Agenda item

Councillor Danielle Stone addressed the Forum. She explained that she was part of a Scrutiny Review that was looking at the Town Centre Retail Experience.

The original suggestion for the review had come from a member of the public and the review was keen to gather views from as many public views as possible. She stated that the recession had affected many places, but that it was important to ensure that Northampton was doing everything possible to improve things. She then asked Forum members where they shopped and what they would like to see in the Town Centre of the future.

Respondent 1- Felt that the town centre deteriorated when the insurance agents and solicitors moved out of town into retail parks, taking away the workers who had used the town centre in the lunchtimes/ after work. He bought clothes in town and did grocery shopping in a nearby supermarket. He felt that there would be little chance of grocery shops returning into the town centre unless they were smaller specialist retailers such as those on St Giles Street. He did use the market and felt that the traders should form a cooperative and run the market for themselves.

Respondent 2- Felt that the number of empty shops dragged the town centre area down. Uses the local supermarket and sometimes shopped for groceries on line as it meant that she did not have to carry it. Shops for clothes in the town centre as she likes to see and feel items. Uses shops such as Wilko and pound shop. Also likes to look in charity shops for bric a brac and household items. Would like to see a reasonably priced antiques/collectibles shop in the Town Centre.

Respondent 3- Uses the town centre for a variety of services as well as shopping. He uses the local supermarkets, charity shops, buys clothes at Marks and Spencers and uses Wilkos and the pound shop and the market. He also uses the local barber, local coffee shop and the library. He felt that the market used to be more vibrant when the shops that surround it were more attractive and used to hold regular music events.  He would like to see fewer betting shops and low value eating places.

Respondent 4- Was a taxi driver for many years and felt that the feedback that he had received was that the areas around town were well served with local shopping parades but that the town centre had lost key shops. He felt that car parking changes had been detrimental to the town. A Freedom of Information request had shown that figures from parking meters had indicated that annual income had reduced by £89,000 over the last three years. This implied that the numbers of people using the town centre were down.

Respondent 5 – He came into town several times a week. He felt that the approaches to the town centre, e.g. along the Kettering Road were a disgrace with boarded up shops, graffiti etc. He considered that the market no longer offered variety and felt that it was a shame that the Sunday art markets had been stopped .He arranged coach trips to Melton Mowbray which has a lot of individual shops and market arcades, and a street and farmers market.

Respondent 6 – Did not shop if possible. Used allotment to grow your own and felt that these and community gardens should be promoted.  He uses Wilkos and the library. Does not feel that should be encouraging people to consume resources and get into debt. He used to come into town to pay the council tax but now does that over the phone so there is no need. He considered that the role of Northampton as a market town has changed and that losing the cattle market had reduced the numbers of people coming into the town.

Respondent 7- He felt that the rise of the supermarkets had led to the deterioration of the town centre by providing a wide range of goods out of the town centre. St Giles Street is the only attractive street because of the mix of independent shops. There are no longer any fruit and veg shops outside of the supermarkets and no butchers or fishmongers in the town centre. Does shop out of town at John Lewis at Milton Keynes.

Respondent 8 – He uses Marks and Spencer’s, town centre coffee shops and supermarkets. Also uses local mini supermarket which he considers is a very important informal local meeting point. Uses the market and emphasised that rents had recently been reduced for market traders to try and help them.

Councillor Stone commented that going shopping is not just about buying goods but can be  a vital human contact providing some level of companionship and also potentially a network of people who may be able to flag when someone is not following their usual routine that there might be  a problem.

Some members felt that the change in retail habits was at least in part a generational change and that younger working people did not have the time to shop in a variety of places but used the supermarkets as they were able to get everything that they wanted in one place.

It was also commented that at its height the market may have been very successful, but that it only used to operate two days a week and most of the traders went to other towns on the days that Northampton did not hold a market.

Councillor Stone thanked the forum members for their feedback and will report the views back to the scrutiny review.