On Friday this week I am meeting with Martyn Jackson who owns and runs
the Landau store in Sandgate Road and Daniel Sangiuseppe from
Folkestone’s Burlington Hotel. They are both representing local
retailers and hoteliers in the town who are concerned about what the
impact could be on their businesses if a new regime of charging people
to park on the town centre roads is introduced. I share their concerns
and believe that this would be the wrong decision for Folkestone and
the rest of Shepway. The council is currently running the first stage
of its consultation on the parking strategy for Folkestone and I would
urge all residents to make sure that their voice is heard.
The excellent Christmas initiatives run by Shepway over the last three
years where you can park for free on the last major shopping weekend
before the holidays, has demonstrated that when parking is easier and
cheaper, more people come in to town. Martyn Jackson has also prepared
and excellent presentation looking at the locations of empty shops in
the centre of Folkestone. This largely shows that businesses can
struggle on roads with poor access. So, for example, there are more
empty shops on pedestrian and one-way roads like Guildhall Street and
Tontine Street, than the western end of Sandgate Road where there is
two way traffic and you can park. This would strike many people as
common sense, but I think shows that the current debate about parking
in the centre of town opens up a broader issue about how we try to
create the right conditions to support businesses and create new jobs.
The review conducted for the Government by Mary Portas on the future
of our high streets and town centres, makes a number of
recommendations on how we can support them. These include reducing car
parking charges and trying to attract a range of unique, independent
businesses that help to give our high streets character and vibrancy.
We are fortunate to have a range established independent businesses,
in addition to the investment in the Old Town area of Folkestone from
the Creative Foundation. We also have a wealth of events and festivals
across the year to bring in visitors. I believe we should also
consider what more needs to be done. For example, should we look again
at the way traffic flows are managed in the town or if some of the old
pedestrians schemes are still appropriate. I would welcome your ideas
on this. The Localism Act passed by parliament last year also gives
new powers to councils in the way they can set businesses rates. From
April council’s will have the power to offer bigger discretionary
reductions in business rates. This means reductions could be offered
to struggling smaller businesses, or particular types of businesses
which have low margins but whose presence helps make a high street
more vibrant; like an independent baker or green grocer for example;
or even a locality where economic conditions make trading difficult.
All of this costs money which is why there needs to be a proper debate
about what we want our town centres to be like and how this can be
resourced. The Local Government Finance Bill currently before
parliament will also give councils new powers to borrow money against
future business rate receipts to invest in improving the
infrastructure of the local economy.