From the BBC, in depth


Some town centres seem to have and be succeeding, and others indeed are no longer attracting people to visit businesses there, which are closing their shopfronts.  Is there rhyme or reason to which "High Street" might succeed and which might not?

Looking locally, I see both Devizes and Bath vibrant when I visit them, but I don't get the same feeling from Melksham.  Having said which, we have quite a number of store fronts which are for products for immediate access / use within the hour.  People hereabouts grumble about "yet another barber" and "not ANOTHER takeaway" and yet - with a handful of specific locations - they tend to last longer.   One severe issue tends to be car parking for pickups, and changing regulations seem to  effect them significantly. 

How are High Streets close to you faring?  How do you account for this?

 
Paignton, I saw on Saturday WH Smith or now TG Jones is closing down. I think the one in Torquay has gone. October Today's Railways had a small section on the closures and the difficulty of buying magazines.  Where can you by a newspaper in central Paignton? Only Tesco Express, and a shop near the level crossing. Paignton station had a very good bookstall/newsagent but that closed over twenty years ago.

There are no banks in Torquay although a hub in Fleet Street is shortly to open. There is a hub in Brixham. Paignton still has all but one (NatWest) of it's banks.

Torbay council have a policy, because they expect 50% of retail to disappear to concentrate the shops in specific areas and the rest to ultimately become residential. This is really noticeable in Torquay where shops are closing in the upper parts of Union Street to the lower part and Fleet Street nearer the sea with plans for residential development or conversion to residential of the vacated shops.

It's an irony that in Paignton most of the shops, cafes, in the Torbay Road, Hyde Road, and Palace Avenue are converted houses.