An Ideal Place For A New Station
This map shows the development site at Kirkstall Forge in Leeds.
Kirkstall Forge
The site is being developed between the A65 and the River Aire and the Leeds to Bradford rail line in a £400million scheme. This is from the developer’s web site.
Kirkstall Forge will be transformed into a thriving mixed-use community in a wooded riverside setting. Ultimately it will deliver new homes, a high quality office park, shops, restaurants, a gym, crèche and other facilities. The scheme will create in the region of 2,400 new jobs, boosting the local economy by more than £5 million per year.
The DfT will provide a maximum of £10.3m towards the £16.9m needed to deliver railway stations on this site and at Apperley Bridge. The remaining 40% of the cost is made up of a local funding package comprising a private sector contribution of over £5m, supplemented by funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Surely, this is the type of development that is good for everyone.
It will be interesting to know the extra return that developers get, by having a rail station in their plans. In London, a station is being provided at Barking Riverside for developments there, but stations in new developments seem to be fairly rare.
An Appalling Death Cult
Not my words, but those of David Cameron in this report on the BBC. These are the full words he used.
We all have a role to play in stopping people from having their minds poisoned by this appalling death cult.
I agree entirely.
If Islamic State was something like the movement started by Jim Jones, that ended so tragically in Guyana, we might have taken action earlier.
They say there’s one born every minute and religion certainly takes advantage.
What I find strange about religion, is that it often fleeces the poor of their money and sanity, but although the rich may leave their money to their church, temple or mosque, they generally don’t get fleeced in their lifetime.
Still Remembering Charlie!
I passed through Republic and took these photos in the square, that I visited soon after the atrocities a few weeks ago.
I haven’t changed my stance, that there was nothing that could excuse the murder of the staff of Charlie Hebdo.
Petite France
Petite France is an area of Strasbourg, that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I walked around for an hour and had lunch there.
Exploring Strasbourg
I didn’t have much time in Strasbourg before I needed to catch the TGV Est, so I used the excellent tram system to explore the city.
The trams are all low floor, which as a Londoner, you appreciate, as all the buses are going that way. The New Rputemasters are totally flat and no-one should have to accept anything less.
Strasbourg’s successful introduction of trams has been credited with helping to start the tram-revolution in France. Like Nottingham, which was an instant success in the UK, both networks are 100% low-floor. This doesn’t apply tro all UK tram networks.
As a Londoner, you appreciate this, as all the London’s buses are going that way. The New Routemasters are totally flat and no-one should have to accept anything less.
Exploring Darmstadt
I love exploring towns and cities in trams or regular buses, as you see the city from an intimate and personal angle. If like I did this in Darmstadt, alighting when I saw something that took my interest. These pictures show a history of my short visit to the city.
I started by going to the main square called Luisenplatz with its column and statue of Ludwig 1. I finally found a cappuccino in a rather pleasant Italian cafe.
I then walked to the castle and then back to another main square by the old town hall. On a better day, it would have been a pleasant walk and there were a couple of museums that seemed to be closed because of rebuilding. At least I found a very good tourist map of the city, which was magnitudes better than anything found in Frankfurt.
I also came across a BT phone-box, which appeared to enclose a working German telephone. Does anybody use them any more? And especially in a smaller city in Germany!
I then went to see Waldspirale, which is one of Friedensreich Hundertwasser amazingly mad buildings. Another in this blog is at Spittelau in Vienna. One other work of his, I must see is the station at Uelzen in Germany. Some might think Hundertwasser completely bonkers, but he certainly created buildings that entertain.
I wonder what it’s like to live in one of those eccentric flats in Darmstadt.
Exploring Frankfurt
In the morning, I explored Frankfurt.
It was still cold and the city doesn’t seem to wake up as early as London or Berlin.
Frankfurt At Night
I went and had a look at Frankfurt by night.
I ate supper at Fisch Franke and it was an excellent gluten-free fish and chips.
The only problem I had was that it was bitterly cold and getting back to my hotel I got lost and a ten minute walk took thirty minutes. Frankfurt is not too well served by maps.
My Eyrie In Frankfurt
I thought I’d stay somewhere more expensive in Frankfurt, so I booked a room in a tower hotel on the 29th floor.
Everything was fine, except for some of the views in the morning due to the weather and the fact that they didn’t provide any cups for tea,although they did provide tea, coffee, creamer and a kettle.
I certainly won’t be staying there again! The wi-fi was also too complicated and the security was more applicable to Fort Knox. It was also extremely difficult to find from the nearest stop on the Frankfurt U-Bahn, but I can’t blame that on the hotel.
