals call them) yet.

But, progress on that new health centre towards its expected completion date in March 2011 is so good that the old health centre building on Northern Avenue is already up for sale.

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Still no Arbourthorne lights (or Aaarberthooern Leets as we locals call them) yet.

December 7th 2010, The lights are back, up and working

Suprising really as the weather has been bad over the last week with ice and heavy snow. Northern Avenue was blocked off for a while and there is still a lot of snow on the ground now.

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December 7th 2010, The lights are back, up and working

Suprising really as the weather has been bad over the last week with ice and heavy snow. Northern Avenue was blocked off for a while and there is still a lot of snow on the ground now.

..and the usual seasonal message to the entire estate

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I saw an item on the news this last week that some town councils, given the current financial situation and the need to make massive savings and budget cuts, have decided not to bother with Christmas lights this year.

I suppose as lights are "non-essential" it seems sensible to cut out the lights, saving expenditure on buying them, maintaining them, putting them up, taking them down and then paying for the energy they have used is much better than getting rid of something more essential, more useful or making someone redundant.

However, Sheffield still has it's lights this year

Even the Arbouthorne still has its lights this year, - not the most affluent area of Sheffield and only a very small shopping centre of around a dozen or so businesses.

I have noticed though that the number of private households with excessive, over the top exterior Christmas lights on the house is much less than in previous years recently.

An indication perhaps that at a personal family level rather than a corporate or council level that the cuts and price / tax rises are starting to have an effect.

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Just across East Bank Road from the new building in the "Spire Centre" (old Hurlfield School site) I saw this sign.

Now that made me smile. lol

Whats more, among other uses for the Spire Centre at Hurlfield school it is also.....

...a church :blink:

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Now into November, Bonfire Night out of the way, and work progresses even further.

New health centre ready to open by March 2011? :unsure:

No problem! lol

They are well on target for the completion date.

Recent foot and a half of snow didn't really stop them, and now they are even working on Sundays as well.

Just look how the place is coming on

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December 7th 2010, The lights are back, up and working

Suprising really as the weather has been bad over the last week with ice and heavy snow. Northern Avenue was blocked off for a while and there is still a lot of snow on the ground now.

January 6th 2011

So it is now Epiphany / 12th night and time for the lights to come down, or at least be switched off.

I had to go up there tonight to collect me prescription and the Arbourthorne Lights are, -

Still up, still switched on and still working

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January 6th 2011

So it is now Epiphany / 12th night and time for the lights to come down, or at least be switched off.

I had to go up there tonight to collect me prescription and the Arbourthorne Lights are, -

Still up, still switched on and still working

The Christmas lights at Heeley Green/Gleadless Road, are still lit up.

Shouldn't the lights & trimmings have been removed yesterday,

the 5th ?

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The Christmas lights at Heeley Green/Gleadless Road, are still lit up.

Shouldn't the lights & trimmings have been removed yesterday,

the 5th ?

That depends on weather you consider the 12th night to be the 5th or 6th of January.

There seems to be some dispute about this but either date is acceptable for removing Christmas decorations.

However the Epiphany, the day the 3 wise men arrived in Bethlehem, is always celebrated on January 6th.

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New health centre ready to open by March 2011? :unsure:

No problem! lol

They are well on target for the completion date.

Recent foot and a half of snow didn't really stop them, and now they are even working on Sundays as well.

Just look how the place is coming on

Due to open in March, but I was told just before Christmas when I had to visit the doctor that the recent snow and bad weather had put them back by about a month so now it may be April or even early May when it opens.

My next full check up is in May so I should be going to the new building and not the old next time I go.

Work is still progressing at an impressive rate though, - this is the state of play by the end of January 2011

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