Markets Revamp
-
Posts
-
Some good ideas going to,the Scrutiny committee next week.Disappointed that yet again the Council have felt the need to engage consultants. Many of the suggestions have been voiced by locals for years , for free!!!
Why don’t the council hand the markets to people in the private sector to run- doing a cosmetic change to any retail property alone does not improve the loner term profitability of a business. The business themselves have got ‘buy’ into the ideas from the beginning. The most valuable asset the Council have to work with is not the funding but those existing businesses – give them a six month rent free period with all the money going into a collaboration fund to be sued to market the facilities to drive up the footfall — a £3m spend will not drive up footfall by itself. The other option is for the market traders to take on the lease for TJ Hughes or one of the other shops and run their own market without the restrictions imposed by the Council. What a nonsense that they cant have a web site. As for not being able to publish the full report what are the Councilors going to read – a report by officers that does not tell the whole picture. The consultants had been asked to review the markets not individual business so that should not be anything of a commercially sensitive nature and if there is then just redact those sections.
Sounds like Big Brother that the markets are not allowed their own web site. As for the rules and regulations , they were made by the Council so can be altered by the Councillors. Shrewsbury and Nantwich Markets have good sites as do many other markets. The simple obvious option to publicise our markets across the world ( Hello World !) is being denied , why?
We are told the latter option to change the General Market to a cafe/bar/restaurant style venue is one that is not likely to get the green light as it is not thought to be fitting to the area
I’d love to know who said that Rob. In what context was it thought not to be fitting? The single proposal that could be a genuine kickstart to a dead area and attract people who are otherwise put off by Wrexham centre.. Dismissed in a whim.. Well done Wrexham. Well done.
There are some further points on the General Market in the Scrutiny Report:
General Market:
• the General Market is not an ideal location for restaurant/bar use;
• not easily accessible by motor vehicle or public transport;
• remote from current footfall pattern of the evening economy.
• there are already a wide range and sufficient number of existing food outlets
in the town centre; and
• there is evidence of a high turnover rate in this sector in WrexhamI think I have heard it all now.Not twelve months ago an ACTION PLAN,now another ACTION PLAN.For goodness sake WCBC put the Markets out to rent to the private sector,and see what response you get.Maybe then we will not have to have loans etc.There will be less people to make decisions,quicker and better than the present mess WCBC seem to have got themselves into over the Markets.
Jimbow agree 100% the bureaucracy to make decisions in Councils is totally unsustainable for the commercial world they should keep to the Public Sector work and leave business to business people. How can managers from the Council who have never had any business experience expect to manage a retail centre. Hand the markets to the management team in Eagles Meadow (or local business consortium) to see what they would do..
I have only had a brief look at the Quarterbridge advice Appendix 1.Under Utilities (c) it says. Gas and water charges are not recharged to traders this should have to be actioned.I am quoting from the Service Charge Review 2014 for the Butchers Market.The Gas recharge to tenants is £5,141-52,and the Water recharge £1,445-39.The Peoples and General would have also been charged for Gas and Water.All three markets have paid for Gas and Water since Service Charges came into being in 2003/04.What consultancy fee have WCBC paid for this wrong information?
@darryl 12415 wrote:
There are some further points on the General Market in the Scrutiny Report:
General Market:
• the General Market is not an ideal location for restaurant/bar use;
• not easily accessible by motor vehicle or public transport;
• remote from current footfall pattern of the evening economy.
• there are already a wide range and sufficient number of existing food outlets
in the town centre; and
• there is evidence of a high turnover rate in this sector in WrexhamIn response:
-How so? Perhaps because decades of poor decisions have left what should be ‘ideal’ locations no-go area for many people??
-Car park off market street is a 2 minute walk. Free parking further up on Chester Street. Far more accessible than most restaurants in Chester
-The current evening economy is the problem. An alternative needs to be offered.
-Are they taking the p*ss????? There are a wide range and sufficient number of food outlets in Wrexham?????!!! I’d suggest the scrutiny members take a trip out to Shrewsbury, Chester, Nantwich for an evening to see the many hundreds of civilised people enjoying good food and drink in smart, independent restaurants and bars. Then pass through High street on the way home for an immediate comparison. How can such small minded people have such influence over such a key area?
-High turnover? That doesn’t ring true.
There’s an uncomfortable truth (uncomfortable for some) that underpins nearly all of the threads on here. Wrexham is an unattractive place to live for the people it needs most of all provide a more balanced society: young, skilled, professional people (people who are looking to settle down and raise (most likely) skilled, professional children). Throw in the current standards of schools in the area and the tipping point moves further again.
The Markets revamp is scratching at the surface but if the council continue to miss these small opportunities for change then I have absolutely no confidence that the wider key issues, such as education, can be solved..
Errors in consultants reports and not questioned by Councilors or officers– look at the Plas Madoc report it stated no disabled lift when there has been one there for 20 years. Food outlets — plenty of sandwich trade and pub food but no restaurant in town for a meal apart from a few mainly Chinese/Indian.
The Group looking into taking over Plas Madoc had a separate survey conducted which had a different view of the building state on nearly every point.
Why do the Council persistently pay for these consultant reports when they are supposed to be employing their own experts..
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
