PaulB
The reason many Dovorians don't go out in the town centre is twofold
1. having your head kicked in by some drunken drug fuelled moron and
2. the very limited but good choice of town centre restaurants that Dover has to offer.
Solution
1. to curb the drunks have a Police Officer plus a PSCO on duty in the Market Sq Fri Sat Sun evenings
2. increase the number of restaurants in Dover by reducing rents and rates.
I was talking to a local and long term business man in Dover this morning and he has contacts in London but they won't come to Dover because of the 'London type rents and rates on businesses' and we don't the chimney pots to sustain them.
The rent on a local restaurant(now closed) without a liquor licence with a 10 yr lease is £15k pa.You have to sell a lot of dinners to clear the rent never mind labour goods heat & light etc.
If the council is serious in rebranding the town then they should offer some incentive especially in these hard pressed times to small and big businesses by offering discounts on rates.rents and advertising space in their glossy magazines they publish and distribute at great cost.Most of which go unread and straight into the bin or recycle box if you have one.
The DDC should make a long term investment not just a vote catching 4 year wonder.Look we got Asda to Dover and then what happens when Asda moves on like Sainsburys did from Charlton Shopping Centre and Tesco's did from next to St Marys Church..great unfillable voids.The town centre died on its feet when the council took their 30 pieces of silver from Tesco and betrayed the townfolk ,the Dovorians.All in the name of a quick buck.The DDC should build something that could last a generation or more and leave a legacy to be proud of not an open weeping wound and an eyesore.
Here endeth the lesson Part 2
