Barmouth (1 Viewer)

[Barclaybasher]

There are far more reasons for the demise of town centres than parking charges.

the damage to town and city centres has been done over a very long time..decades...and might be irreversible now.............you pay (a lot) to park

choice.... shops, restaurants etc ..... much better in town/city centres yet folks choose to go to bland 'same old' multiples out of town......free parking

better parking management and access to town and city centres might help but it would take more than a few years to reverse....

...........who else is to blame but the Local Authorities?

 

[GJH]

the damage to town and city centres has been done over a very long time..decades...and might be irreversible now.............you pay (a lot) to park

choice.... shops, restaurants etc ..... much better in town/city centres yet folks choose to go to bland 'same old' multiples out of town......free parking

better parking management and access to town and city centres might help but it would take more than a few years to reverse....

...........who else is to blame but the Local Authorities?

Yes, local authorities are to blame but not parking charges. The error occurred when they demolished town centre housing and built replacements in the suburbs instead of in situ.

Businesses only opened in town centres because that is where their customers lived. Move the customers out and they are forced to travel to do business. Businesses see land cheaper out of town so open up there on the grounds that if customers are forced to travel then they don't care all that much where to.

Is choice better in town/city centres? Not here it isn't because rents charged by landowners (not local authorities) are too high for local businesses to open and/or renew leases.

Those are the reasons why "traditional" town centres have died.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Not here it isn't because rents charged by landowners (not local authorities) are too high for local businesses to open and/or renew leases.

Not just rents Graham.... business rates

A city centre shop was sold for £175k recently - freehold .........business rates £25k a year............

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[GJH]

Not just rents Graham.... business rates

A city centre shop was sold for £175k recently - freehold .........business rates £25k a year............

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How many times? Business rates have been set by central government since the 1980s. It is only in the last year or two that councils have been given powers to levy extra and I don't know of any which have.
The reason Business Rates (National Non-Domestic Rates) were brought in was that the likes of Boots and W H Smith complained that they faced different charges for similarly sized shop units in different towns.
The changed system ensured that the same charge was made throughout the country so your £175k shop would be charged £25k wherever it was situated - a charge levied by central government, not a local authority.

 

[magicsurfbus]

My local town centre has had ample free parking since we moved here 27 years ago.

That hasn't stopped the market from dying on its arse and the rise and rise of the charity shops. Nor has it prevented some of the pound shops and pay day loan places from closing down.