Mill Street

[United57]

I noticed the computer shop in Mill Street has closed the owner will be trading from his home. I fear that more will follow. How can small independent shops carry on with this disruption. Mill Street was a treasure but sadly no more. They nearly had all the shops full!

A number of questions that need to be asked

Will the council suspend businedd rates for those shops?

Was it really necessary to proceded with the work especially in the economic climate?

The town is dying and what is the council doing to reverse this.

 

[John Marwood]

Let us imagine you are the council leader, drastically short on funds because of council tax rise limitations set by central Governement, what would you do?

 

[tekkers]

Not waste money on re-doing curb stones & bus stops every few months

 

[My Name is URL]

Let us imagine you are the council leader, drastically short on funds because of council tax rise limitations set by central Governement, what would you do?

Spend a few hundred thousand putting new traffic lights in all over the place

 

[basil]

Not waste money on re-doing curb stones & bus stops every few months

Disagree, it's called improving the environment and the area from mill street thru' to bridge street will all the better for it. All they need to now is enforce the traffic limitations that have been in place for what must be 4 or 5 months now......

 

[United57]

They might improve the pavements etc but if you then half a dozen shops empty that really helps!!. How many towns have you visited and they have excellent block paving but all the shops are boarded up. Mill St was not in a bad way.

 

[basil]

Rome wasn't built in a day.........

 

[tek-monkey]

At night then?

 

[henryscat]

They might improve the pavements etc but if you then half a dozen shops empty that really helps!!. How many towns have you visited and they have excellent block paving but all the shops are boarded up. Mill St was not in a bad way.

Pedestrianisation does benefit shops. People like to shop in more pleasant environments, and pedestrianised town centres generally do better. I don't think the paving works in Mill Street will have made a blind bit of difference to whether those shops closed.

 

[United57]

Most of the shops have been affected. Their trade is down. Yes there is a recession but when times are difficult to have this occur can only make it harder. Why not go and ask them. I do know of shops that are struggling now due to the road development.

 

[John Marwood]

erm

why not go ask them?

erm, because you raised it not they

or are you 'one of them'






..deary

 

[United57]

henryscat belives that having the town padestrianised will help it. In someways I do not disagree but Mill Street was OK and people could park for 30 minutes. Enough time to go to the bank, pick up vegtables, etc.

To answer your question no I do not have a pecuniary interest in any of the shops but I do know some of the people. I buy my fish and vegtables there. I occasionally buy clothes. I have used the bike shop. I have bought sandwiches. I've used the camera shop. All local independent shops.

I also firmly believe we should do more to encourage people to visit Stafford. A vibrant Stafford is good for us all. On the otherhand if we want a town full of charity shops, £2 shops ( everything half price), boarded up pubs but nice block paving well lets carry on. I think this is already happening in some parts.

I would rather have a town of thriving indepenedent shops and businesses. I guess you also feel the same? Unfortunately a lot of money is going on non essential works. They are not repairs but cosmetic changes. I would have liked to see the money used to repair roads especially potholes. I know it is from differing budgets and authorities.

 

[mitch]

I hear what you're saying U57 and don't wholey disagree with you but you have to hand it to the council, they have certainly spruced the town centre up over the last 15 - 20 years, if they had concentrated on out of town improvements they would have been slated for neglecting the town centre. Lets face it it isn't a bit of block paving here and there that's driving out the independants it's the out of town retail parks and uncle Wallmart and Co.

You got to admit the old place is in good shape.

 

[henryscat]

Lets face it it isn't a bit of block paving here and there that's driving out the independants it's the out of town retail parks and uncle Wallmart and Co.
.

Precisely and sadly Stafford is no different to lots of other towns in that respect.

 

[henryscat]

henryscat belives that having the town padestrianised will help it. In someways I do not disagree but Mill Street was OK and people could park for 30 minutes. Enough time to go to the bank, pick up vegtables, etc.

But why do the shops on Mill Street need parking outside any more than any other town centre shop? Personally I couldn't be bothered with the faff of driving all the way round to Mill Street on the off chance there might be a free half hour space. I'd rather dump my car a few mins away where I know I'll get a space even if I was going to a shop in Mill St. The veg shop by the old Woolworths does OK in a pedestrianised area with no parking outside, so why should a veg shop in Mill St need it?

Going back decades, there has always been opposition to pedestrianisation from traders, but usually once its been done the town centre does better. I remember years back in Lichfield when pedestrianisation of Tamworth Street was first put forward the Chamber of Commerce jumping up and down in the local rag. Their main argument was they "would lose passing trade". Not quite sure what passing trade you get on a road carrying no through traffic... The shops are still there and doing very nicely....

Out of interest... When Greengate Street was pedestrianised (must have been a long time back?) what was the reaction to that back then?

 

[My Name is URL]

Nice pic of BTTF square

 

[Tumble weed]

Save the clock tower ftw!

Why is it so empty at 2pm in the afternoon?

 

[mitch]

Why is it so empty at 2pm in the afternoon?

It's amazing what a good Nishads garlic laced fart can do.

 

[United57]

henryscat. " The veg shop by the old Woolworths does OK in a pedestrianised area with no parking outside, so why should a veg shop in Mill St need it?" The closure of Woolworths is causing an issue and they are probably not as busy as they were.

Oddly parking outside of shops helps. The supermarkets have it so why not independents

 

[tek-monkey]

The supermarkets pay a lot of money to buy prime land for their customers to park on, not many independants can afford to do this. Of course most people just park for free at the supermarkets then walk into town.