Dear Editor,
Erica is right, Gemma is right, Talia is right, Helen is right, Christina is right, and Mary Portas is right too!
For as long as Bedford has people who love and support its independents, and for as long as Bedford has the creative and inspiring people who lead so much business in the town centre, we will have a town centre of which to be proud.
The brilliant work of the Portas Pilot, and the ongoing work of Bedford Flea, every independent and champion of their area is making a palpable difference to the shopping and visiting experience in our beloved town centre.
There is no escaping that national chains are struggling, and the biggest threat to our High Streets now is the cost-of-living crisis (affecting customers but also businesses directly), and crime – not least the absence of a police unit in the town centre despite this being promised when the main police station in Greyfriars closed.
But Erica is right: Ripples, small changes here and there, are how our town centre continues to punch above its weight with around 60% independent businesses, and how our town of markets, town of independents is a place to Rediscover this Christmas and beyond. (A year ago I didn’t struggle at all to find many businesses to talk about – we could all try it.)
So here is an update on what the Council are doing:
The Town Centre Priority Fund still exists and has funded a Living Wall here, a giant Octopus there, and restored market stalls among other projects. There are just four more dates to apply and it must close in March so if you have an idea – apply.
Right now: Our innovative Community Toilet Scheme means that there is a public toilet available 6am to 11pm in the town centre every day of the week on top of our accessible toilets – if you as a business want to get involved, sign up here.
The competitive parking offer (two hours free Monday to Saturday in Queen Street and free all day every Sunday in Council-owned town centre car parks) remains in place and has been supplemented with cycling improvements as well, and our library and The Higgins remain open with an exciting exhibition starting whereas in many places these civic
institutions have closed.
And small businesses can get as much as 100% business rate relief – up to the maximum rate we are allowed to provide.
Even more excitingly, working with local businesses, Bedford has won millions for new shop fronts – Blue Monk (done), Goldings (on its way), small units in Silver Square (nearly done) at least two of which were empty but now have tenants lined up.
Keep your eyes open for more from the Heritage Action Zone as the Community Grant and Cultural Grant come into play. And with the Town Deal on the horizon, we hope to receive funding for Midland Road’s improvement after a brilliant consultation session last month with local residents and businesses.
And for the long term, we have a town centre First planning policy which we aim to strengthen still further in our new Local Plan 2040 – it remains open to new leisure and cultural opportunities opening in the town centre.
We are funding a feasibility study with the owner of Beales and Debenhams to look at long-term options for the site, protecting active frontage and the overall street scene – it is excellent and not a little promising that they are engaging with the Council to
work out what to do.
If you want to read more, then check out Bedford’s Town Centre Plan.
Reading Erica’s letter in detail though, she hits upon the biggest barrier to filling shops: willing landlords.
Bedford’s Edwardian Arcade is full! A good landlord. The Harpur Centre is running out of space for new businesses. A good landlord. The vacancy rate for shops actually owned by the council (including the Howard Centre) is barely 1% – in fact Riverside Square, the council-owned part of the Riverside Bedford development, is 100% let…
It is a landlord with no connection to Bedford, or a faceless pension company or investment
company which would rather have an empty shop worth £80k on paper than a filled shop renting at £20k, or national business rates policy, that is at fault here.
As we pull every lever we can think of to back our town centre, I would love to see (in addition to the need for massive business rate reform and proper funding for local councils) a power to require landlords to proactively fill units on the market.
And perhaps this is the vehicle for Mary Portas to intervene.
But since I first drafted this letter, Mary Portas has – wonderfully – replied to Erica’s open letter!
I cannot agree with her more that “a shop isn’t just a shop. It’s a place where people and
communities connect, relationships are forged, creativity is sparked and the signposts to the future can start to be rooted in solid ground.”
And her help in giving “a nudge to a landlord, to the Government, to whoever it takes” and adding her voice to these creative conversations is a fantastic and timely intervention – thank you Mary.
As Erica says, you are certainly welcome to visit any time you like!
And in the meantime, as well as Rediscovering Bedford this Christmas, why not check out the brilliant Bedford Indies’ Christmas shopping map created by designed by Katie Allen, visit the Arc, Mill Street, St Cuthbert’s Arcade, St Peter’s Street, Allhallows, Riverside Bedford, The Harpur Centre and Howard Centre, the Arcade, and the High Street itself and please, shop local this Christmas.
Henry Vann
Liberal Democrat Councillor, De Parys Ward, Bedford Borough
Portfolio holder for Bedford town centre
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