More shops closing

The news that the Adam's store in Macclesfield is closing is more unwanted news - and brings the grim reaper closer to the door of Macclesfield Town Centre. But why is it so bad for us? After all, Adams and Woolworths have closed stores in many towns - so why is it making Macclesfield so nervous?

The reason is that new shops are always looking to open in other towns. The threat of a recession doesn't hold a good businessman back. It's park of the natural cycle of business life that some fail, and some succeed.

But this isn't happening in Macclesfield because no trader wants to be stuck in the soon-to-be-obsolete Mill street and Chestergate. I know of one major retailer that was looking to open a branch in Macclesfield recently, but decided against it because of the town centre development.

The "threat" of our town centre development is not the saviour of our shops, it's the bitter cause of their demise. It will continue to be so until the Councillors responsible for this farce come to terms with that, and ensure that it's resolved quickly.

By resolved I mean one of two things - the plans are thrown out, or the development is complete. And I mean complete. If this development continues, no store will open in Macclesfield until the new shopping streets are being pounded by the feet of anxious bargain hunters.

If all goes to plan this will be 2011. Except that many now believe that Wilson Boden have no intention of proceeding with this development. It is rumoured that they are in fact looking for planning permission only to raise the value of the project, which they will then sell as a going concern. After that a new developer needs to be found, legal issues resolved, plans altered to their liking.

Lets add a couple of years to our original target.

No new shops in Macclesfield until 2013? Not what I call a speedy resolution. All the time our natural business cycle means that more shops will close, but the delay means that no new ones will open to replace them. We'll be left with nothing by the time the ribbon is finally cut by the (2nd) Mayor of Cheshire East.

The real solution is to throw these plans out, and get on with the real business of regenerating our Town. Forget about the architectural terrorism that is the proposed 8 storey concrete car park. Mill street has some excellent buildings, lets smarten them up and make the most of them. Rent and rates incentives will get vendors into them. Lets get market traders back in the Town Square, where they should be, and they can form a link between a thriving network of small, unique, independent shops on Chestergate and Church street. Free parking for three hours will bring in the shoppers. Lets build a modest number of new shops using capital we've raised ourselves, rather than selling our soul to a professional developer.

Because lets not forget, Wilson Boden are in this to turn a profit. The current Councillors may be incredibly excited by the idea that we're getting something for nothing, but there's no such thing as a free lunch. This development will be paid for in the long term by us in terms of what we pay in shops and what we pay to park. When you think of the development in those terms, it rapidly begins to sound like one of Gordon Brown's economic rescue plans.