Town Centres with no decent shops!
Discussion
Does anyone know how we've come to a point where instead of having town centres full of useful shops that sell useful things, we now have town centres where if you want to buy a house you have a choice of 20 estate agents, if you want a cup of coffee you have a choice of 20 coffee shops and if you want an eye test you have the choice of half a dozen opticians yet there's nowhere you can buy a screwdriver?!?
It's just s
te.
It's just s
te.paddyhasneeds said:
Does anyone know how we've come to a point where instead of having town centres full of useful shops that sell useful things, we now have town centres where if you want to buy a house you have a choice of 20 estate agents, if you want a cup of coffee you have a choice of 20 coffee shops and if you want an eye test you have the choice of half a dozen opticians yet there's nowhere you can buy a screwdriver?!?
It's just ste.
Try Whitehaven. Even the charity shops are closing, looks more and more like the film set of Mad Max every day.It's just s
te.parapaul said:
Ah... You need B&Q Superstore, on the industrial estate 5 miles out of town.
HTH
The thing with that is, I can at least get there.HTH
If you're elderly you're absolutely f
ked though at least you can sit down for a cup of tea every 20 yards.There's three "Superdrug" type places that literally have a ton of Timotei piled up, about half a dozen hairdressers and a dozen banks but nowhere you could buy a decent pair of jeans (Burton's and TJ Hughes doesn't count) or shoes.
When I was a kid which wasn't that long back there was an ironmonger who would sell these things, there was an art supplies shop, a train and model shop where I would spend an hour after school (and they trusted me not to nick the stock).
It's not even a rant it's just bewilderment that we've come to this.
The thing I constantly struggle with is card shops. There doesn't seem to be any other than in town centres and you can't get near them to park, but it's not worth the effort of parking in a multi-storey and traipsing across town just to buy the wife a birthday card.
She's never very happy when I tell her that, though!
She's never very happy when I tell her that, though!
theboyfold said:
You should come to Leatherhead, it's just like that. About 8 banks, 3 coffee shops, 10 sandwich places and nothing of any use to man or beast.
Yet 5 miles away, Cobham has a camera shop, a book shop, a cook shop, a sports shop, 3 hardware stores, a baker, a chemist, a jeweller. Oh, and lots of FREE parking.I've only been into my town centre twice in the last 6 months - both times to pay a cheque into my bank (shows how many cheques I pay in these days).
They could do away with it entirely and I'd feel no loss. It's a pain having to park miles from the bank and pay for the privilege. Let's have out-of-town banks as well with drive-through windows much like they do in the US.
They could do away with it entirely and I'd feel no loss. It's a pain having to park miles from the bank and pay for the privilege. Let's have out-of-town banks as well with drive-through windows much like they do in the US.
[AJ] said:
It's because we are turning into Americans. Everyone's getting fat, buying super-sized burgers and can't be bothered walking to anywhere more than 50 feet away. Town centres are being replaced superstores and shopping malls.
At least you can park at US shopping malls, and in decent sized spaces.Mobile Chicane said:
theboyfold said:
You should come to Leatherhead, it's just like that. About 8 banks, 3 coffee shops, 10 sandwich places and nothing of any use to man or beast.
Yet 5 miles away, Cobham has a camera shop, a book shop, a cook shop, a sports shop, 3 hardware stores, a baker, a chemist, a jeweller. Oh, and lots of FREE parking.It's not rocket science now, is it?
Local councils are putting up business rates and charging for parking, as they are strapped for cash (largely to pay the public sector pensions). Public transport is no bloody good if you are buying more than a pocketful. Or, if you don't want to be robbed on the way home.
So, everyone drives to somewhere where they can conveniently park and shop, maybe another town centre, more likely an out of town centre. And the central shops slowly close.
The property 'boom' has exacerbated it, as central developments were very profitable for a bit. Until all the shops are gone, of course.
Short sighted all 'round.
So, everyone drives to somewhere where they can conveniently park and shop, maybe another town centre, more likely an out of town centre. And the central shops slowly close.
The property 'boom' has exacerbated it, as central developments were very profitable for a bit. Until all the shops are gone, of course.
Short sighted all 'round.
Property companies on 'always upwards' rent reviews and councils (who don't set business rates) charging sky high prices for parking don't look beyond the current financial year. Shops and business are squeezed in a pincer movement so close down. More empty shops means fewer shoppers so the whole thing spirals into the ground.
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