Dear Editor,
Labour run Cheshire East need to re-think plans for Crewe Town Centre.
Their plans have zero chance of success.
No point in building new shops when 44 shops have been vacant for far too long.
Concentrate on getting those that are there let.
The larger units need to be subdivided so they don’t pay Business Rates and the rents need to be reduced.
Make easy in/easy out short leases available.
Make it easier and far cheaper to open a shop in the town centre.
The old M&S store could be opened up as an indoor Market, with numerous stalls.
The Outdoor Market could be revived and encouraged with lower rents than competing Markets in the area.
The Borough and Town Councils should be putting on special events each weekend in the town centre to attract people into the town.
The Town Council should take over the car parks from Cheshire East, so they could then have NO parking charges, just like there are no parking charges in NINE other towns in Cheshire East.
This would attract shoppers into the town.
Displays should be put in the windows of the empty shops to make them and the town centre more attractive.
The £11m multi storey car park planned for the town centre needs to be dropped immediately and the money spent on the priorities of Crewe residents, like the revival of the town centre and filling potholes, so that people coming into the town centre don’t risk damaging their cars.
These are the common sense policies that #CreweFirst Councillors will pursue if elected on May 4th.
“There are FORTY FOUR vacant shops in Crewe Town Centre. And on top of that over £700,000 in Business Rates has been lost since the
27 retail units in the Royal Arcade, in the centre of Crewe, were shut down for demolition by Cheshire East in the Autumn of 2020.
“GOAD (January 2022) identifies 44 vacant units within Crewe town centre across a variety of locations and sizes. Commercial agencies and marketing sites also show multiple ‘live’ opportunities. Zoopla for example is currently listing 25 vacant retail properties from starting from as little as £6,000 per annum.”
Yours faithfully,
Cllr Brian Silvester
Candidate
Crewe North
Putting Crewe First
Yawn