In response to the news that Britain’s high streets are struggling to cope with the increasing popularity of online shopping, the Government enlisted “retail tzar” Mary Portas for advice. Alongside a grant worth £1.1 million which was split among 12 towns, Mary and her Town Teams laid down plans to revitalise struggling high streets and entice consumers back to town centres once again.
However, signs that the recommendations laid down in the Portas Review have failed to win over retailers and consumers alike are starting to emerge, with traders from Margate claiming that the high street is now in a worse state than when the recommendations were implemented six months ago.
Margate received a £100,000 government grant in order to achieve the aims set down by Portas in her proposals, yet the town has spent only £100 of this sum. Furthermore, attempts to draw consumers onto the high street by displaying art in abandoned shop windows – a staple of the Portas Review – has proved unsuccessful at best.
Of course, the fact that these displays are doing little to improve the vacancy rate of 35.1 per cent could explain the ghost town feel of the once popular Victorian resort.
The negative reaction from the local community has been so strong that the four original Town Team grant application leaders have resigned from their posts. They have also spoken out against Portas, claiming she focused on the relatively unscathed old town and seafront areas rather than helping the retail areas genuinely struggling to stay afloat.
They also say her plans lack “substance.” Robin Vaughan-Lyons, the original leader of the Town Team during the Government grant application process, says;
“It has all been a huge waste of time. It is all gimmicks and no substance, there is nothing real that has been done, not for local people who want to shop in their local shops.”
However, the new Town Team and the local council claim that not spending the entire budget has in fact been hugely beneficial for the town. Planned projects will now benefit from the added financial crutch, some of which will include steak houses to boost the leisure and nightlife industry and community dance studios for young and older people alike.
Portas has now hit back at her critics, pointing out that the old town area of Margate was featured on her television programme last year – a piece of publicity which created significant interest in the Kent town.
She says; “There are people who comment, there are people who point and there are people who roll their sleeves up.
In rolling my sleeves up, I come in for a knocking and I just have to take it but I can sleep at night.”
Do you live in an area which has received a Government grant under the Portas Review, and if so have you noticed a change on your local high street? Should towns be focusing on the aesthetics of their high streets, or should councils use the money to create free parking and easier access to retail centres at the heart of the community?
Previous Post
Sheffield Retail Scheme Faces New Delays
