Enterprise
and Business Committee
Inquiry
into Town Centre Regeneration
Evidence
from Narberth Chamber of Trade
NARBERTH CHAMBER OF
TRADE
Established 31st May
1922
www.chamber.narberth.co.uk
Chairman:
David
Norcross Secretary: Gordon
Barry Treasurer: John Williams
01834861057
01437541277
01834860228
d.norcross@lineone.net
gordon_barry@btopenworld.com
JWilliams909@aol.com
Bodringallt,
Vice
Chair:Anthony
Ryan
Llawhaden,
01834861880
Narberth,
wisebuys@fsmail.net
Pembrokeshire. SA67
8DL
6 September 2011
Sian Phipps,
Clerk to the Enterprise and
Business Committee,
National Assembly of
Wales,
Cardiff bay,
CF99 1NA
Enterprise
and Business Committee – Inquiry into the Regeneration of
Town Centres
Call for
Written Evidence September 2011
The National
Assembly for Wales’s Enterprise and Business Committee has
agreed to conduct an inquiry into town centre regeneration, and
called for written submissions from interested parties.
The
Committee would be particularly interested in hearing views on the
following issues:
1.
The roles the Welsh Government and local authorities play in the
regeneration of town centres.
2.
The extent
to which businesses and communities are engaged with the public
sector led town centre regeneration projects or initiatives, and
vice versa
-
The factors affecting the
mix of residential, commercial and retail premises found in town
centres - for example, the impact of business rates policy;
footfall patterns and issues surrounding the night-time and daytime
economies within town centres.
-
The impact of out-of-town retail
sites on nearby town centres .
-
The use of funding sources and
innovative financial solutions to contribute to town centre
regeneration – including the Regeneration Investment Fund for
Wales; the use of Business Improvement Districts; structural funds;
Welsh Government, local authority and private sector
investment.
-
The importance of sustainable and
integrated transport in town centres– including traffic
management, parking and access.
-
The potential impact of marketing
and image on the regeneration of town centres – such as
tourism, signage, public art, street furniture, lighting and safety
concerns.
- The extent to which town centre regeneration
initiatives can seek to provide greater employment opportunities
for local people.
- The Committee would also welcome any
recommendations on what measures could be used to evaluate success
of initiatives undertaken to regenerate town centres.
The Narberth Chamber of Trade’s submission
follows.
The initial
headings are arranged to show the general background for the
problems with our town centres and in particular the High
Street.
The problem
is complex and in turn makes simplifying the solutions more
difficult. The subsequent headings indicate where the problems
arise with some possible solutions suggested as discussion points.
Additional information and background is available on these to
further develop the argument.
The High
Street was still very important in people's lives, with many
visiting local shops on a daily basis.
Locally
sourced produce and independent, specialised shops - bakers,
butchers, and hardware shops - ranked highly in wish lists. Also
important were shops with character - selling antiques, mementoes,
second hand books, as well as concerns over increasing numbers of
pound shops and charity shops.
And over and
above the choice of products, friendly and knowledgeable staff are
seen as a major draw. That and decent parking.
It may be
useful at this point to recall what makes a town centre.
Towns
(social hubs?)
- Town centres are social interfaces / meeting
areas for everyone.
- Distinctive range of attractions, both
shopping and leisure.
- Should be visually pleasing, clean and tidy,
painted up/ spruced up – an inviting place to be.
- Having a good range of specialist shops run by
independent retailers
- Supported by the Post Office, Banks, finance
and other professional services
- Local events supported by local shops, Town
Councils, Chambers etc. Providing posters, press/radio advertising,
prizes, organising support, sponsorship etc.
- Café culture? With live street music (on
Saturdays, hi days and holidays?)
- Accessible Culture – galleries, cinemas
- theatre
- Evening entertainment – restaurants,
café, clubs, bar/pubs, theatre, gigs etc
- Good signage, clean toilets, clean
streets
- Children’s facilities (play
area’s)
- Heritage signage encouraging further
exploration
- Continue to encourage use of domestic upper
floor flats in the town centres, creating more care of the town and
more customers.
Shops.
- Range of specialist shops run by independent
traders.
- Customer Service is the key –Listen to
your customers, know your customers and deliver what they
want.
- One stop shop location
- Looking for special purchases not available in
‘sheds’ (yet)
- Good window / dressing displays to draw,
attract and entertain customers.
- Spend & dwell times!! How to improve?
Longer parking tempting both shops and food stops.
- Place’s to go, to be seen , to
meet.
- Shop opening times to be more flexible –
extend hours into early evening.
- No more Charity shops or a least limit the
number opening in any area.
- Sunday opening? More restricted hours for
Supermarkets
- A Victorian ‘glass arcade’
development for old CP School Narberth?
- Delivery parking; restriction times to be
applied?
- Collection restriction times -
none
Markets [do they contribute to a Centre Town / High
Street?]
- Farmers markets
- WI markets
- Car boot
- All of the above have low overheads, no Rates,
one off rent, VAT & Tax??
- Street Markets? Good if done as an offshoot to
existing town businesses but bad if it just brings in travelling
retailers who don’t benefit the local economy.
Now
let us look at the specific questions raised by the E&B
committee.
1.
The roles the Welsh Government and local authorities play in the
regeneration of town centres.
- The focus of local organisations must be on
attracting shoppers to the local Town Centre / High Street,
bringing in money and supporting jobs. This must be fully supported
by the Welsh Government.
- Most town chambers of trade are not for profit
small organisations. More expert support need for them to be able
to actively contribute to the development of their towns centres.
In many cases to help them to discuss / modify County Council
plans.
- HMG to reduce business red tape. By talking to
businesses and understanding their needs.
- The need to address the imbalances in the
system that is removing any real choice, diversity and
entrepreneurship within the retail world.
- Expert reports for development plans always
highlight ‘shopping leakage’ associated with a town and
not its strengths. The fault in solely addressing retail leaks for
an area, means that another town will suffer then suffer
‘leakage’. Thus moving the problem and exacerbating the
overall effect on a bigger community area.
- More power to Town Councils – like
France
- Town organisations must work together, they
are the ones with the local knowledge and can be invaluable in new
developments. Welsh Government & County Councils should use
their expertise to enhance future plans.
- Develop marketing – All promotional
information emphasising the distinctive identity of the town,
provision of town guide and map information.
- Access to simple clear advice shared by
SME’s
- www.businesslink.gov.uk can
be a source of sound straightforward advice. A Welsh version need
to be created with the same clarity of purpose. Not the confusing
richness of Organisations / Quangos / Government departments and
commercial help (Banks, finance houses etc) that we currently have.
We need a gold standard source of helpful, easy to understand
advice.
2.
The extent to which businesses and communities are engaged with
the public sector led town centre regeneration projects or
initiatives, and vice versa
- There is a last beginning to be realisation
that to initiate change there needs to be consultation (and
negotiations) between the strategic planners and the residents of
an area. When this is done the results can sometimes exceed the
original expectations and provide a greater benefit for all
concerned. However there still exists a lack of understanding
between the public and the retail sectors. Regrettably mostly on
the public side!
3. The
factors affecting the mix of residential, commercial and retail
premises found in town centres - for example, the impact of
business rates policy; footfall patterns and issues surrounding the
night-time and daytime economies within town
centres.
Rent and Business Rates (including water
rates)
·
Business Rate revaluations
exceeding 100% capped at 100% for first year with sliding scale to
full revaluation figure over the next 5 years (or until the next
scheduled revaluation)
·
Supermarkets to pay the same
£per square metre as for the local High Street, a unified
business rate £ per metre square is required.
·
VOA calculate rates on nearness to
the street (shop frontage) this is made a nonsense within the
‘sheds’
·
The VOA to rate sheds exactly the
same as any other business in a town. Currently they are treated
differently by the VOA.
·
Rates to be retained by County
Councils not passed to HM Treasury. This would make them more
responsible for the health of their businesses.
·
Rates paid on empty properties. To
remain to encourage landlords to reduce rentals and encourage new
tenants
·
Rates – new business start
up amnesty to be encouraged
·
Charge Rates on profit / turnover
rather than size and position, thus more equitable for all
businesses Rents – change the law on short term rental to
encourage start-ups.
·
Rent control zones?
Footfall patters are determined by
the availability and cost of Parking, together with the pleasing
and attractive nature of the town centre.
Sadly also the current economic
climate is not contusive to increasing foot fall.
4. The
impact of out-of-town retail sites on nearby town centres
.
Supermarkets. These are defined here are big
‘sheds’ selling convenience and comparison goods,
normally at ‘out of town’ locations.
- There is an increasing need to regulate and
control the power of the Supermarkets, to control whether they go
into and affect High Streets when there may be sound local economic
reasons for them not to so do.
- A high street needs a suitably large and
wealthy customer base to support independent retailers. The less
wealthy tend to be less discerning, and will buy from the cheapest
provider, rather than intentionally buying local (there are no
doubt exceptions to this).
- They know the value of encouraging car parking
close to their stores
- Supermarkets advertising budgets are huge in
comparison with the High Street
- Reason to shop at Supermarkets include ease of
access, free parking, perceived lower prices, range
available,
- They sell everything, cheaper because of their
bulk buying
- Increased shelf life (sell by dates etc)
encourages bulk buying and reduced purchasing visits
- Lower prices – greater choice. BUT Pile
‘em high and sell ‘em cheap actually means lower
margins and lower quality. Quantity v quality?)
- Why can ‘sheds’ sell everything
retail?
- Employment by Supermarkets, majority are part
time under 16hrs (low cost) and does not replace the full time
employment of current High Street businesses.
- With the increasing automated stores (self
service pick - collect – pay – depart) even fewer staff
will need to be employed, other that out of hours shelf
stackers.
- Competition commission? Why can they not act
over the unfair competition by supermarkets to High
Streets?
Planning arrangements
- Community and Town Council views should be
specifically sought and accompany the documentation that goes to
the Welsh Government. Given that such developments will have a
major influence on their local areas.
- The Supermarkets expansion from convenience to
comparison has had devastating effects on local
businesses.
- Supermarkets to subsidise PCC car park fees
for High Street users
- Supermarkets to sell non VAT items
only!
- Why should they open 24x7?
- Planning applications for convenience stores
(Supermarkets) are made by ‘agents / developers’ who in
turn usually provide favourable Impact Assessments for the planning
authorities.
- The planning applications always quote
‘leakage to other towns/areas’ as the prime motivator
for the application.
- Supermarkets and their agents/developers are
money making machines at the cost to the local economy, they
profits are all exported out of the local areas – unlike the
local businesses who live in the local area. .
- 106 agreements should include to pay the rent
of High Street businesses who’s goods they sell for a 5 year
minimum
5. The
use of funding sources and innovative financial solutions to
contribute to town centre regeneration – including the
Regeneration Investment Fund for Wales; the use of Business
Improvement Districts; structural funds; Welsh Government, local
authority and private sector investment.
There are a number of aspects to
look at here, the major one being tax – in all of its
forms.
Taxation
- Corporation Tax – first 10k of profit
free of tax on businesses with less than £300k
profits
- Simplify SME taxation, thus tax on takings
less costs
- Increase VAT threshold from £73k to
£100k
- Charge VAT on ALL catering and take away food
hot or cold. Thus removing this ridiculous
differential.
- Supermarkets selling below cost. This is anti
dumping / predatory pricing and is banned in Euro land
- Include Business Rates as a business cost and
thus make them an allowance within the taxation regime.
Other
initiatives:
- Rate support for new SME
businesses
- Training and appreciation of retail staff.
Including customer service, window dressing, sales techniques.
etc
6. The
importance of sustainable and integrated transport in town
centres– including traffic management, parking and
access.
Parking
- Accessibility is crucial to the success of
town centres.
- Shoppers look for good transport connections
and plenty of affordable parking.
- Remember On-street parking allows impulse
stopping for impulse shopping.
- Short stay free
- 20 mph limits within town centres
- Why are Supermarkets allowed free parking?
When other town spaces are charged for.
- CPE must be a partnership with ‘the
town’ helping to keep traffic flowing and safe; not a money
making revenue for County Councils.
- A Free parking Honour Clock for short term
parking, like the disabled blue badge.
- Supermarkets to have their car parking spaces
rated to subsidise the town centre parking charges
- Supermarkets car parks to charge the same as
town car parks
- Permits for worshipers’ parking on
Sundays. Or free parking Sunday mornings
- 1-2 hours free to encourage longer
stays.
- Car parks safe / clean / secure with
lighting.
7. The
potential impact of marketing and image on the regeneration of town
centres – such as tourism, signage, public art, street
furniture, lighting and safety concerns.
Again tourism, signage, public
art, street furniture, lighting and safety concerns are all
worthwhile ‘simple’ methods of enhancing any area but
they need to be part of an overall development strategy for that
particular area.
Probably the most interesting and
cost effective image making is via the Web
Internet
- Businesses with both Internet and shops will
become increasingly interdependent. The good customer service
provided by both arms of the businesses will affect and reinforce
each other. (a good experience in one will lead the customer to
‘shop’ at the other & vice versa)
- Develop marketing – Promotional
information emphasising the distinctive identity of the
town.
- Local business websites to be actively
encouraged
- FaceBook and other social internet sites are
now an essential part of the retail armoury. These sites should
also reflect the uniqueness of the town.
- Town / group websites developed as showcases
for individual web sites.
- NEW ‘Bricks & Clicks’ retail
and on line store combinations giving 24 x 7
availability
8. The
extent to which town centre regeneration initiatives can seek to
provide greater employment opportunities for local
people.
Not by allowing more
‘supermarkets’ in for the following reasons
- Employment by Supermarkets, majority are part
time under 16hrs (low cost) and does not replace the full time
employment of current High Street businesses.
- With the increasing automated stores (self
service: pick - collect – pay – depart) even fewer
staff will need to be employed, other that out of hours shelf
stackers.
- Supermarkets are money making machines at the
cost to the local economy, their profits are all exported out of
the local areas (in some cases even out of the Country!) –
Unlike the local businesses who live in the local area, work in the
local area and spend in the local area. .
9. The
Committee would also welcome any recommendations on what measures
could be used to evaluate success of initiatives undertaken to
regenerate town centres.
For a town the following figure
should be considered.
- Shop vacancies (if successful
reducing)
- New shops opening (if successful
increasing)
- Previously residential properties changing to
retail/commercial (if successful increasing)
- Shops closing (if successful
reducing)
- Bankruptcies (if successful
reducing)
- Within the town – number in full
employment (if successful increasing)
- Within the town – number in part time
employment (if successful increasing)
- Unemployment figures (if successful
reducing)
- Car park usage (revenue is a good
indicator)
We hope that the afore
mentioned comments provide you with enough provocative thought to
begin to develop a practical strategy to resolve some of the
difficulties associated with town centres.
Should you require any
further clarification or explanation we would be happy to
oblige.
Yours sincerely,
Gordon Barry
Gordon Barry,
Secretary to the Narberth
Chamber of Trade.