John Marwood
I ♥ cryptic crosswords
I would suggest an empty shop tax
A tax on empty shops
I would
A tax on empty shops
I would
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Stafford shops closing - Turning into a ghost town?
- Thread starter Goldstyle Limousines
- Start date
c0tt0nt0p
Well-Known Forumite
The landlord of the now empty bank on Lichfield road has been spending money of late on putting in low lever fencing around the perimeter of the site along with some "Lego Concrete".... It wouldn't surprise me if they put in gates to the in and out bits to stop anyone getting onto the site whilst the building was empty.....
Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
Sadly, @kyoto49, it seems to be closing...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215397058783187&set=gm.733672796831684&type=3&theater
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
I see the furniture exchange on mill street is up for rent, yet again the rates are higher than the rent though.
Really?
Well-Known Forumite
Rates payable £7,689 per year !
If they could convert 17.5sq metres of Retail space to storage (still leaves them 47sq metres) and challenge the valuation, it would bring them under the £15k rateable value barrier and give them free rates!
Really something the landlord should look at - would certainly attract a new tenant quicker.
If they could convert 17.5sq metres of Retail space to storage (still leaves them 47sq metres) and challenge the valuation, it would bring them under the £15k rateable value barrier and give them free rates!
Really something the landlord should look at - would certainly attract a new tenant quicker.
Really?
Well-Known Forumite
Just noticed that the rates charged for a unit in the Riverside are less than half of those in Mill Street - £125 per sq metre against £260. Units 1-2 and Units 3-4 of the Riverside are, effectively rates free even though they are bigger. Seems there is a bias to me.
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/busi...19000?uarnLeft=251789236&uarnRight=9857502000
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/busi...19000?uarnLeft=251789236&uarnRight=9857502000
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
So the middle of a brand new shopping centre gets charged less than half what a side street off a dying high Street does? No wonder town is dying!
EDIT: My mistake, the new place is waterfront! I assume this is near revolution?
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tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
The Riverside one is 50% bigger too!
Feed The Goat
Well-Known Forumite
It is now 12 months since the new centre opened. Unfortunately it has not brought about a regeneration of the rest of the town centre.
Really?
Well-Known Forumite
which, despite the hype the Council gave it, is just what us mere mortals had been saying since day one
First off the centre is not complete yet.
Secondly, things have have regenerated.
The guildhall is seeing regeneration with warren james, the works, the entertainer, shoe zone, yours and the new gallery having all moved in, with more to come. They are actually going to refurb the place as well.
The units under stafforshire place were a burden on the tax payer, have only been taken due to riverside, the same can be said for Revolution coming into town close to the opening of riverside.
Oatcakes and milkshakes and my little dessert shop will bring more people in than the former tenants of those builds.
Mill street now has a fabulous new coffee shop, a new soon to be eatery and ladies lingerie shop, with another unit close to let. Absolute beginners did not work out but was better than an estate agents, with something soon to be there. Other premises on bridge street have refurb their builds, the optometrists, the curtain store and subway, with a lovely new indian there as well, hell there may even be plans for the tavern.
The apothecary, shrewsbury arms and bird in hand, millets have gone through significant changes and improvements.
Terraces it is documented came into Stafford because of the riverside and the cup cake shop and ladies clothes shops opposite the rose and crown are lovely additions. A number of premises in salter and eastgate street have been taken and another nice little ladies next to costa is another lovely addition.
The back of the collanade/ sports bar has been vastly redone from an almost derelict state and even the soup kitchen has refurbed it already beautiful offer.
That is before we go into northwalls opening, new B&M, new Aldi, kitchen corner, fabulous apartments in martin street, bella italia being taken on, a slaters in the new year, proposed old cinema being taken on.
we haven`t even took a look at riversides/ waterfronts` own improved offer and regeneration of derelict land and significantly increased footfall in town....all this before the development is complete.
I would say it is doing its job with more to come, not bad in a town that most on this forum said was a dying town with little to offer even before the plans were passed for riverside.
It was never going solve all the towns problems but the economy will play bigger role and in that up and the country, but it has certainly improved it especially when most towns are going the other way .I.e stoke, wolves, walsall, dudley...
Secondly, things have have regenerated.
The guildhall is seeing regeneration with warren james, the works, the entertainer, shoe zone, yours and the new gallery having all moved in, with more to come. They are actually going to refurb the place as well.
The units under stafforshire place were a burden on the tax payer, have only been taken due to riverside, the same can be said for Revolution coming into town close to the opening of riverside.
Oatcakes and milkshakes and my little dessert shop will bring more people in than the former tenants of those builds.
Mill street now has a fabulous new coffee shop, a new soon to be eatery and ladies lingerie shop, with another unit close to let. Absolute beginners did not work out but was better than an estate agents, with something soon to be there. Other premises on bridge street have refurb their builds, the optometrists, the curtain store and subway, with a lovely new indian there as well, hell there may even be plans for the tavern.
The apothecary, shrewsbury arms and bird in hand, millets have gone through significant changes and improvements.
Terraces it is documented came into Stafford because of the riverside and the cup cake shop and ladies clothes shops opposite the rose and crown are lovely additions. A number of premises in salter and eastgate street have been taken and another nice little ladies next to costa is another lovely addition.
The back of the collanade/ sports bar has been vastly redone from an almost derelict state and even the soup kitchen has refurbed it already beautiful offer.
That is before we go into northwalls opening, new B&M, new Aldi, kitchen corner, fabulous apartments in martin street, bella italia being taken on, a slaters in the new year, proposed old cinema being taken on.
we haven`t even took a look at riversides/ waterfronts` own improved offer and regeneration of derelict land and significantly increased footfall in town....all this before the development is complete.
I would say it is doing its job with more to come, not bad in a town that most on this forum said was a dying town with little to offer even before the plans were passed for riverside.
It was never going solve all the towns problems but the economy will play bigger role and in that up and the country, but it has certainly improved it especially when most towns are going the other way .I.e stoke, wolves, walsall, dudley...
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.. I will add, the train station has had a refurb since Riverside has been open, the victoria parks are due to start in February, improvements to road layout at foregate street have been put in place for the western access, my god even the god awful road surface around lammascote road have brand new surfaces coinciding with riverside.
Not all the above is linked with riverside (you can add the college and st georges to that), but plenty is. There is a lot that is good going on in Stafford and that should be embraced instead of looking a the negative all the time. The odd new to let sign is nothing to panic over in the grand scheme of things
Not all the above is linked with riverside (you can add the college and st georges to that), but plenty is. There is a lot that is good going on in Stafford and that should be embraced instead of looking a the negative all the time. The odd new to let sign is nothing to panic over in the grand scheme of things
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Already is, it's now a vape shop that also sells mobile phone accessories.
The south of the town is certainly seeing new businesses, from the market square north though not so much. The entire row behind what was the old co-op may as well be bulldozed TBH as the rent/rates make it unviable for such a deserted area.
Feed The Goat
Well-Known Forumite
Arcadia, River Island, M&S, Co-op department store.
Large units with no takers in sight.
Large units with no takers in sight.
markpa12003
Well-Known Forumite
I'd disagree. The new Riverside development has forced the owners & managers of the Guildhall to address it's decline. Renovation works are now underway and new shops are opening. We are also getting a new pub in a former charity shop.
The reason why the co-op has not been picked up yet is because it's not fit for purpose.
True, but they will be, not everything will occur overnight ( though sure about the old co-op).
Let alone, top shop, wallis and evans were done with Stafford-the town centre at least. Riverside has ensured they didn't go off to a retail park which was on the table. M&S.is a massive improvement to what it was.
The book ended town developments in Stafford were required and working, it wasn't going to get any better as it was.
There is more to do for sure, but nobody can say the developments haven't had a more positive impact with more on the way.