Bolton Wanderers Football Club Fan Forum for all BWFC Supporters.


You are not connected. Please login or register

Bolton town centre is sixth worst in UK for empty shops

+2
Norpig
karlypants
6 posters

Go down  Message [Page 1 of 1]

karlypants

karlypants
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Bolton has one of the highest rates of empty shops in the country, according to new figures.

Almost one in four shops in the town is lying vacant, which is the sixth worst in the United Kingdom, according to statistics released by the Local Data Company (LDC).

But while the leader of Bolton Council says it is doing everything it can to fill the empty units, the main opposition leader says the statistics are shocking and it is time to ‘flatten the grot spots’.

Cllr Cliff Morris, leader of Bolton Council, said: “The council is doing everything it can to support local businesses and get vacant shops filled.

“A lot of businesses have moved into the Market Place, which is doing wonderfully well.

“And Middlebrook is also fully occupied as well, which is not included in these figures.”

However, Tory leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh said: “These are shocking statistics for Bolton. Sadly it’s not just vacant shops, it’s that every other shop is a charity or pound shop, betting shop or pawnbrokers.

“We have to ask ourselves what image the town has when potential investors visit.

“Many of our main arterial routes into the town, such as Bank Street and Manchester Road, are a disgrace and an embarrassment.

“We need to sort out these grot spots. Flatten them and grass them over for the time being until plans are developed.”

The figures come in the wake of the recent closure of high profile town centre stores BHS, Beales and Prestons of Bolton.

The number of vacant shops in the town centre is now more than double the average vacancy rate in England and almost 10 per cent higher than the average vacancies in the North West for 2016. The total number of town centres included in the analysis was 650.

The worst performing town centre was Burslem, followed by Newport, Dewsbury, Wigan, and Stockport.

Cllr Greenhalgh said: “Bolton also once prided itself in its host of independent retailers in the town, which have been all but lost.

“This is a hard battle, and those councils who fight for their town centres, and compete to attract new shops, will survive, and those who don’t will fall by the wayside and deteriorate further.”

However, Cllr Morris said: “In the town centre we have three supermarkets, and we are looking at what can be done at Crompton Place and with the old Beales building.

“If you drive along Deane Road or Halliwell Road then all the shops along there seem to be full as well.”

Bolton’s figure has improved by 2.3 per cent since last year, and bosses at the redeveloped Market Place Shopping centre believe the town is moving in the right direction.

Nikki Wilson-Cook, centre manager, said: “Our occupancy rate is very high. We are currently at 76 per cent and that is likely to improve in the future.

“We have 60 units trading in the centre, which is a significant increase on the 35 that were here prior to the redevelopment.”

Bolton’s Liberal Democrats have called for more cross-party collaboration to help kick-start the local economy.

Chairman Kevin Walsh said: “We are calling for the council to create a cross-party economic development plan that will look at ideas for kick-starting the local economy and bringing high-value skilled jobs, leisure and shopping facilities to the town.

“The Liberal, Labour, Tory and UKIP councillors need to work together to inspire a new generation of industry throughout the town.

“We need to inspire the high-value jobs that our young graduates and out of work skilled professionals deserve to come to the town.

“Only with a joined up, cross-party plan, can we hope to reverse the fortunes of the town and start to build real momentum and make this a town people are once more proud to proclaim as their home.”

Cllr Sean Hornby, UKIP group leader, said: “There doesn’t seem to be a vision for Bolton at the moment, so maybe the council needs to be employing people from outside the borough who have got that vision.

“The perception is that Bolton is full of charity shops, pastie shops, and empty shops.

“What has happened at the Market Place is fantastic. But the town centre looks depressing from whatever direction you enter the town.”

Source

Norpig

Norpig
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

It's no surprise, every time i come back to Bolton and go through the town centre it looks worse than the last time i came. The bottom end of Bradshawgate is shocking in particular

boltonbonce

boltonbonce
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

I've always felt I'd end my life back in Bolton,but I'm no longer so sure.

Norpig

Norpig
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

people always ask me if i would move back to Bolton Boncey and the answer would be no i'm afraid

boltonbonce

boltonbonce
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

It's sad really,because it was a great place for me growing up. It's heartbreaking to see what's happening.
And I can see it getting worse.

karlypants

karlypants
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Bank Street must be the worst street in Bolton.

It really is a shit hole.

Cajunboy

Cajunboy
Frank Worthington
Frank Worthington

boltonbonce wrote:I've always felt I'd end my life back in Bolton,but I'm no longer so sure.
You may need to move quickly, time is running out.

boltonbonce

boltonbonce
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Cajunboy wrote:
boltonbonce wrote:I've always felt I'd end my life back in Bolton,but I'm no longer so sure.
You may need to move quickly, time is running out.
Bolton town centre is sixth worst in UK for empty shops Tumblr_ohjnwffhzq1uzxpsno1_500 Crying or Very sad

Cajunboy

Cajunboy
Frank Worthington
Frank Worthington

boltonbonce wrote:
Cajunboy wrote:
boltonbonce wrote:I've always felt I'd end my life back in Bolton,but I'm no longer so sure.
You may need to move quickly, time is running out.
Bolton town centre is sixth worst in UK for empty shops Tumblr_ohjnwffhzq1uzxpsno1_500 Crying or Very sad
I feel sure you will bounce back.

boltonbonce

boltonbonce
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

I'm unstoppable.

But I'm dead unless I replace all the biscuits I ate during the match last night.

karlypants

karlypants
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

boltonbonce wrote:I'm unstoppable.

But I'm dead unless I replace all the biscuits I ate during the match last night.
What biscuits did you munch on?

boltonbonce

boltonbonce
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

karlypants wrote:
boltonbonce wrote:I'm unstoppable.

But I'm dead unless I replace all the biscuits I ate during the match last night.
What biscuits did you munch on?
Started on Tunnock's Tea Cakes (6 of them. Trod on one,but it still had the silver foil on,so I ate it at half time.
I then moved on to Jammy Dodgers(2 pkts)
With 15 minutes to go I had to break out the chocolate fingers,which saw me through to the last 5 minutes.
6 Jaffa Cakes saw me through to the whistle. I had 6 left over,so I had them with a brew before I went to bed.

Bwfc1958

Bwfc1958
Tinned Toms - You know it makes sense!

boltonbonce wrote:
karlypants wrote:
boltonbonce wrote:I'm unstoppable.

But I'm dead unless I replace all the biscuits I ate during the match last night.
What biscuits did you munch on?
Started on Tunnock's Tea Cakes (6 of them. Trod on one,but it still had the silver foil on,so I ate it at half time.
I then moved on to Jammy Dodgers(2 pkts)
With 15 minutes to go I had to break out the chocolate fingers,which saw me through to the last 5 minutes.
6 Jaffa Cakes saw me through to the whistle. I had 6 left over,so I had them with a brew before I went to bed.
Bloody hell! Greedy sod! 

Not a big fan of tunnocks tea cakes or jammy dodgers. I'm very much liking the double cream oreos at the minute though.

boltonbonce

boltonbonce
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Bwfc1958 wrote:
boltonbonce wrote:
karlypants wrote:
boltonbonce wrote:I'm unstoppable.

But I'm dead unless I replace all the biscuits I ate during the match last night.
What biscuits did you munch on?
Started on Tunnock's Tea Cakes (6 of them. Trod on one,but it still had the silver foil on,so I ate it at half time.
I then moved on to Jammy Dodgers(2 pkts)
With 15 minutes to go I had to break out the chocolate fingers,which saw me through to the last 5 minutes.
6 Jaffa Cakes saw me through to the whistle. I had 6 left over,so I had them with a brew before I went to bed.
Bloody hell! Greedy sod! 

Not a big fan of tunnocks tea cakes or jammy dodgers. I'm very much liking the double cream oreos at the minute though.
Tunnock's wafer biscuits are nice.

Bread2.0

Bread2.0
Andy Walker
Andy Walker

There is no such thing as a shit biscuit.

They are all nice.

Norpig

Norpig
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

i was never a fan of sticky biccy

boltonbonce

boltonbonce
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Lemon Puffs.

Not a comment on you lads,just a nice biccy.

Norpig

Norpig
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

And now Pizza Express is shutting in Bolton, there will be nothing left! Always liked it in there

Sponsored content



Back to top  Message [Page 1 of 1]

Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum