Town centre is changing for the worse

May 1 2008

ONCE again the plight of the disastrous trading situation in Quarry Street has been highlighted by the Advertiser.

Yet again, we have the usual platitude from a ‘council spokesman’ that it is not accepted the council are not doing enough to regenerate the town centre and have employed shopping consultants Ryden to prepare a study (presumably on the reasons for the lack of business and the solution to resolve it).

The proposed Business Forum to be set up in an attempt to consider how best to improve conditions is welcomed, but unless it commences with an approach to South Lanarkshire Council to reduce business rates and provide free car parking, no amount of renewed cobble stones and fancy sculptures will help the traders one iota.

The Ryden study recognises Quarry Street is in a period of transition, borne out by the number of planning applications received to change the use of shops from retail to other uses. Am I missing something? Is that not patently obvious from the number of charity shops, food takeaways, estate agents, travel agents and empty premises which certainly suggest the former town centre is in a period of transition — but not for the better.

The so-called transition began with the development of the Palace Grounds retail park, which is being further developed with retail uses. There is also ample free parking which no longer exists in the town centre. There is a similar situation at the other end of the town with Sainsbury’s, Morrisons etc.

What, then, is the solution for Quarry Street as Asda etc are not going to go away?

First of all free parking, at least at weekends, would help.

Next, and perhaps more important, the Rating and Valuation Assessor and the Valuation Appeal Court should be encouraged by the council to take a more lenient approach to reducing rateable values (although any unfortunate party with experience of these bodies will realise there is little chance of this happening).

The Planning Department should also start resisting the approval of so many applications for change-of-use from retail to non-retail.

Perhaps we are going to have to accept that Quarry Street and Cadzow Street will never regain their prominence as retail shopping areas unless the council assist the occupation of empty shops by encouraging the Assessor to take a realistic view on rateable values, refusing change-of-use applications, providing free car parking and, most important, reducing the business rates, perhaps on a means-test basis having regard to profits.

Finally, the sad case of the trader who drew only £15 one day reminded me of a case before the Valuation Appeal Court where the shopkeeper was asked by a member of the panel how busy the shop was. He replied that on the previous Monday he had only two customers — one wanted to borrow a fiver and the other asked if he could use the toilet! Let’s hope Quarry Street fares a little better.

Chartered Surveyor