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All hands to pumps in move to revive centre

4:07pm Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Bishop Auckland News

COUNCILLORS are urging people in Bishop Auckland to come forward to help create a plan to revitalise the ailing town centre.

A date for the first meeting of the newly-formed Town Team is expected to be confirmed soon so that local traders and interested parties can take part in discussions.

Members of Bishop Auckland Town Council agreed that the working party, made up of councillors, shouldmeet next week to discuss a suitable date and the plans in more detail. The aim of the group is to look at the problems facing Newgate Street and what it can do to boost trade in the area.

The working party held an initialmeeting to discuss how the project could work.

Among the topics discussed were who would be involved, how they would interact with Durham County Council, the importance of talking to developers and discovering what attracts people to the area and how things can be improved.

Councillor Charlie Kay, who took part in the initial discussions, said: "I think it was a very positive meeting and I think we did achieve something.

"Hopefully, we can turn the tide on what is blighting Bishop Auckland and every other town centre in the country.

"We should be inviting those people who have an interest in the success of Bishop Auckland town centre.

"Doing something is better than doing nothing."

Concerns were raised in December when Durham County Council's planning committee approved plans for a shopping complex on the nearby former Focus DIY site, in St Helen Auckland.

Planning officers had recommended that the plans should be refused because of the possible adverse impact onBishop Auckland town centre. The Secretary of State thismonth ruled there was no reason not to let it go ahead.

Campaigners against the shopping complex believe the town centre will not survive if the project gets offte ground.

Supporters of the St Helen Auckland site say having more shops located on the derelict site would encourage more people to visit the area, including Bishop Auckland town centre.

Comments(5)

stevebrown says...
6:37pm Thu 2 Feb 12

why dos'nt the council drop the rates of shops down, so that more business can be set up in this failing town centre.

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kelly_0980 says...
12:34pm Fri 3 Feb 12

and how about sorting some decent parking out and dropping the extortionate charges?
People are more likely to visit the town centre if there are convenient (and FREE) places to park without the threat of a ticket for going 5 minutes over your time......just a thought

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pilchrat says...
9:53pm Fri 3 Feb 12

Reduce rates or offer incentives for small startups like a few months free rent so they can find their feet. Make parking FREE for the short stay car parks. Most folk just want to pop to town for a couple of hours for a coffee, for a bit of lunch, grab a few bits then go. Leave the charges as they are on long stay car parks (so that staff at the shops don't clog up the parking for other folk).

Whilst there's a better range of shops elsewhere (like Teesside Park) and free parking why would people come to Bishop? That's the crunch question. To compete with out of town shops Bishop needs to be like an out of town place - for the love of god FREE PARKING!!! IT'S OBVIOUS!!!

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user name 3 says...
10:51am Sun 5 Feb 12

Free parking will give people an incentive to visit. Why should shoppers pay when you can shop out of town free.
Charity shops all get an incentive of cheap rates, why not reduce the rates of shops already there. We know the council are not maintaining their properties hence the collapse of Mothercare and the loss of trade to neighbouring businesses.
Come on, wake up.

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John Justice says...
10:34pm Wed 8 Feb 12

I came to live in Bishop Auckland in 1968 and at that time and for a few years it was a vibrant and interesting shopping experience. However I believe a combination of council decisions, a decline in local business and the resulting lowering of local spending power has resulted in Bishop Auckland town centre becoming what it is today. Why has the recent developments out of town gone ahead while town centre development declines?. I moved from Bishop Auckland to Newton Aycliffe recently (frying pan, fire, yes I know ) but sadly I do not miss Bishop at all. Why should I have to pay a parking charge just for the convenience of a short visit to my bank or a short shopping trip to M AND S?. I cannot see any improvement in the town centre with our present local authority. By the way, just how much income is generated per year from parking charges in and around the town?.

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