| Issue 6 18 October 2004 Report warns - grow or decline If Bury St Edmunds town centre does not grow then it will decline in the coming years as competition from other towns takes trade away, a report due to be considered by councillors tomorrow has warned. There is no "do nothing" option - without further development Bury St Edmunds will decline as more trade is attracted away. The report was commissioned by St Edmundsbury to assess the impact of Centros Miller's proposals upon the existing town centre. Any decline would be likely to hit smaller independent traders harder, the report states, because their success usually depends on a buoyant town centre, although the national chains would be more likely to survive because they are currently trading above average for their size. The report does warn that the town centre - the historic centre and new development - will need to be managed as a whole to protect existing traders as far as possible, although "change is inevitable and unavoidable in any town centre". The report, by Scott Wilson (Chesterton) also says: "There may be a risk of some traders relocating in or towards the new centre and some businesses may fail as a result of the development but they can be replaced by new businesses of similar or better calibre, meaning the overall centre does not suffer. "An extended period of undersupply can be equally harmful as competing centres attract trade away which can affect smaller independent retailers, many of whom are dependent on spin-off | trade in a thriving centre, as well as the high street multiples." The report also looks at planning policy, regional planning guidance, the Replacement Local Plan and the original retail appraisal carried out by Chesterton in 2001. While protecting and improving a centre's vitality and viability is a prime aim, the report notes: "It must be stressed that planning policy is concerned with the vitality and overall viability of the centre rather than the protection of individual businesses as such." A lack of development in recent years will almost certainly have led to businesses going to competing town centres. The level of impact the new development will have is "very limited and would be unlikely to have any significant of lasting effect on the centre as a whole" although it must be recognised, the report says, that the impact will be greater on some businesses than others. The benefits of attracting quality retailers to Bury St Edmunds, including a new department store (reducing the numbers of people going to other major centres) would safeguard the town's long-term viability and vitality and outweigh any short-term risks due to an over-supply of floorspace in the early stages of the development. The report, to be considered by the Cattle Market Redevelopment Working Party at 5pm on 19 October, concludes that the potential benefits of the redevelopment outweigh the "inevitable effects of change" and short-term risks. ************************************ Newsletter: This newsletter is from St Edmundsbury Borough Council, owner of the Cattle Market redevelopment site. Please forward it to anyone you think may be interested in the topic or contact me if you wish to be taken off the distribution list: marianne.hulland@stedsbc.gov.uk |
