My children are very excited to have milkshakes at home and they have started asking for specific flavours.  It’s great because Mum and Dad get to try them too.  The downside is that their friends have now found out about a new milkshake bar and it’s back to costing me a fortune!

Still, at least I know they are getting plenty of milk inside them and we are having fun thinking of new flavours.  Thankfully I invested in some good quality kitchen blenders.  They are certainly getting plenty of use.

Plans for development include two large department stores and up to 60 new shops, as well as a potential “Quay West” development including a new hotel in Hull and leisure centre in Hull.

It has received mixed reactions, mainly from people who are dubious of how long units took to fill in St Stephen’s, as well as fears for the smaller, less-established shops that will inevitably fall victim to another giant.

But, times are changing and Hull must move forward in line with the other great cities in the UK. Though I can still never quite imagine a time where people from further afield get up one day and say “I know, let’s go shopping, how about Hull?”, in the same way they talk fondly of York, Meadowhall or Leeds.

Either way, Hull can always guarantee that me and my credit card will never be too far away…

Having spent time in both (living, breathing and shopping), they each offer something very distinctive, going beyond the typical “market town v. bustling city” descriptions that are traditionally lumped upon them.

The question is, will the proposed £120m development in the shadow of Beverley Minster narrow that gap? The plans include shops, a cinema and even a hotel in the 16-acre former Clariant and Museum of Army Transport site.

The argument is that Beverley is in much need of a retail and leisure boost. Not unsurprisingly, Hull City Council and Princes Quay (who have enough of their own problems) are amongst many who have spoken out against the plans. They object to the scale of the initiative, suggesting that it will have an impact on current, and future, retail and business developments in the City.

A planning inspector has toured Hull’s retail centres to try and judge its impact (where do you even start to assess that?). The official tour took in Kingswood Retail Park, Clough Road, St Stephen’s & The Prospect Centre, King Edward Street and Jameson Street, Whitefriargate, Princes Quay, Humber Quays, Kingston Retail Park and St Andrew’s Quay. Quite a lot to go at really.

So, do you think it will affect the delicate Beverley/Hull balance? I’m tempted to ask whether other cities react this way when a neighboring town wants to expand or improve their infrastructure. If Hull was more confident in their own retail and business developments, would they be as worried?