Nelson could now be a Portas Pilot town (From Lancashire Telegraph)
When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Nelson could now be a Portas Pilot town
4:33pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in News
Nelson could now be a Portas Pilot town
A THIRD East Lancashire town has entered the race to become one of 12 Portas Pilot towns.
Business leaders and councillors in Nelson say their town should be bidding for a share of the £1million on offer to improve town centres.
Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry yesterday called for Rawtenstall and Darwen to be transformed under the scheme.
Last year, retail adviser Mary Portas, who made her name in the BBC show Mary Queen Of Shops, was asked by the Prime Minister to lead an independent review into the future of Britain’s high street.
She came up with The Portas Review, a 28-point list of recommendations to turn round the fortunes of Britain’s town centres.
Now, Local Government Minister Grant Shapps has launched the Portas Pilots competition.
Former Pendle Council leader and community campaigner Azhar Ali said: “Nelson has suffered over the years, despite millions being ploughed into rescuing the plethora of empty shops and businesses, including the Arndale Centre, which has resulted in it going into receivership.
“That’s why I’m calling on Pendle Council, inc-luding all of its local partners and organisations like Regenerate Pennine Lancashire, to come together to submit a strong bid to make Nelson a focus for this national support.”
County Coun George Adam said: “I am going to lobby Lancashire County Council to throw their weight behind such a bid for Pendle.
“We have been hammered recently with jobs being taken out of Nelson and Colne as well as numerous county buildings being left closed and rapidly becoming an eyesore.
“The least that the county council should do is to push hard to deliver for Nelson and Pendle.”
Comments(8)
Kevin, Colne
says...
5:29pm Wed 8 Feb 12
It started well and gives an excellent analysis of the profound forces at work in under-mining high streets.
Where I take real issue with Portas is in the remedies she prescribes.
Frankly, any councillor worth their salt should be able to see the flaws in this Review.
Many of the recommendations are a mixture of wishful thinking, old and tired clichés and one or two ideas that strike me as simply half-baked.
Let me give a couple of examples. Recommendation 10 states 'Town teams should focus on making high streets accessible, attractive and safe'. Well excuse me but most local councils have been doing this for years.
Or how about Recommendation 5: "Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations so that anyone can trade on the high street unless there is a valid reason why not." In other words, increase the level of competition in the high street, which unless it is a trader selling something entirely different is bound to make life harder for those retailers that are now in situ. I mean this is just barking.
For sure, some towns may be able to make the Portas formula work, but as a general rule you cannot raise a town centre above the local economic demographic.
Millions of pounds have been spent on Nelson town centre and the place is much improved, but as a retailing destination of choice the score is zero. Quite how another £83,000 as a Portas Pilot is going to bring about a transformation needs some proper explaining.
I fear that what we have here is the Coalition Government squandering our precious capital by throwing yet more good money after bad.
s_smith
says...
9:03pm Wed 8 Feb 12
.
The problems facing the high street are not just what is on offer, but its price. I can and do get most of what I want through the internet, delivered to my door, at a reasonable cost without ever having to set foot in a shopping street.
.
If I were to go shopping - and that is a BIG "if" - the experience has to offer me something else other than goods or price.
.
The traditional high street, for shopping only, is definitely in its dying days and will only get worse through online competition. To survive, the high street needs to offer something that the convenience of internet shopping does not. The supermarket and out-of-town shopping areas were nails 1 through 5 in the coffin for the high st... the internet is nails 6 to 10. To fight back, the high st needs something to counteract the rest of few remaining nails before the coffin lid is firmly secured.
mr beer belly
says...
10:14pm Wed 8 Feb 12
ToffeeGuy
says...
10:53pm Wed 8 Feb 12
fabinribblevalley
says...
6:20am Thu 9 Feb 12
Cha'mone MF
says...
7:47am Thu 9 Feb 12
Izanears
says...
10:30am Thu 9 Feb 12
s_smith wrote:I must agree with Kevin and s-smith.
The other problem, particularly with R5, is that allowing ANYONE to become a market trader removes a lot of the protections that genuine market traders offer. You end up with fly-by-night traders who are only interested in the "fast-buck" and not actually offering anything to the local economy.
.
The problems facing the high street are not just what is on offer, but its price. I can and do get most of what I want through the internet, delivered to my door, at a reasonable cost without ever having to set foot in a shopping street.
.
If I were to go shopping - and that is a BIG "if" - the experience has to offer me something else other than goods or price.
.
The traditional high street, for shopping only, is definitely in its dying days and will only get worse through online competition. To survive, the high street needs to offer something that the convenience of internet shopping does not. The supermarket and out-of-town shopping areas were nails 1 through 5 in the coffin for the high st... the internet is nails 6 to 10. To fight back, the high st needs something to counteract the rest of few remaining nails before the coffin lid is firmly secured.
Whatever spin is put on it people like Ms Portas and all those other TV folk that make programmes in which they save a failing hotel/restaurant, an ailing town centre, a charity shop, or some listed property etc etc are really a con. For example. Along with a friend of mine I contacted a number of hotels, B&B's and Campsites which had been 'saved' by Alex Polizzi. They had all closed down. All Mary and her like are good for is to use up TV time.
On the subject of empty shops, can anyone tell why in almost every plan for our borough, more 'new' shops are included?
katypri says...
5:06pm Wed 8 Feb 12