Here in Bearwood we are fortunate to have three of the finest local councillors serving anywhere in British local government. Steve Eling, Ann Jaron and Bob Piper do a superb job on our behalfIn today's Bearwood Bulletin they make a very strong local point:
Abbey Ward councillors are urging
people to support local traders and try to
help them over the ‘credit crunch’.
Councillor Bob Piper said, “It is vital to the
local community that we try to sustain the
vitality of our local shopping centre. We
already know Rosebys, Woolworths, Adams,
Firkins, Atticus and the HSBC bank have
gone from Bearwood in the last few weeks.
A number of other smaller shops have also
ceased trading.
It is all down to footfall and if
people are not using the shops we risk losing
them all together. We would then face the
prospect of becoming a sort of ghost town
with a series of boarded up shops.
“I think everyone knows the pattern of
shopping has changed over the last 20 years
and more and more people are doing a big
weekly shop in supermarkets. We are not
going to reverse that trend, but there are a
number of traders in Bearwood who could be
sustained if people shopped locally for some
of their groceries at least.
“We are aware that some smaller traders are
really feeling the pinch and if people we to
buy things like fruit, bread and meat in our
local shops it could make all the difference
for them. Fortunately we have attracted
Argos and Aldi in recent times or else I would
dread to think what the likely impact might
be.”
Of course, it isn’t just the Bearwood shopping
centre that is affected. In Kings Heath in
Birmingham, for instance, the Traders’
Association is predicting the loss of anything
up to 100 shops closing over the next few
months.
But if we want to keep our shops in Bearwood
we need to try to ensure that local people
choose them rather than travelling to out of
town supermarkets. Shopping locally is good
for the environment because it reduces the
amount of travelling, it maintains employment
levels during difficult times, and empty,
boarded up shops attract crime and
vandalism.
Posts
4 comments:
Hi David,
I'm a local resident too and indeed the demise of our high street is sad but Bob's call for us to race down to our local shops to help them through the credit crunch is massively off the mark. Bearwood has been suffering for several years - we all know it, we've all grumbled about it bemoaning the fact that we don't have an M&S or a Home & Bargain etc etc. It's not a recent thing that's been brought about by the "credit crunch" and us helping traders through the "credit crunch" will not save Bearwood high street. Let's have a reality check here. For whatever reason Bearwood has failed to attract some of the stores that bring customers into the high street - yet neighbouring areas have managed it. We couldn't even keep one of the big 4 supermarket nor our post office and now we are losing a busy local branch of HSBC.
And yet, in his full article, Bob is getting picky about which shops he would like to see and those that he would prefer not to have - you know - the charity shops, estate agents (tell that to Derek Spires who has supported Bearwood for as long as i care to remember) and fast food outlets.
Perhaps a swift scaling back of Bearwood as a shopping area will have a less negative impact on our community than years suffering a long drawn out decline. After all, local shopping amenities also exist in Harborne, Quinton, Cape Hill and Smethwick - none of which are particularly that far away.
How nice to read a contribution from someone whose glass is always half empty. No-one is suggesting shopping locally is the only solution, nor that it would prevent the credit crunch. But it would help to make a difference to a number of independent local retailers.
I think most people appreciate what Derek Spires has done in Bearwood... but does that mean we want 25 other estate agents too! I bet Derek doesn't agree.
Sorry about being 'picky'. But I don't apologise for not wanting a shopping centre dominated by gambling dens, estate agents and burger shops. And I'll tell you what... after 25 years experience of door knocking in Bearwood, I can reveal that not many other people do either. So you tootle off to Quinton if you wish, but I'm betting on Bearwood surviving this current financial recession and prospering again... with the support of Bearwood people.
The recently announced expansion plans of some of the supermarkets (creating thousands of jobs in the process and displacing many of those lost on the high street) shows exactly where the trend for grocery shopping will continue.
Perhaps it's only the big stores that can afford the large increase in business rates that Gordon has planned for April; not to mention that come 2010 the additional 2p that local councils will be given carte blanche to add on as they see fit.
Sorry Bob, my glass is not always half empty (only when it's your round) but rather i'm a pragmatist especially when there must be some great big tosser working in the planning dept at Sandwell Council who keeps granting change of use consent and allowing all these fast food bars to sully the area. What kind of trader would wish to move in next door to one of those.
Bob, I hope your optimism for Bearwood is rewarded, i really do but where exactly are you planning on placing that bet?
Anonymous... by and large we have stopped the 'great big tosser' in his footsteps because we have succeeded in halting the expansion of fast food outlets in Bearwood in the last couple of years. Although I grant you that will be more difficult if the current number of stores remain empty.
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