observer Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Whilst present planning restrictions on "out of Town" super-markets have been flouted in most Towns, usually via some form of bribery and corruption; I believe this Government are now set to dilute the current planning restrictions, thus making the demise of the Town Centre high street more certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 what town centre high street. only McDonalds and hancock and woods there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted July 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Guess it's too late then?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 what town centre high street. only McDonalds and hancock and woods there  Don't forget the 'pound' shop... infact there are two and both of them are on the outer limbs of the skittles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Some of the pathetic attempts by Councils to enliven Town Centres won't cure the problem - but a reduction in rates paid for by a levy on out of Town s./markets might?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Out of town retail parks, shopping centres, and supermarkets have free parking. Town centres generally don't. Â No surprise where the shoppers go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 You've just confirmed the logic of my suggestion: levy the S/Markets = increased expense to use them; decrease T/Centre charges = cheaper shopping = increased use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 If, free car parking and cheap goods is the current up side of s/markets, and the opposite is the down side of T/Cs: just reverse the fiscal and operational balance by a tax levy on s/markets and subsidies to T/C shops - sorted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 ..........and when out of town shopping parks start closing and people start losing jobs; what then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 If you give the town centre shops a subsidy, the parent companies will just pocket it. Â Even if it is passed on the the customer it will be in the form of prices which are only very marginally lower than out of town - and shoppers won't ever notice. Â What they do notice is having to pay out directly for parking. That also explains why people happily spend more in fuel driving to the Trafford Centre or Cheshire Oaks than they would paying for parking in a more local town centre - it's visible cost vs. invisible cost. Doesn't have to be logical or make sense, it's the way most people are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Whilst present planning restrictions on "out of Town" super-markets have been flouted in most Towns, usually via some form of bribery and corruption; I believe this Government are now set to dilute the current planning restrictions, thus making the demise of the Town Centre high street more certain. Â Observer what evidence is there that Ian Marks and the WBC planners are allegedly taking bribes so that this practice can occur? Â Are you suggesting for example that school sites are being made available in the north of Warrington to aid this process? Â Don't you think that the credit crunch is having some sort of action, especially as people have less disposale income? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Â Observer what evidence is there that Ian Marks and the WBC planners are allegedly taking bribes so that this practice can occur? Â Oops.... I think you need to look at that statement again Geoff... No names were given or insinuated even! Â Are you suggesting for example that school sites are being made available in the north of Warrington to aid this process?? Â I think you are the one making the suggestions here Geoff! Â Don't you think that the credit crunch is having some sort of action, especially as people have less disposale income? Â Not from what I saw yesterday at the Trafford Centre. 3 carparks were closed off because they were full and we were in the overflow car park at the top end of the site near too the next motorway junction. The place was rammed with people and even the restaraunts had large queues outside. As has been said before; this credit crunch is only affecting certain industries. The rest of us are just getting on with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I was just putting Observer?s comments into a local context. Â I thought that Ian Marks was the leader of the local council and therefore would be the person who Observer was talking about? Â He recently asked fellow councillors to oppose him and speak their minds (see letter in the WG the other week) but I didn't know that they had finally unseated the man. Maybe they have found out what school lands are going to be used for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Geoff, Would you consider it bribery, if a business wanted to do something and to achieve that they paid a figure of money into the local community? If so, it happens ALL the time. There is a name for doing this, but it escapes me at the moment. Â Perhaps observer was referring to the previous regime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Pehaps Observer is referring to the antics of a certain S/Market up and down the length and breadth of the UK (as documented on a TV prog)?! Ink: Not "job losses" but job transfers from "out of" "into" Town Centres, the Companies have to have viable outlets at the end of the day, and a tax/subsidy regime can condition the market.(carrot and stick etc) Baz: An immediate cure for that one; increase an "out of Town" tax, proportional to cars using the site. Won't happen of course, as the S/Markets have Government in their pockets (both Parties); but it somehow puts the lie, to all the c**p both Paties are spouting about global warming and traffic congestion; meanwhile, the hearts of local communities (T/Cs) are in decay (except for the binge drinking!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Whilst not opposed to deploying some of the local taxes which out of town businesses already pay towards assisting town centre businesses, I don't believe that simply handing them money is the answer. Â Look at the railways if you want and example of how cash subsidies create industries which become completely dependent on them, and from then on are millstones around all of our necks. Â If the same money were to be used to improve town centre access, by for example abolishing car park charges and taking measures to help public transport using shoppers (ever tried to take a large amount of shopping home on the bus??), then the businesses would benefit from increased footfall and could get on with doing what they do best - selling us stuff we largely don't need!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Pete you're not suggesting that his friend was on the take are you? Is it something that goes with the job as leader. You guys certainly have a lot of information that hasn't been shared but keeping it to yourselves must serve its own purpose I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I'm not suggesting anything - other than an application of common sense, and that's not likely to happen!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I love it!! It's all done with mirrors.LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 That paranoia is kicking in again Geoff; sure your taking the right dosage of those tablets?! Ink: Tax something, you get a revenue stream, tax it too much and you deter custom - so a fine tuning exercise: Subsidise a prefered behaviour (IE T/C shopping and parking and public transport) and you incentivise behaviour - all fairly simple really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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