Recently Cambridge saw the opening of a substantial extension to the Lion Yard shopping centre - the Grand Arcade. This development features 50 or so largish shopping units as shown in the floorplan.

I was somewhat amused to wander round the arcade soon after its opening and discover that many of the units were still unoccupied. Have the developers greatly overestimated the demand of retailers for more space in the city? Admittedly the arcade opened some months ahead of schedule, but there doesn’t appear to be much change, or indeed signs of opening of these vacant units. Still, I’m sure they’ll all fill up eventually.

On the far right of the ground floor plan you can see a road named “Petty Cury.” Sadly many of the shops there appear to be closing. Clinton Cards has gone - moved into the Grand Arcade. So has Warehouse. So has another girly clothes shop whose name escapes me. If the only shops in the Grand Arcade turn out to have moved from somewhere else then we haven’t gained anything.

I do hope the current shop vacuum in Cambridge starts to fill up. Only time will tell. Perhaps a Greggs Bakery might appear as a welcome change to the current overpriced pasty shops. Perhaps the stage is set for a return of Woolworth’s…?

I migrated this blog in early February - now we’ve reached early April and the comment spam has noticed me. Here’s hoping that Wordpress comment spam features work better than Bloglines.

In alternative news, there’s an amusing tale at theDailyWTF referring to security at the Halifax.

Not too long ago, my Halifax ATM card got deactivated because I misentered the PIN number three times in a row. So, the next day, I went into the main bank branch to get some cash from a teller.

I headed to the counter with my card in hand and some ID in my pocket. I explained the situation and asked to withdraw a few hundred pounds to carry me over until a new PIN number arrived. After taking my ATM card, she handed me a slip and asked me to sign. I did that, and she then counted out the money and gave it to me. No questions asked.

I’ve thought before that Halifax customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe this will spur me on to open an account somewhere else.