Leicester's rivals for the 2017 UK City of Culture 'can't match our cultural mix'
Leicester's rivals for the 2017 UK City of Culture crown have been revealed.
Bosses from the city's arts scene, businesses and politicians are preparing a bid to land the title currently held by Londonderry, in Northern Ireland.
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City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, is chairing a consortium putting together Leicester's bid
They hope winning the Government competition will raise the national and international profile of the city, attracting huge numbers of visitors, creating tourism jobs and boosting the local economy by millions of pounds.
It was already known Aberdeen and Plymouth would be among Leicester's challengers for 2017 and yesterday Culture Minister Ed Vaizey revealed the other contenders.
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They are Chester, Dundee, East Kent (covering Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Thanet), Hastings and Bexhill on Sea, Hull, Portsmouth and Southampton, Southend on Sea, and Swansea Bay (covering Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Neath and Port Talbot).
They must submit bids to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport by April and a shortlist of four will be chosen in June. The winner will be announced in November.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who chairs a consortium putting together Leicester's bid, said: "I have been to some of the other places and undoubtedly some of them are very interesting. However, I am confident any impartial observer will see that none of them can match Leicester's unique mixture of cultures.
"We have a brilliant opportunity here and, having seen our rivals, I am confident in our chances."
Curve theatre chief executive Fiona Allan, who is also on the consortium, said she too was confident.
"I don't want to name and shame anywhere else but when I read the list I was still confident we would be shortlisted," she said.
"I think our main rivals could be Plymouth and Aberdeen, who were the first to announce bids. Both could be formidable opponents.
"One of our great advantages is that this is already an international city.
"We reflect a modern, cosmopolitan United Kingdom, while still offering a rich heritage and fascinating history."
Mr Vaizey said: "Thisshows the appetite for the prestigious City of Culture title is in healthy supply right across the length and breadth of the country."
All 11 contenders have until April to submit their initial bids, which will be considered by the panel.
Leicester City Council has pledged £50,000 to cover stage one of the bid but any further money is likely to have to be raised through private sector sponsorship.
Martin Traynor, consortium member and chief executive of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "Our city has such a rich variety of cultures and that is a great strength. There will be some very strong bids but I think we have a very good chance of winning."
•Are you from one of the 10 rival areas but now live in Leicester? Tell us your thoughts on your home town and Leicester's chances. Call 0116 222 4241, or e-mail: newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk and include your name and phone number.
RELATED ARTICLE: What we're up against - the line-up of contenders for the 2017 City of Culture crown
35 Comments
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by Red_Ned
Friday, March 08 2013, 6:24PM
“I have walked along there many times in the dark. Nothing untoward has happened to me.”
by Lordpostie
Friday, March 08 2013, 1:55PM
“The building I'm talking about is called Alexandra house as I have mentioned numourous times, you have the Phoenix arts area which is ok the Athena area which is ok, now walk between the 2, would you like to walk between either of these venues in the dark, it's bad enough in daylight..use your street view and have a look”
by Red_Ned
Friday, March 08 2013, 1:42PM
“Yeah, OK, honest mistake. I typed while my mind was upon other things. Of course I should have said Alexander House is on the corner of Rutland Street and Southampton Street, as my link makes abudently clear.
The whole building is excellent. I have no idea what building you are talking about on Wimbledon Street but it isn't what I consider Alexander House. This is the corner of Wimbledon Street and Southampton Street. Looks perfectly good to me!
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Wimbledon+Street.+leicester&ll=52.635497,-1.125535&spn=0.000003,0.002401&oe=UTF-8&hnear=Wimbledon+St,+Leicester,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=52.63546,-1.126056&panoid=AATa8cfV7eJLxZfJPZ9q2A&cbp=12,303.78,,0,-16.14”
by Lordpostie
Friday, March 08 2013, 12:17PM
“Tedious. Mmm Alexandra house is on Rutland st number 47, a small section I agree is on Southampton st and a lot is on Wimbledon st, look opposite the Southampton st part is that attractive ? Nope is the Wimbledon st entrance ? Nope,
Not halford st.
How can other people like Leicester when residents don't even no what streets buildings are on ?”
by Ciaranfagan
Friday, March 08 2013, 11:36AM
“Hey Gamekeeper, have you ever been to Liverpool? If not, then you should. It's ace and thoroughly deserved the title in 2008.
Ciaran the crime reporter (From Birkenhead, across the river from the greatest city in the UK)”
by Gamekeeper
Friday, March 08 2013, 9:44AM
“It appears that not to many people agree with Sir Pete !”
by Red_Ned
Friday, March 08 2013, 8:53AM
“I forgot this site doesn't like some links - how about this one?
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=southampton+street+leicester&ll=52.635394,-1.117365&spn=0.000026,0.019205&oe=UTF-8&hnear=Southampton+St,+Leicester+LE1,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=52.635588,-1.127051&panoid=ULt5GNf5D49e-5mK6HGHng&cbp=12,55.35,,0,-25.57”
by Red_Ned
Friday, March 08 2013, 8:51AM
“QUOTEBtw have a look at the part of Alexandra house that is on Wimbledon st (not Southampton st incidentally) and tell me that's an attractive piece if architecture." END OF QUOTE
This is getting tedious. Alexandra House is on the corner of Halfrod Street and Southampton Street, and the bit down Southampton Street is magnificent.
For the avoidance of doubt (and just to show how dark and dingy it isn't) here's a link to it on google streetview.
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by PLYMFOX01
Thursday, March 07 2013, 11:37PM
“There are still some fantastic older building left in Leicester but the city itself is in a very poor state. The council seem obcessed with demolishing everything that is anything like historic and replacing it with some eyesore that is most likely to be student flats for example.
In Plymouth (where I live now) we had no excuse for our 1950s/60s concrete jungle of a city centre, it was flattened by the Luftwaffe in ww2, in Leicester its legalised vandalism by the council.”
by PLYMFOX01
Thursday, March 07 2013, 11:30PM
“So to attract visitors to a place you need to make it clean and welcoming. Leicester is neither, that is why no one goes there. (I was born and bred in Leicester, I now live in the south west, still have friends and family in the Leicester area though).”