Shops and towns and things...
I was wandering around the Kent County Council web site this morning when I noticed the Town Centre Audit for Westwood cross was published yesterday - just a simple summary of floor space and vacant premises. Quite an interesting comparison with the other (real) town centres though:| Town Centre | Date Published | Total Space | % Vacant | Total Units | % Vacant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Cross | 16.01.08 | 34,385 | 8.7% | 39 | 5.1% |
| Ramsgate | 07.11.07 | 62,941 | 19.7% | 248 | 26.6% |
| Margate | 16.01.08 | 35,873 | 21.7% | 181 | 33.1% |
| Broadstairs | 07.11.07 | 14,428 | 3.4% | 143 | 4.2% |
Broadstairs seems to be more or less unaffected, but the huge percentage of both units and square footage vacant in Ramsgate and Margate should make someone in business planning stop and think about local amenities, quality of life, urban environments and all the rest. Westwood Cross may be a roaring success, but it still has to work where we actually live... And surely there's a limit to the number of estate agents that can take the vacant premises. Surely...
To be fair I haven't found or compared older audits, so maybe it's always been like that, and it's very unfair of me to presume it's the Westwood effect. But I doubt it.
And if a new extension to Westwood Cross replaces the demolished ShoeFayre building, it doesn't look like easing the pressure any time soon. Anyone know if that's just going be another 'street' of multiple stores? or is it all for Primark (if recent rumours are to be believed, and God knows it sounds likely enough)?
posted by ZumiWeb @ 12:14 PM
Comments: 2
