Why do we need more shops?

Some two or three weeks ago an article and a picture were published posing the question “Where are all the shoppers?”

Answer, out of town to take advantage of free parking!

We have many empty shops already in the town centre and in particular the largest one that once was Bobbys long before the Lee Longlands debacle, which resulted in the small shops being squeezed out to make room for one large retailer who then fled into Bedford Street, leaving it empty and boarded up. This eyesore sits smack bang outside the town hall and our well visited Jephson Gardens, assumedly telling any visitors that this is a typical example of the state of our shops.

If we do not have the footfall then any new shops will be doomed to fail. Maybe we should fill the empty shops and have a waiting list before we build new ones, whilst at the same time reviewing parking charges at the weekend, unless of course charity shops or coffee houses are ready to take these empty shops over since this appears to be the only growth industry.

So I ask the question why more shops? - Robert Ross, R.H.O.N Associates, Whitnash.