Getting the Town Centre Back

Having looked into opening a business in the town centre a couple of years ago, it is hardly surprising that so many shops are empty and others struggling.

The business rates and rent are so high that it is almost impossible to open a competitive retail outlet. Surely the council could reduce these long term to encourage more people to start up. More shops will encourage more people in to town and create more revenue from the reduced rates at the same time.

Empty buildings are generating nothing at all and just look a mess. There are people out there willing to give things a go but cannot put forward a sustainable plan when the projected income at decent prices would be eaten up by the amount going in rates etc. The only way of opening is to charge ridiculous prices but then the customers are not going to be coming through the door.

Unless something is done soon, the town centre will become beyond saving. All the planned improvements will be a waste of time and money as nobody will see them, like the bottom of Dalton Road. If there are no shops who is going to visit?

Half of the Dalton Road shops are charity shops that benefit from reduced rates and are clearly staying in business, so the theory works. If normal people are given similar rates then I know of at least three people who would give it a go. You would have a wider range of products and start to encourage customers to at least visit the town. The more people seen in town would encourage others that customers are out there after all. More shops = more people = more revenue.