Town Centres
- 1 September 2013 07:28242815Interesting article about Town Centres.
Grimsey review previewed
A number of papers carry widespread coverage of the Grimsey Review, which is due to be published later this week. It will warn that two thirds of independent shops on Britain's high streets are in danger of having to close, as they struggle under the pressure of financial problems. Half of the UK's 44,000 retailers are also said to be in financial poor health.
The review will argue that a revival of "old style" high streets now seems "simply foolish". Furthermore it will claim that recommendations made in the 2011 Portas review for the introduction of "town teams", who are responsible for managing the high street, lacks the infrastructure and authority to be effective.
The review describes Ms Portas's recommendations as being too nostalgic and says that she failed to grasp the extent to which the internet has changed shopping patterns. Mr Grimsey will instead recommend the creation of special commissions with "teeth and money" to draw up plans for the future of individual high streets. "We are proposing town centre commissions with 20-year visions for every local authority. The commissions will be in charge of promoting an area and addressing its specific retailing needs, whether that be high-street parking, housing, health or leisure," Mr Grimsey states.
The review adds that in order save town centres, the planning system needs to be reworked to encourage more people to live in them, and that the UK's banking system must change in order to reconnect with local businesses. It also calls for an immediate reverse of a plan to delay a review of business rates from 2015 to 2017.
The Sunday Telegraph, Page: 10 The Sunday Telegraph, Business, Page: l, 6 The Mail on Sunday, Page: 79 Sunday Express, Page: 1 The Independent on Sunday, Page: 10, 11, 41 The Sunday Times, Page: 12 The Observer, Page: 41
Roger - 1 September 2013 09:12242823It will be a good start Roger if Grimes publishes guidance as to how it should be done. If he doesn't, he will join the long list of people telling us what is wrong and not how to deal with the problem!
Furthermore, if getting hold of the money to be a "commission" is as torturous as is was with Portas and is with Big Local, then whatever he says will not be very attractive!
Lets also hope he can wave a wand and deal with planning issues, but the report will have to be read to see if it is joined up, or just a load of words! - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
1 September 2013 09:22242824it reads like something from the brothers grimm. - 1 September 2013 20:47242873he does actually simon and his description of what is taking place in town centres resonates with dover, bit of a pipe dream over business rates though.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/sep/01/barbers-bookies-high-streets-shops - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
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1 September 2013 23:00242887to true howardALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 2 September 2013 17:05243009Large retail chains urged to pay levy to help revive high streets
"Major retail and leisure chains should pay a one-off levy on UK sales that would raise £550m to help revive Britain's high streets, according to Bill Grimsey, the veteran retail boss, who is fronting a review into the plight of town centres this week...
...Grimsey is calling on national chains with a turnover of more than £10m to invest 0.25% of one year's UK sales from 2014, or about £550m between them, into a local economic development fund to help sponsor startups and new ventures that could entice shoppers back to local high streets.
The fund would dwarf the £18m the government has spent so far on high street initiatives including 24 "Portas Pilots" which each received £100,000 grants to improve their town centres and nearly 330 town teams which have been handed smaller grants.
"I honestly think the time has come for the big chains to put something back and help re-design the high street," said Grimsey. "What we've seen in a lot of secondary town centre locations is that as the chains move out to more lucrative out-of-town sites they're hollowing out the high street."
Grimsey said a central fund could be overseen by independent trustees that would include some of the biggest contributors.
But some industry groups, including representatives of smaller shops, have dismissed the idea.
Michael Weedon of the British Independent Retailers Association said: "A one-shot solution to try to solve the problems is not what's needed. We think addressing the longer term issues by rewriting the way that business rates work will enable the high street to change sustainably."
BIRA's call for change is part of growing pressure on the Treasury to adapt the property-led rates system to reflect a changing retail environment in which major players can exist without stores while small businesses on local high streets are suffering. The British Retail Consortium has called for a complete overhaul of the system after a string of major retail failures this year..."
http://www.theguardian.com/global/2013/sep/02/retail-chains-levy-revive-high-streetsIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing. - 2 September 2013 17:44243018I think the current business rates are already pushing independant stores to the limit, another charge is a step to far.
- Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
2 September 2013 17:56243023Lesley you are correctALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 3 September 2013 06:54243113I believe that large supermarkets should help to revive Town Centres, afterall many of them have caused their demise. Local Authorities now keep a portion of the business rates collected and this I feel, should be used to help local businesses.
The trouble is that all local authorities are being strangled for cash and no matter what people like Eric Pickles says, he cannot direct LAs to do something, without giving the money to implement what ever it might be.
Money should be made available by District and Town Councils and perhaps other local Stakeholders (across the country) to pay for a Town Manager, who will thenm co-ordinate improvements to the Town.
Dover has done very well with volunteers so far - Town Team, Sylvie Parsons etc. but you can't tell a volunteer what to do and without proper support that unpaid help will disappear.
Roger - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
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3 September 2013 06:56243115Roger
you after a job again lol
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 3 September 2013 07:14243120Nope.
Roger - 3 September 2013 08:38243135Free parking
Night-time economy
De regulate licensing
Abolish beer tax
Most Small shops cannot compete with supermarkets and internet sales - 3 September 2013 10:03243182