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Shop till you drop

The building of shopping centres is contentious became it is believed they direct trade out of town centres. But recent developments have corrected past mistakes and are proving a catalyst for regeneration, says Robert Bullard.

HAVE A CLEAR VISION

The out of town Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill, near Dudley, opened to much controversy in the late 80s. But a successful retail environment, with over 200 shops, and knock on benefits, has changed many residents’ views.

“The developers had a really good vision,” says Tim Sunter, chief executive of the Brierlely Hill Regeneration Partnership. “They understood that regenerating the wider area would increase the value of their investment.” So the company built speculative offices at the Waterfront, which raised business confidence and contributed to road improvements to ease the rush-hour congestion. “It was a win-win situation,” says Mr Sunter.

This year the offices won an award for helping regenerate the wider area, which now provides 12,000 jobs. “Merry Hill has changed people’s perceptions,” says Mr Sunter. “They now see the Black Country as more than just an industrial area –vibrant in other ways than manufacturing.”

The next task is to make Merry Hill a sustainable town centre with further investment for homes, offices and a health centre planned.

PROTECT LOCAL SHOPS

Many market towns suffer from a decline in retailing as competition from supermarkets results in shop closures, deteriorations in town centre appearance and reductions in the number of shoppers.

But Forest of Dean DC is turning things around with a three-pronged attack, launched in 2005, that promotes local shops to residents, provides business support to shopkeepers, and improves town centre appearance.

“Morale was very low among the retail community,” says Gareth Whitaker, the council’s market towns regeneration officer. “But the campaign has restored some confidence.”

More than 6000 people have signed up for a customer loyalty card, which gives them discounts at over 100 traders, and over 70 retailers have benefited from business grants or training.

As a result of these and other measures, the number of shoppers is gradually gropwing and both business turnover and confidence are increasing.

A toolkit of transferable solutions is being prepared for other market towns to copy. But Mr Whitaker warns that those interested must be prepared to invest considerable time and effort to see the results. “After all the neglect of the past it was a struggle to win people over,” he says.
Mr Whitaker adds that for the projects to succeed, councils should make sure that they are retailer-led. “It is the retailers who have the contact with customers and should know what works,” he says.

MAKE SHOPPING MALLS FIT IN

“Princesshay is not a traditional shopping mall,” says John Harvey, Exeter’s city centre manager. “It is buzzing in the evenings rather than just 9-5.30. It has a mix of different uses and it is designed to fit in with - rather than be self-contained from - the existing street scene.”

The aim of the £225 million development, which opened in September 2007, is to drive business into the whole city rather than just a part of it. Initial figures suggest that it is working, with other shopping areas in the city enjoying a 10%-15% increase in trading activity since Princesshay opened.

Careful design work made sure it blends into the existing town centre, and there was minimal disruption during its construction.

“We are part of a new era in UK retailing,“ says Mr Harvey, who believes the continental style café culture and over 100 flats and apartments will help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. The attraction of some leading names in retailing has also been popular with locals.

“Exeter hasn’t punched to its full potential for years, “ says My Harvey. “This is the biggest investment here for 30 years – confidence is returning.”

TURN A MARKET TOWN AROUND

There is a ‘picture postcard’ image to towns like Bakewell, which sits amidst the Derbyshire Dales. But serious economic problems can be hidden by this charming veneer.

The town’s livelihood has always depended on its livestock market, but a study done in the late 1990s showed that, although the market was well placed strategically, it needed major renovation if it - and the town - were going to survive.

“We saw the chance to build more than just a new livestock market,” says Dave Brooks, Derbyshire Dales BC’s head of planning and development services. As a result, the Agricultural Business Centre was built as a hub for delivering a range of rural services.

The centre’s first services were for the town’s 4,000 population, but as others have seen the opportunities of what a hinterland of 30,0000 farmers can sustain, Business Link, social services and health facilities have joined in.

The development has sustained and attracted new jobs, says Mr Brooks. It has resulted in phenomenal amount of private investment, with the town now enjoying a new supermarket and swimming pool.

“The market is buzzing and the town has been regenerated,“ says Mr Brooks. “The picture post card is as good as ever.”


WORK WITH COMMUNITIES

The Glasgow Fort Shopping Park has helped regenerate Easterhouse, one of Scotland’s most notoriously deprived neighbourhoods.

“We didn’t want the Fort to be just another retail park,” says John Divine from the city’s Regeneration Agency. “We wanted it to have a positive impact on the local community – not just in terms of jobs, but socially as well.”

“We approached employers and told them, ‘Work with us - recruit people locally - and it will help your business.’ ”

Since the park opened in 2004, nearly 1200 jobs have gone to people from the city’s East End, many of whom were previously unemployed. And through their employers, they are given help with health issues, childcare and money advice.

The project is very well received in the surrounding community, says Mr Divine, and as a result problems with vandalism are rare.

People once questioned relocating to Easterhouse, he adds Mr Divine, but the retail-led regeneration, and provision of good services and public transport, means rentals are now buoyant. “The project has been hugely successful,” says Mr Divine.

The challenge now is to bridge the one-mile gap between the retail park and the civic centre, for which an action plan has recently been prepared.


Find out more

Brierley Hill Regeneration Partnership
Tom Slater, communications manager. Tel: 01384 343444 tom.slater@brierleyhill.org

Forest of Dean DC
Gareth Whitaker, market towns regeneration officer. Tel: 01594 812611 gareth.whitaker@fdean.gov.uk

Exeter City Council
John Harvey, city centre manager. Tel: 01392 665664 john.harvey@exeter.gov.uk

Derbyshire Dales DC
Dave Brooks, head of planning and development services. Tel: 01629 761378 dave.brooks@derbyshiredales.gov.uk

Glasgow City Council
Alan Russell, planning neighbourhood manager. Tel: 0141 287 8671 alan.russell@drs.glasgow.gov.uk


© Robert Bullard. Not for reproduction without prior permission

 

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