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Christmas
is a time for good cheer but for some it also the busiest period of the
working year. Last week I visited the Royal Mail sorting offices in
Folkestone, Hythe and New Romney, to meet the postal workers who make
sure that all of our cards and presents get through in time. This time
last year the snow was very disruptive to the Christmas post, and the
currently milder winter has made things a lot easier. I wanted to thank
them for all of their work over the festive period.
In the New Year a state of the art sorting office for Kent is due to
open in Strood and it is expected that this investment will help improve
the efficiency of the network. I was also interested to discuss the
growth in the parcels and packages businesses for Royal Mail from online
shopping, and from my visit it looks like there has been another large
increase for this Christmas.
This trend for more online shopping is of course a concern for
traditional businesses in our high streets and town centres. This has
been highlighted by ‘Mary Queen of Shops’, Mary Portas, in a review
commissioned from her by the Government, and which was published on
Tuesday. The long term trends for shopping online and in large retails
parks out of town is not going to change overnight. The challenge should
be to find ways to make our town centres vibrant places that people what
to spend time in.
Mary Portas suggests in her report, and I agree with this idea, that it
should be easier to change the use of an empty shop if no new tenants
can be found. This could mean a shop becoming a cafe, gallery space or
converted into a home. The long term changes to the way we live and shop
should be acknowledged and we should consider what else we can do to
bring people into our town centres.
We can see some of this approach at work in the Old Town area of
Folkestone where the Creative Foundation have not just renovated shops,
but also created gallery and work spaces. I believe it would add a lot
to the vibrancy of town centres to have more people and trades working
there, and not just in shops.
You can read Mary Portas’s report on her website
www.maryportas.com [4].
There is also interesting work being led by community interest companies
like ‘Meanwhile Space’ that help landlords and local authorities to find
innovative solutions to use empty shops, until a new permanent tenant is
found. This could include creating low cost incubator space for start up
businesses, for example.
I was also delighted last Friday evening to join the Leader of Shepway
Council Robert Bliss, the Folkestone Salvation Army and a choir from St
Eanswythe primary school to unveil a new plaque on the bandstand on The
Leas. This year the plaque was dedicated to the popular character actor
and Folkestonian, Arthur Brough, who is best known for his staring role
as Mr Grainger in the BBC comedy show ‘Are you being served.’
Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast
News 2011©
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