End of TV manufacture in Britain

This story has its main repercussions in Plymouth but was considered important enough to feature in a national news bulletin. It's all about the fact that the Toshiba factory in the city has ceased making TVs, manufacture now being transferred to Poland. Officially this means the loss of 270 jobs but it's thought that anything up to another 250 jobs are also at risk as they were dependent on the Toshiba factory. On the plus side of things some 50 employees are being retained to provide their expertise to staff in the Polish factory and also to carry out any refurbishment of returned products.

Prior to the Toshiba operation the Ernesettle facility was manufacturing TVs under the 'Rank Bush Murphy' banner. I'm trying to recall how long in total the place has been producing televisions - I have a feeling it's about 40 years, so quite a considerable time. It's the fact that it was the last factory in this country that was making TVs that led to the closure being an item on the national news.

Apparently Toshiba are cutting staff numbers left, right and centre worldwide as a result of the recession - little comfort of course to those Plymouth folk losing their jobs. The reality is that we are all in a global market place and it's just not possible for us to compete with the lower labour costs in developing economies when it comes to making consumer goods. It's in the area of innovation that the future of our country lies. When Blair became PM it was all about "Education, Education, Education" if you remember. Perhaps Cameron should start talking about "Innovation, Innovation, Innovation"! It might not sound very sexy with the voters but it is the way to our salvation surely. One of the things that bothers me about the knock on effects of the banking crisis is that not enough money is supporting the small to medium size businesses from which much innovation can come: all because the banks are having to build up their assets whilst developing businesses are being starved of funds.

For anyone desperate enough to want to see the last TV leaving the line at Plymouth's Toshiba factory someone has obliged by putting a video on 'YouTube' believe it or not. Go to that site and search for "last tv ever made in uk".

Some quick retail therapy

Retail therapy? Well necessary shopping so far as I am concerned. I may or may not have mentioned on this blog but I'm not heavily into shopping - it's not a hobby of mine and quite definitely not an addiction. Partly this could be down to my gender but whatever I couldn't put off any longer getting a couple of new pullovers. When I heard that Debenhams had started a three day sale with 25% off across the board and that M & S were having a one day sale I thought I had better nip into Plymouth sharpish and take advantage of the opportunity. I could have driven in and used the ever useful 'Park and Ride' facility but instead opted to use my bus pass.

Now I'm no longer faced with a daily commute travelling by public transport has become a more attractive proposition. My own observations in the Tamar Valley is that the bus and train companies are getting their act together: through most of the day we have an hourly bus service between Gunnislake and Tavistock whilst the onward section to Plymouth sees buses running every 15 minutes or so. So far as the trains are concerned a new timetable is coming out next month and I'm led to believe that there will be at least one extra train on the 'Tamar Valley Line'. Again, based on what I see, Gunnislake Station looks to be increasing in passenger use.

Back to last Thursday and I took the 9.48 bus from our village into Tavistock, changed buses there and was walking down through Plymouth's shopping centre by 11 o'clock. By 11.30 I had been in and out of Debenhams and was boarding the bus to go home - I don't hang about on this shopping lark! On the last leg back to my village from Tavistock I met an elderly friend from the village so a chance to have a bit of a natter. All in all I had been away from home for just under four hours with zero travelling cost or stress; my two lambswool jumpers were actually for sale at half price, so total cost to me of £25 - I was well pleased with that result!

A few observations: travelling off peak on public transport (in this area at least) never seems to be too busy; although I enjoy driving I don't have any hangups in letting the bus or train take the strain occasionally. Plymouth has excellent park-and-ride facilities and dedicated bus lanes in places, all to the good in my book. Another point worth a mention is just how space efficient buses are compared with cars - our small local buses carrying 30 odd passengers can't be more than two average cars in length if that, although obviously wider of course. Assuming the buses need the same amount of empty space fore and aft as a car when driving along then it can be seen just how much better at optimizing road space a bus can be.

One final comment, when Gordon Brown supplies something for free it's a shame not to take advantage. Mind you purists may frown about using the word "free" in relation to bus passes, it all has to be paid for somewhere - mainly out of general taxation and with shortfalls coming out of "our" council tax. But it's certainly nice to receive a ticket that says £0.00, that's for sure!

New Princesshay recycles much of the old

Following on from the opening of Plymouth's Drake Circus development not so long ago today has seen the ribbon cut at the new look Princesshay in Exeter. Apparently it has some 60 or so shops, cafes and restaurants although a small number of these retail outlets have yet to be let. Interestingly it incorporates a number of flats, about 120 I believe. I'm a great believer in bringing housing into the centre of our cities, not that I would really want to live in a city myself. But for a city to be vibrant it needs people to live there 24/7 and not just be given over to the retail and office sectors.

Not being one in love with retail therapy I am not going to drop everything and dash off to Exeter but there are one or two of aspects of the new Princesshay worth commenting on. Firstly, a high proportion of the estimated 43,000 tonnes of waste coming from the demolition of the unremarkable old Princesshay has been crushed and then recycled into the new scheme. In fact about 40,000 tonnes or over 90%. This is fantastic. There seems to be a more conscious effort to reuse old material - it has always irked me to see old demolition material going to landfill and new construction using all virgin materials. Perhaps with landfill tax it is becoming a financial imperative to go down the environmental route, I don't know.

The other thing I want to mention (and I'm afraid this is a downside) is the appearance of the new higher buildings viewed from Exeter's Cathedral Green. It is not the architecture itself, possibly anything might be more inspiring than the previous nondescript look, but it's the fact that it now breaks the skyline looking across the Green whereas the older version did not. I have to thank John Evans at his website here for pointing this out. It seems that the decision makers never consider a development's appearance from a historically critical location. I think John's photos say it all really.

I'm not going to get into any sort of Exeter versus Plymouth argument thanks very much. Just to say that the two cities are distinctly different and that Princesshay with its addition of flats and being open air as opposed to the enclosed shopping centre at Drake Circus (well it does rain more at Plymouth!) has ensured that the differentiation continues. Hooray for that I say!