Topic ID 851
I see in the Public Notices that a Mr P Bond (Premium?) has applied for change of use from A2 (financial/professional) to A3 and A4 ie. Bar/restaurant on the old Your Move estate agents in Fore Street. Does Hertford really need another bar considering Nick Shipton's plans for the old Mercury building and the ressurection of Elberts once the rebuilding has taken place? And then Zog (who I thought was connected to the illuminati) who wanted to convert the old Job Centre thereby kiling two birds with one stone by offering jobs to the displaced employees and doing their job for them by offering employment opportunities.
Reply ID 9352
quote:And giving the unemployed of hertford somewhere else to drown their sorrows while the rest of us are working...[:p]
Originally posted by sloopjohnb
I see in the Public Notices that a Mr P Bond (Premium?) has applied for change of use from A2 (financial/professional) to A3 and A4 ie. Bar/restaurant on the old Your Move estate agents in Fore Street. Does Hertford really need another bar considering Nick Shipton's plans for the old Mercury building and the ressurection of Elberts once the rebuilding has taken place? And then Zog (who I thought was connected to the illuminati) who wanted to convert the old Job Centre thereby kiling two birds with one stone by offering jobs to the displaced employees and doing their job for them by offering employment opportunities.
Reply ID 9391
What would you prefer? a messy empty shop full of old posters, or a nice bar/eatery full of happy people. Turn all the vacant premises into bar and restaurants I say.
Reply ID 9395
One of the reasons why places such as "Your Move" and more recently "Rose Opticians" close is saturation. Too many of a certain type of establishment, in this case too many estate agents and opticians. We need the right mix of outlets. I would prefer to see something new in Fore Street rather than either an empty shop or another bar, both of which are adequately served at the moment! To present the options as either one or the other is rather simplistic and narrowminded.
Reply ID 9397
Thats a bit strong isnt it? So Im narrow minded? Feel free to open one of your nice little independant retail outlets and see it fall flat on face due to high rates and lack of interest. Fact, the only places in Hertford that are making money are the better bars and resteraunts. Not narrow minded, just what the majority of people in the Hertford area want. Oh I forgot, that nice girl Jade Goody could always open up there instead. If you can show some other financially viable options, then maybe I will be less "narrow minded" Please no suggestions of delis!
Reply ID 9398
quote:Do you have access to the financial accounts of all retail establishments in Hertford? Or maybe you've spoken to all the shopkeepers in Hertford and they all tell the same story, apart from the better bar owners and restauranteurs. I suspect not. So how can you claim that it's a fact that everywhere else is at best breaking even and at worst losing money?
Originally posted by Victor Meldrew
Fact, the only places in Hertford that are making money are the better bars and resteraunts.
Reply ID 9405
No to your questions, but how many bars and resteraunts have closed down in the last 12 months compared to retail outlets? If you want retail in Hertford, you will need a healthy balance of large chains, independants and bars and resteraunts, look at any other thriving town ege St Albans. We do not have the larger retailers such as Next, Gap or the likes, these types of shops may not be to everyones liking but they do pull in the shoppers. Until Hertford has these type of shops, the independant retailer will continue to struggle. If that is the case I would prefer to see nice bars and eateries full of people, than dark dank dingey empty units full of rubbish. I dont think my view is narrow minded, just commercially aware. I would be happy to be proven wrong, but I cant see anyone wanting to take on a unit as large as your move in Fore Street for retail.
Reply ID 9409
The comparison with St.Albans is a valid one. However, Hertford has two problems - it's geography and parking. Not much can be done about the first and EHDC have pretty well failed to adequately address the issue of parking capacity. They seem more interested in tightly controlling the existing car parks and on-street parking without taking into account wider issues. But then EHDC don't seem to think they have any responsibilty for the well-being of the local economy, a rather complacent attitude to my mind.
Reply ID 9412
Geography and Parking? I will admit, that I do not venture to St Albans that much, but do they have more car parks than Hertford? I always seem to struggle for a space + all roads in seem to be single carridge way. But as I said I do not go there much. Didnt EHDC offer there car park at the weekend as a kind of Park and walk?
Reply ID 9417
Victor, the great barrister Edward Marshall Hall used to weigh up the evidence with his famous 'scales of old bailey' in which he would show the jury the way the evidence had gone this way and that way against or for the accused. At present Hertford is going out of balance. There is a general backdrop of retail in decline all over the country. Hertford's shopkeepers are not alone and not many other people in town have actually spoken to them apart from me. But the growth in bars/restaurants is not the answer - you acheive a really heaving town at night but no one about during the day because all the shops are gone. And I have been asked more than once, where are all the cars going to go. There is already a real problem in getting the night people out of town at 2.00am in the morning. And what happens when Hertford stops being flavour of the month; when other towns copy the Hertford model and all the clubbers from St Albans, Chelmsford and further afield vote with their feet and go elsewhere. We will be left with a host of empty bars/restaurants and no shops either. And i haven't got a universal panacea either. Pay on exit parking? reduced rates for start up businesses? total pedestrianisation? And there is no one premises in town that is big enough to attract the big players such as Next or Gap. Apart from Waitrose i suppose. And you're right, Hertford needs a proper balance but this is not going to be achieved in the short term by turning empty premises into bars.
Reply ID 9420
Do you not think that right move is big enough? what about the site that is now Bollywoods, that was certainly big enough. How many of the empty units have other floors or basements?? How big do they need to be. Next in Bishops Stortford and St Albans for example. It is possible that people will find somewhere else to go once they have had enough of Hertford, but if Hertford has more to offer in the evening, surely they will move from establishment to establishment, someone has mentioned today that the Barge is getting busier by the week and that they have stopped going to Barooosh as the music seems louder. I too now prefer the Barge and frequent it more than Baroosh. (is the music too loud or am I getting too old?)If there are more places to suit different types and ages of individuals the surely people will move on as they get older or requiremnts change. So far nobody has offered solutions to Hertfords dissapearing retail outlets, only objections to new bars and chains. I say good luck to Mr P Bond and Nick Shipton. I will be trying both!
Reply ID 9422
I can't disagree with you and you're in good company in that many people do actually believe that Hertford at night is no bad thing at all. One retailer has told me that they have gained trade by people coming for a drink/meal at night and seeing what shops Hertford has, returned later in the week to make a purchase. So not all bad. However, this side of commercial life gives me no problems but how to encourage people back during the day, enough to entice the big boys to set up shop here is the problem. Some years back I heard that C&A or BHS looked at the then empty Waterside premises to extend through to the side of Waitrose. But nothing materialised. Anyone who puts money/time into a new venture deserves praise but I would appreciate some feedback as to encouraging retail into Hertford. Or even, an offer of time to particpate in a new business partnership in town to discuss just that