Independent businesses in Darlington have shared their experiences on what has changed in the town since they have been trading.
Traders spoke to The Northern Echo after former MP Peter Gibson held an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening.
They spoke of a decline in footfall and a change in shopping habits as some of the biggest changes they have seen.
Solutions to a decline in footfall and changing shopping habits were raised by traders, which included bringing back some form of free parking and attracting a big-name department store to the town.
Origins, Grange Road
Origins Home and Coffee Bar celebrates its 26th birthday this year.
Owned by Darren Syddall, the business has seen many changes in the town since the turn of the century.
Mr Syddall said retail has never been easy and businesses are up against “what is going on in the world - from the weather, to what people have got in the pockets”.
One of the biggest changes Mr Syddall has seen has been since Covid.
He said: “Footfall in the town has dropped drastically in the past, particularly since Covid.
“Covid also accelerated online shopping and we cannot dismiss that. It is not cheaper to buy items online, but it is more accessible for people because they don't have to get in the car, put fuel in, come to Darlington and pay £3 or £4 for parking.”
He said the reintroduction of free parking in the town centre could attract more people, but he also suggested other solutions.
“There are other things that could be done, such as making the town look a bit tidier and cleaner,” he said.
“There is chewing gum all over the street and I have only seen the paths cleaned once by the machines in 26 years. We don't feel like a priority.
“Darlington has got things going for it, but the council need to do the basics. Everything looks a bit shabby.”
Three Squares Café, Skinnergate
The family-run café, owned by Gavin Dobson, will turn ten this year.
The café has built up a raft of regular customers in the last decade, but Mr Dobson has noticed many are no longer coming back.
The café owner said the biggest change he has seen in the town is the decline in footfall since the free parking was scrapped.
He said: “A lot of regular customers used to travel from outside of Darlington in their cars and park for free for two hours.
“They would use that time to come to the café, meet their friends, socialise, get something to eat and do their shopping.
“We've noticed a lot of our regular customers who travel by car to the town have stopped coming in or are coming to Darlington less frequently.”
Mr Dobson argued that people do not want to pay for parking and said people would rather travel to places like Teesside Park because parking is free.
He would like to see free parking reintroduced in Darlington.
“I would like to see two hours free parking, but any free parking, even if it were for an hour, it would help increase footfall and bring customers to Darlington,” he said.
“They can use all the independent businesses and I think it could help put us on the map.”
Lions Club Charity Book Shop, Blackwellgate
A mainstay of the high street for more than 30 years, Lions Club Charity Book Shop is owned by Ann and Tony Gent.
Over 30 years, the couple have seen the loss of the market, the loss of free parking and now the closure of House of Fraser.
Ann said: “The loss of the outside market is one of the big things which has contributed to decline in footfall. The slow removal of all the big shops in town is another factor.”
She also questioned, especially with no free parking, what would attract people to Darlington.
“If you are trying to attract people in, what is there to attract people to Darlington?” she said.
“The closure of Binns is another reason for me not to go into the town centre. It did have cosmetics and you are losing that.
“If I wanted nice clothes to wear, where do I go? There is Next, Geoffrey Gillow’s and Leggs, but apart from that, there is nothing for the mature lady.”
While the pair discussed the importance of free parking, they think there is a more pressing matter and solution to be solved.
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She said: “For me, the solution would be to bring somebody like John Lewis into Darlington to take over the Binns building.
“What happens to Binns is critical - if that were to be boarded up, that would just look terrible. It needs to be handled carefully.
“Attracting a big-name to take over Binns and reintroducing free parking could attract more people to the town. We need something to bring people in.”
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