Please cast your mind back a couple of years. The experts at Stafford Borough council rubbished any idea that the gold plated waterfront development would purely shift trade from the established shopping areas. Au contraire, Rodney they said, the benefits of the waterfront will be felt far and wide. Areas such as Mill Street and beyond will be revitalised with the coach loads of new customers.
Tell that to The Bear, Pastiche, Off The Hook, Apothecary etc.
To be fair to SBC that knew about it and acknowledged it as seen here-
https://staffslive.co.uk/2015/03/stafford-retailers-warn-new-complex-divide-town-centre/
Let alone sometimes it has nothing to do with economy nor the town: off the hook was a poor business choice in the wrong location, pastiche was very popular still and demise was due to alleged landlord issues, coffee bean had their own alleged issues before opening.
What councils are aware of( I think) is they are a damned if they do, damned if the do not institute.
As the above video clearly points out ( by a trader) the north end was struggling before the first foundation was even laid on the new multistorey. Retail has been dying for a long time and will continue to do so.
But we have to move with the times and stafford folk were already complaining about lack of choice, no big names and small shops.
Imagine the slaughtering the council would have got turning down major developments which bring more money and employment and to enhance a derelict run down part of town that needed a shot in the arm.
Arcadia were already going to pull out of the town and were not going elsewhere anyway, I very much suspect the M&S on goalgate would have closed in the current climate they have as the site was hardly fit for purpose.
Retail was in demise anyway, not buidling riverside wouldn't have stopped that nor improved the town and people were already not shopping in the town centre and going elsewhere, plus.it would have been negligent by the council to turn such investment....what idiot would do that.
We have to be realistic with what the town has actually lost, some charity shops, a couple of holiday agents, an under used gym, a handful of small independents (many of which have been replaced)......even the likes of pastiche and the wonderful independent ladies boutique that sat in the guildhall entrance ( now under offer) were alleged matters with landlords.
But talking about what Stafford as lost you ave to talk about what it as gained also - revolution, aldi, B&M, verso lounge, sweet, primark, h&m, the entertainer, the works, yours, outfit, new river island, a number of new independents shops and restaurants, zizzo, frankie and bennys, nandos, new accessorize, new starbucks, slaters, floodgate, No 5, coffee first, the outstanding makers market (best market ever) with more still to come and town centre as a whole has now about 900 parking spaces more than it had 3 years ago.
maybe we should be talking more and supporting the 76% of occupied units instead of the 24% who are not.