Innovation and Commitment Helping the Fight Back Against Challenges Facing Britain's High Streets
Town Centres across the country are having to battle against a range of prevailing factors such as the economic situation and the rise of out-of-town and internet shopping. Here in Bedford we obviously face these issues just as all other towns do, and there are real challenges for our town centre. However, Bedford Town Centre is showing some real resilience and, while we must all recognise that there is lots to do to support and improve Bedford town centre, we have a number of reasons to be positive about its prospects for the future, as I wrote in my monthly article in the Times and Citizen this week. If you haven't seen it, I have reproduced it below:
The state of the British High Street is high on the national agenda at the moment. A 'perfect storm' of factors such as a struggling economy, internet shopping and out-of-town retail parks are all combining to threaten Britain's town centres' place at the heart of day-to-day life. It seems that barely a week goes by before we get more news of a famous national high street chain in peril. I don't know about you, but I must confess that when I see a headline reporting the fall of another retail giant I scan the story anxiously, hoping to find that it's not one with a Bedford outlet which may subsequently come under threat.
The Government recently gave £100,000 to each of the 100 towns most in need of support to fill empty shops. It was obviously a real blow to miss out on the money, but the fact that we were not amongst this group is a sign of Bedford town centre's resilience. While Bedford is facing the same challenges as towns across the country, there are many reasons to be positive about its prospects.
Our markets have bucked the trend by expanding in recent times, drawing more shoppers into town. Regeneration is coming forward through our High Street heritage scheme and the Riverside North development. We have a wide range of independent traders, which I would encourage everyone to use. Not because they need any sort of 'charity,' but because I am confident that when people try our local independent traders, they will go back time and time again.
Major national chains are also showing their commitment to Bedford, with Marks and Spencers, Next and Debenhams all investing heavily in their town centre presence. Meanwhile, there is lots of good work going on locally to support a thriving town centre. This includes the new Town Team partnership and the pioneering link-up between the We Are Bedford community group and Stimpsons Eves Chartered Surveyors, which is giving people the opportunity to bring empty units to life. This project is an example of the sort of innovation and drive which Bedford town centre will need if it is to continue to fight back against wider trends and offer a vibrant, attractive destination for local residents and visitors to enjoy.