The leisure experience sits at
the heart of Alun’s regeneration philosophy. A research paper on Town Centre
Regeneration, published by the House of Commons Library describes how “initiatives
to support high streets have sought to recognise changing patterns of use and
support resilience and diversification. This often means a move towards
‘multifunctional’ town centres with, for example, community and leisure
offerings in addition to traditional retail”.
Another paper from the House
of Commons Library, looking at the retail sector in the UK, explains that “what
attracts people to the town centre or shopping mall is no longer just the shops
(which have often been substituted by online vendors), but rather the leisure
facilities that they can access there, such as cafes, restaurants, cinemas and
children’s activities”. Alun’s observations about theatre and dance, skating
festivals and live music provide exactly the right blueprint for Midsomer
Norton to plot it’s way out of it’s current malaise and look ahead to a
brighter future.
There is also a case to be
made for his pedestrianised café culture, with the retail sector analysis by
the House of Commons Library highlighting that “retailers are increasingly
moving towards shops that provide experiences and services that cannot be
sourced online (such as stylists, repairs, cafes) rather than simply browsing
space”, a conclusion supported by Deloitte whose data shows that the top ten
growing sectors involved experiential leisure services, such as personal
grooming and socialising.
Even Alun’s observations about the greenway cycle path are
born out by the research, with Deloitte concluding that “consumers are setting
apart time to engage in leisure activities with their social circles such as
walking, cycling and playing sports, making the leisure sector well placed to
provide a medium for promoting healthy communities and lifestyles”.
As pleasing as it is to see Midsomer Norton Town Council
taking a strategic and collaborative approach to tackling the future development
of the High Street, an aspiration it would appear that Alun and I share, it is
imperative for local business owners to be doing their bit to deliver
prosperity. The Deloitte research talks about businesses needing to “focus on
ethical engagement, being transparent when working with suppliers, being fair
to their workforce, highlight the quality of their locally sourced products and
communicate their safety measures, brand story and local heritage”. Easily said
than done I grant you and whilst I appreciate that the finer points of free
market economics aren’t to everybody’s taste, the long term economic success of
the High Street must be driven by the business community and not a reliance on
the intervention of the State.
The shopper survey I undertook with the Journal in 2017
highlighted the importance of good customer service, as well as the importance
of online shopping, a phenomenon only amplified by the Pandemic. Even here High
Street businesses can think about their offering, as I urged them to do five
years ago. The Deloitte research highlighted that “24% (of consumers) would buy
items online and pick them up in-store as they want to support local stores and
workforce”, and when it comes to customer service, businesses need to
understand, as Deloitte point out that “the high street appeals to consumers
with more intimate, tangible experiences, whether it is the ambience in a
physical store or the location in a popular urban centre”.
The other conclusions from my 2017 study considered the
appearance of the High Street and the importance of signage, two themes that I’m
pleased to see sit at the heart of the towns Heritage Action Zone[2],
a project that has brought together over £2m of funding that seeks to “encourage
sustainable economic and cultural growth in the town centre and nearby areas”. Through
this project and the combined efforts of the Town Council, WECA, B&NES, the
local business community and the research I have set out over three articles,
brought together from multinational giants like Deloitte and esteemed sources
such as the House of Commons Library, there is a clear case that leisure
activities, shared experiences and services that cannot be sourced online, provides
Midsomer Norton High Street with the road map it needs to secure it’s future
economic prosperity.
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