I have to admit to missing this snippet of information until Google updated me...
It appears that the shops adorning Fore St are under threat from a potential 100%+ increase in business rates! Average rates are currently £9k with new rates looking likely to be over £20k. Apparently it's based on the property rental values in Salcombe, which as we all know are totally unrepresentative of the area as a whole.
It seems that some traders have already had offers form, wait for it...high st chains(!!!) but have so far held out. Can you imagine Salcombe with a WH Smiths, Starbucks or Costa Coffee, the thought of it makes me shiver!
We can't let this happen to our fantastic town...Kingsbridge appears to be at the beginning of the slippery slope to "high st hell" with the opening of a Costa in a once great pub. Imagine how much Costa would like to get their hands on the KA or Tesco on a couple of shops next door to each other...
Lets start a defence now and vow never to enter the doors of Costa, if their profits aren't great in Kingsbridge hopefully they will forget about Salcombe.
Lets hope that just for once the Town Hall get off their ample backsides and fight for the very soul of their (our) town!
Deep breaths...and relax...
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Salcombe's High St Under Threat
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9 comments:
I saw the news item last night and was horrified at the short sightedness of the local council to not see the dire implications of this move . If the small independent businesses close , Salcombe will loose its magic and distinctive feel that attracts people to the area throughout the year. There is an economic eco system that is very fragile. If a tipping point is triggered , the area could quite easily slide off the map , the cost of which will be a multiple of the lost premium of the 20 or so businesses that really make a difference to the area. I agree that Kingsbridge is showing signs of exactly this now.
Wake up whoever it is who can do something about this and for once be a public servant , not a short sighted administrator ! People in the whole of SouthHams should see this as a threat , Salcombe is a lighthouse attraction for people to vist South Hams. Switch it off and everyone will suffer. Some push back needs to be organised!!!
In Kingsbridge mid morning today, Weds 13 April. Fore St virtually deserted! However both Tesco and Morrisons car parks nearly full!! Seems price and convenience soon cause us all to forget the High St traders! Unlikely a big supermarket or coffee chain would see salcombe as a likely cash cow due to the very short season.
Please no! We love to holiday in Salcombe every year but the thought of High Street chain shops is awful. I think we would be looking to go elsewhere if this were the case.
NO NO NO, this is the worst ever news. Leave Salcombe alone, WE DON'T WANT HIGH STREET SHOPS!
Calm down folks -
Tesco Express, WH Smith, Costa Coffee, McDonalds, Robert Dyas, Clinton Cards, KFC, BP Forecourts, Beefeater and William Hill etc etc etc.
Not a cat in hells chance they would be interested with the seasonal low turnover Salcombe has to offer!
I wouldn't bank on Salcombe never getting a high street name there ! Afetr all, if its the tourists coffers that keep the local high seasonal income coming in, its the tourists needs that need to be considered too.....does anyone know for sure that a quality big name (ie Sainsburys)offering decent foodstuffs isn't required ? A mention of Tesco Express is enough to send anyone howling with discontent, but a big name offering a sympathetic approach offreing the right products that people want maybe even beneficial for Salcombe in the long run.
Went in Costa Kingsbridge today. Nice renovation job on the old pub, really busy, lovely service, great coffee! So much for the locals loyalty to the local coffee shops.
It's always a shame to loose independent retailers/businesses.But isn't Salcombe already home to quite a few high street shops? Not COSTA or Tesco, but I recall Fatface, White Stuff etc. These might be nicer but they are still chains.
Fatface, Crew, Jack Wills and Quba all have their beginnings in Salcombe. Crew was started by a local family, Quba is a South Hams based business that started in Salcombe and Fatface was a group of guys who went skiing in the winter and to Salcombe in the summer out of this Fatface was born.. Jack Wills first shop was in Salcombe.
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