Trumpet
Well-Known Forumite
Unless it's a listed building commercial property owners are charged void rates on vacant properties.
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Stafford shops closing - Turning into a ghost town?
- Thread starter Goldstyle Limousines
- Start date
Carole
Well-Known Forumite
Excellent. My son has been living in Leicester for 3 years and finds it a wonderful, diverse, interesting place where money has been spent so that it appeals to all.
Did you have time @ChrisLewis to see how the town centre has managed to thrive even though they opened Highcross shopping centre, which is much bigger than Stafford Riverside? They opened up the lanes to independents offering them 20% discount in rates.
Their large shopping centre hasn't made a dent on the high street as they now have a thriving outdoor market, a wonderful area of quirky independent shops/restaurants.
The thing that appeals to my son is the way that they have embraced the arts scene.
So much for him to do every night, the choice is endless.
Really?
Well-Known Forumite
If you leave your front garden in a state, the Council will force you to tidy it up or do it themselves and charge you. I see no difference with commercial properties. Unless the building is listed, landlords have to pay full rates after 3 months of being empty so the answer would be to either de-list it or enforce it, and the Council does have the powers it needs. (I accept de-listing is a pain, especially as there was a rush to list as many buildings as possible in the late eighties and nineties in the hope that listed building status would be valuable in the future)
Anyway, its all academic really - nothing will be done, nobody will be turning right and the gem of Stafford that is the Mill Street area will be missed by every visitor and Stafford will have "just another shopping centre" like every other town in the Country - just smaller. The locals will be lost in a world of Poundland and JB Sports and will stay away from the new centre so the visitors will never get to see any Staffordians or the real Stafford...........hang on, I think I may have just stumbled upon a new conspiracy theory.
Carole
Well-Known Forumite
Why do you think the locals won't visit the new centre?
It's more probable that they will visit the new centre but will still pop into town for the other things that they need...bank, stationery, books, jewellery, shoes, post office, camping gear, sportswear, the theatre, pubs, etc.
Jade-clothing
Well-Known Forumite
The Royal Bank of Scotland owned the shops in that row. I took the shop on a fixed lease of 18 months and then they turfed me out for the renovations but it was a good couple of years before they actually started
littleme
250,000th poster!
Me too, I hate shopping of any sort - but I would rather visit shops on my own doorstep & be able to get home quickly rather than have to make a special trip to Telford/Birmingham/Hanley (and waste half - to a whole day in the process)!
Really?
Well-Known Forumite
I was being facetious. I should have said the less desirable locals won't be welcome in the new Centre, leaving them to wander around the deserted Town Centre like extras from the Walking Dead
littleme
250,000th poster!
But there will be nothing to shoplift in the deserted Town Centre?!
Yes but Really there is a difference between untidy and vacant which is what I am getting at, bar the tavern which is a mess.
not sure you are right about the business rates as I put in an FOI in sept 2015 on a number of buildings listed and not listed in Stafford town centre and none of them were paying business rates through SBC.
not sure you are right about the business rates as I put in an FOI in sept 2015 on a number of buildings listed and not listed in Stafford town centre and none of them were paying business rates through SBC.
kyoto49
Well-Known Forumite
Do share your findings!
Firstly I can't as this was a commissioned piece of work by an independent third party and I have a contractual obligation to that third party and their right for discretion.
secondly parts of my request were refused on the basis of potential prejudice on personal interests on commercial premises. Apparently there is some exemption in the Freedom of Information Act.
I didn't check this out so took their word for it as I was pushing it.
but it was not hard to get information and how you word it is key. List premises and just ask uest or no I have learned depending what you want.
in part Really can be right but there are a whole hosts of exemptions that landlords seemingly can exploit. It is also worth checking the rateable rent value of a property as it has to be over a certain threshold.
Also tenants who have vacated properties can still be liable of they cannot the lease and have breached it early. In these cases they would have to find someone to take over the lease.
there is also a beneficial occupation clause which if a landlord can prove this a property becomes unratable and no listing occurs making it exempt from business rates. A good example is a property needing repair or has no utilities.
whatever boxes are ticked landlords don't seem to be paying.
secondly parts of my request were refused on the basis of potential prejudice on personal interests on commercial premises. Apparently there is some exemption in the Freedom of Information Act.
I didn't check this out so took their word for it as I was pushing it.
but it was not hard to get information and how you word it is key. List premises and just ask uest or no I have learned depending what you want.
in part Really can be right but there are a whole hosts of exemptions that landlords seemingly can exploit. It is also worth checking the rateable rent value of a property as it has to be over a certain threshold.
Also tenants who have vacated properties can still be liable of they cannot the lease and have breached it early. In these cases they would have to find someone to take over the lease.
there is also a beneficial occupation clause which if a landlord can prove this a property becomes unratable and no listing occurs making it exempt from business rates. A good example is a property needing repair or has no utilities.
whatever boxes are ticked landlords don't seem to be paying.
John Marwood
I ♥ cryptic crosswords
MakesYaProudDotPayZeroTax
Elected to office
Introduce new laws to benefit the rich
Appoint heads of regulatory bodies
Appoint judges
Leave office
Kerchinngggg
Footnote
Kerchinngggging highly likely during office also
Elected to office
Introduce new laws to benefit the rich
Appoint heads of regulatory bodies
Appoint judges
Leave office
Kerchinngggg
Footnote
Kerchinngggging highly likely during office also
Not sure what those 2 links are supposed to show apart from some baseline detail.
there is far more information on other information and guidance websites. For a start .gov.uk states nothing about rateable listings. Not only the state property has to be in and what state it can be in from someone to want rent and what can makes a building exempt from being rateable. Ever wondered why the shops under the new SCC buildings had no utilities. Bet they aren't paying rates
A number of builds were on my research were were listed and not listed and all seemed to be owned by no large company like Aviva at the north end from town.
in fact most were owned by people from the east Midlands. I mean think about it, it makes no sense for someone bot only to have no rent because they cannot lease a building but to pay rates. Most would do something to get some rent in and not pay rates, especially if a build has been empty a while.
one way around, loop wholes and there are shed loads.
don't take my word for it search and FOI it.
there is far more information on other information and guidance websites. For a start .gov.uk states nothing about rateable listings. Not only the state property has to be in and what state it can be in from someone to want rent and what can makes a building exempt from being rateable. Ever wondered why the shops under the new SCC buildings had no utilities. Bet they aren't paying rates
A number of builds were on my research were were listed and not listed and all seemed to be owned by no large company like Aviva at the north end from town.
in fact most were owned by people from the east Midlands. I mean think about it, it makes no sense for someone bot only to have no rent because they cannot lease a building but to pay rates. Most would do something to get some rent in and not pay rates, especially if a build has been empty a while.
one way around, loop wholes and there are shed loads.
don't take my word for it search and FOI it.
John Marwood
I ♥ cryptic crosswords
Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
Oh, come on......