We're just going round in circles now. People like Boaden should be making sure that this lot are called in and questions start getting answered.

5 years, a lot of money and a lot of abandoned plans.

I am looking forward to retiring to Carlisle to enjoy a fabulous outdoor way of life but can't believe that the Renaissance has cost so much money and nothing to show for it. How do these people get away with it ?

Seriously, have the so called visionaries of our City gone completely mad? Michael Boaden is quite correct 6.66 million is an extraordinary amount of money, spent on nothing tangible, for goodness sake, Botchergate is a disgrace, it has steadily been getting worse for the last 10 years,a no go area for many on Friday and Saturday nights and this is the main road into our City center, it is a constant battle to keep the city's street clear of litter, many of our roads are full of potholes and now due to the recession many of our buildings are left vacant, boarded up or left to vandals, this is not a "City of Culture" but a City in need of help. Carlisle residents deserve more, much more. Projects such as the University and Academy schools would have happened anyway, and for the heritage section of the city why would we want to spend what little money we have on a section of the city which is already of a high standard. Time for excuses is over, improvements need to happen and money spent in the right areas it is no good having half of the city exceptionally good and the other ready for demolition.

Same as the City of Culture bid a lot of people out of touch with reality!!!!!!!!!!!
Think of major routes into into city ie: Botchergate, Warwick Road,utter disgrace but then again what brownie points do you get for sorting them out obviously not enough!!!!

WHEN WILL THEY LISTEN?

CARLISLE DOES NOT WANT OR NEED THIS.

OUTRAGEOUS! The money wasted on consultants and crazy half cocked schemes could have provided a lot of grit for our roads and pavements and could pay for our roads to be brought up to a decent standard (from what is akin to third world dirt tracks). City of culture? Who are they trying to kid? More likely to get voted City of Agriculture the amount of muck there is on our streets and pavements! And as for the Unversity - what has that got to do with the Renaissance, apart from being a straw which the very highly paid Renaissance team can grasp to say that they are doing something!
Rememeber all of this inactivity and chicanery when the next elections come around!
WE NEED A THEATRE - If you build it, they will come! ( Top acts and crowds of visitors, that is).

Its a total waste of money. Consultation fees etc. Mike Mitchelsons council should hold there heads in shame for allowing this to happen.

John, where do you think the North West Development Agency gets its money from ?

I can appreciate that to drive any project of this kind forward, you need a board of members to thrash out the decisions that result in what should be best for all contributors ! . A public consultation is not an option, Too many opinions etc.
Questions to ask is how much costs have been absorbed by members in expenses and been ferried round to view other projects ?

Five Years, £6.6m and what have we got to show for it - a little sign on the side of the civic centre.
This has been an absolutely scandalous waste of council tax payers money. The very fact that Mr Gray has to "defend the initiative" at a recent press conference says its all.
Carlisle City Council should stop wasting their time and our money chasing rdiciulous pipe dreams such as Renaissance and City of Culture and focus on delivering key core services such as getting the bins emptied and gritting the roads and pavements, cheaply and efficiently.