Phil Graves talks about Mary Portas & building a better city
Grave matters
In an occasional column Phil Graves talks about Mary Portas & building a better city
Mary Portas, the self styled ‘Queen of the High Street’, through the Portas Pilot retail initiative, has chosen London Road in Brighton as being suitable for Government funding to improve and adapt to new new retail scene. The once prominent and busy thoroughfare has experienced a gradual decline over the last decade with major retailers relocating and an increase in the number of vacant units.
“I urge them not to waste the opportunity as many areas are not offered a second chance”
The London Road Town Team bid has been successful and will benefit from a pledge of £83,000 and is now seeking suggestions for improvements such as increased security, potential new branding, signage and other new initiatives.
I was pleased to be part of the original bid and have since attended the Action Team meeting last month to meet with other stakeholders who have a view as to what the future holds for the area. Participants at the open forum included members of Brighton & Hove City Council, City College, traders groups, residents and local professionals who hold an interest in the district.
Setting to one side the reality of the suggestions for one moment, what really gave me the most encouragement was the sheer passion that the various representative parties and individuals showed during the course of the meeting. This alone made me realise that one of the oldest and most established areas in our city does have a future. The overriding feeling of a proud community that will not allow their district to decline any further.
The amount of money gestured will only allow certain projects to come to fruition and much more will be required, although probably not available, for the wish list to be completed. The project however, has highlighted to me the need for communities to act and simply not be passive to their problems. To think about what can be done collectively as their strength will be together and not as individuals attempting to fight a potentially losing battle.
London Road has some new participants in the form of student housing within the former Co-Op building, new housing on the open market site alongside workshops and new market stalls and the refurbishment of Vantage Point, hosting a range of new businesses. In total over 750 new incumbents and they should all be welcomed with open arms by existing traders and residents who should study as to how they can integrate them into their community as soon as possible. Couple this with the existing success of New England House and the New England Quarter development, then London Road and surrounds can yet again prosper. The stakeholders need to look forward and embrace the change and not dwell on what could have been or what it used to be like in years gone by.
As one trader I spoke to put it: “We have a chance to make London Road great again.” I would urge them not to waste the opportunity as many areas are not offered a second chance.
Contact Phil Graves at Graves Jenkins: 01273 701070, www.gravesjenkins.com
