Councils banging on about empty High St Shops
Discussion
Just watching on BBC News that councils say 1 in 6 shops could be empty within the next year.
Well if the councils didn't crucify business's with astronomical rates and stupid regs they may have a fighting chance.
Its the very same councils, who make the High Streets a fecking no parking zone with parking Nazi's hiding around corners waiting to give you a £50~£100 bill while your trying your best to support your local High St.
Apparently they want to turn empty shops into art gallery's, can't see that helping.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7840421.stm
Well if the councils didn't crucify business's with astronomical rates and stupid regs they may have a fighting chance.
Its the very same councils, who make the High Streets a fecking no parking zone with parking Nazi's hiding around corners waiting to give you a £50~£100 bill while your trying your best to support your local High St.
Apparently they want to turn empty shops into art gallery's, can't see that helping.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7840421.stm
Blackpool town centre is practically dead. On one of the main high street's you've got the massive Post Office, closed down. Next to that is a large chemist, closed down. Across the road is a large Harveys store, closed down and a Next store which has relocated. And there's a load of other smaller places that are closed. That's just one street
You allow massive oversupply of out-of-town retail parks and supermarkets, remove a huge percentage of parking spaces whilst hiking charges on those that remain, make access to town centres by car almost impossible and tax the businesses to high heaven for non-existent services.
And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
Our local council introduced parking charges for the car parks here, against the wishes of everyone who lives here. The justification was that nowhere else the borough has free parking, so why should we?
The result of this us that people simply stopped going, because if they have to pay to park, they might as well go to the bigger local town. Several small shops have closed as a result and I expect more will follow.
I am waiting for them to announce that there are too many car parks that no one uses so they are selling them for development.
The result of this us that people simply stopped going, because if they have to pay to park, they might as well go to the bigger local town. Several small shops have closed as a result and I expect more will follow.
I am waiting for them to announce that there are too many car parks that no one uses so they are selling them for development.
10 Pence Short said:
You allow massive oversupply of out-of-town retail parks and supermarkets, remove a huge percentage of parking spaces whilst hiking charges on those that remain, make access to town centres by car almost impossible and tax the businesses to high heaven for non-existent services.
And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
Exactly.And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
It's the same with loads of other things too... Central government banging-on about cutting road congestion and air pollution. Meanwhile local government is putting speed-humps and pinch-points everywhere which encourages more uneconomical stop-start driving, blocking off the ends of roads and creating one-way streets in residential areas so you have to drive much further to get to the same place, creating bus lanes to force two lanes of cars into one thus exacerbating congestion and closing lots of small local schools that are within walking distance of the communities that they serve and replacing them with a few large 'central' schools that require road transport to be reached by the kids that go there. Result = more congestion and more air pollution... and muggins motorist is somehow to blame for all of this and higher taxes are all they can think of to fix it.
Edited by MitchT on Saturday 28th February 13:44
10 Pence Short said:
You allow massive oversupply of out-of-town retail parks and supermarkets, remove a huge percentage of parking spaces whilst hiking charges on those that remain, make access to town centres by car almost impossible and tax the businesses to high heaven for non-existent services.
And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
Exactly what is going on in our town. Large retail parks with free parking, but they doubled the parking fee and bus prices to the town centre.And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
I can add to this. Our local council has upped the parking cost from 30p to 35p with no change given (who has a bag full of 5ps?).
AND also in their great wise and wisdom they have REMOVED 6 parking spaces and made them, plus others into residents only - Who I might add are 80% holiday homes.
And they wonder why people shop out of town? Pehaps I should open a charity shop?
AND also in their great wise and wisdom they have REMOVED 6 parking spaces and made them, plus others into residents only - Who I might add are 80% holiday homes.
And they wonder why people shop out of town? Pehaps I should open a charity shop?
They need to do one or the other, either encourage shops to move to the town center with good parking etc and low rates or develop retail places out of town with good transport links to the town centers.
Places i visited in the US were great, big retail/commercial areas out of town and once you get into town, they were pleasant, nice restaurants where you could sit out without getting knocked down by prams etc and no cars/buses/vans parking everywhere
Places i visited in the US were great, big retail/commercial areas out of town and once you get into town, they were pleasant, nice restaurants where you could sit out without getting knocked down by prams etc and no cars/buses/vans parking everywhere
So they out double yellow lines everywhere, then charge a fortune to park up and wonder why people don't shop there? When a retail park is free to park, and actually has spaces within a mile of the shops.
And do I need to mention council tax rates for shops?
And do I need to mention council tax rates for shops?
Edited by Jasandjules on Saturday 28th February 14:07
69 coupe said:
Not surprised at all, but I do lay the blame at councils, for fecking over the owners/shoppers so they can get their greedy mitts on our money to fund there own wage round and crap there little foibles on us peons.
And it's nothing to do with landlords requiring astonishing rental prices in a poor market? Landlords who I'm led to believe do not pay full rates on empty properties? There's little incentive for the landlords to offer competitive prices.My High Street has very good access, reasonable parking costs, and a very healthy (and wealthy) pedestrian catchment area. Business rates are pretty handy as well. The problems I've heard of are:
- High rental
- Too many small units which only coffee shops & mobile phone stores can eke a profit from.
Nickyboy said:
They need to do one or the other, either encourage shops to move to the town center with good parking etc and low rates or develop retail places out of town with good transport links to the town centers.
I won't shop at out-of-town retail places because the cost in terms of time and petrol of getting there is too high to justify it. At present I drive to my local railway station (five minutes) then catch a train into Leeds city centre (20 minutes). If I couldn't do this for some reason I would not be convinced to drive to an out-of-town shopping centre, I'd just buy more stuff online. What we need is a transport and commerce network created via the use of joined-up thinking - good, cheap parking at railway stations, fast trains to the places where the shops are and adequate, convenient parking where the shops are for those who turn-up in the car. 'Anti motorist' is tantamount to 'anti everything that that motorist uses their car for'. Local government needs to wake up to this.HiRich said:
69 coupe said:
Not surprised at all, but I do lay the blame at councils, for fecking over the owners/shoppers so they can get their greedy mitts on our money to fund there own wage round and crap there little foibles on us peons.
And it's nothing to do with landlords requiring astonishing rental prices in a poor market? Landlords who I'm led to believe do not pay full rates on empty properties? There's little incentive for the landlords to offer competitive prices.My High Street has very good access, reasonable parking costs, and a very healthy (and wealthy) pedestrian catchment area. Business rates are pretty handy as well. The problems I've heard of are:
- High rental
- Too many small units which only coffee shops & mobile phone stores can eke a profit from.
MitchT said:
I won't shop at out-of-town retail places because the cost in terms of time and petrol of getting there is too high to justify it. At present I drive to my local railway station (five minutes) then catch a train into Leeds city centre (20 minutes). If I couldn't do this for some reason I would not be convinced to drive to an out-of-town shopping centre, I'd just buy more stuff online. What we need is a transport and commerce network created via the use of joined-up thinking - good, cheap parking at railway stations, fast trains to the places where the shops are and adequate, convenient parking where the shops are for those who turn-up in the car. 'Anti motorist' is tantamount to 'anti everything that that motorist uses their car for'. Local government needs to wake up to this.
So you drive, then take a train, to go shopping?? What do you buy? Obviously not a lot.I think most folks here are on about retail parks on the outskirts of the town/city, meaning you pass them when you go into the city centre, rather than something five miles away.
In US cities they invariably have big dual carriageways leading into town, from various directions, but all along these there are all the big shops, Walmart, Pep Boys, Auto Zone, Home Depot etc, with massive car parks and easy access. Nobody needs to go into the town centre, except if they work there. I guess the UK is going that way, except we have weedy little A roads to get into town.
Same here in Shrewsbury. More nail bars, coffee shops, empty charity shops and hairdressers. Mind you I expect the majority of PHers buy their luxury goods from the www so not suprising really!
We're just about to double the size of our store but the council [as they own it] gave us 18 months rent free to help!
We're just about to double the size of our store but the council [as they own it] gave us 18 months rent free to help!
Jasandjules said:
So they out double yellow lines everywhere, then charge a fortune to park up and wonder why people don't shop there? When a retail park is free to park, and actually has spaces within a mile of the shops.
And do I need to mention council tax rates for shops?
Well I thought shops would pay Business Rates (which are set nationally, aren't they?) rather than Council Tax, but either way the public sector is being far too greedy and needs to be seriously cut back. I'm not surprised so many town centres are looking decrepit and lifeless as a result of all this.And do I need to mention council tax rates for shops?
Edited by Jasandjules on Saturday 28th February 14:07
Best wishes all,
Dave.
Jasandjules said:
So they out double yellow lines everywhere, then charge a fortune to park up and wonder why people don't shop there? When a retail park is free to park, and actually has spaces within a mile of the shops.
And do I need to mention council tax rates for shops?
To be fair, not that I am usually, business rates are set (at a fixed proportion of rateable value) by central government, who also receive the revenue.And do I need to mention council tax rates for shops?
Edited by Jasandjules on Saturday 28th February 14:07
10 Pence Short said:
You allow massive oversupply of out-of-town retail parks and supermarkets, remove a huge percentage of parking spaces whilst hiking charges on those that remain, make access to town centres by car almost impossible and tax the businesses to high heaven for non-existent services.
And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
Got it in one.And you're surprised when the town centres start becoming ghost towns?
Mail order will be the winner in this recession.
E31Shrew said:
Mind you I expect the majority of PHers buy their luxury goods from the www so not suprising really!
Half the problem with the WWW shopping is if I want it now. I don't mind paying a few quid more for it the problem is finding local shops you can buy the stuff from or if they do stock it trying to park somewhere near.Forums | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff