The town centre campaign group, Frome For All, has welcomed comments from Mary Portas supporting town centre shopping.
The TV presenter and author of a forthcoming Government report on the future of the High Street has said, “I want to get supermarkets back into the town centres” and she wants to see incentives to encourage retailers to regenerate town centres rather than build new out-of-town retail parks.
Nick White, one of the Frome For All co-ordinating group said, “We welcome the comments from Mary Portas which reflect what many of us have been saying for a long time. We believe it is important that the shops people want, need and use most often are available in the town centre.
“Stronger moves to encourage investment in town centres by all retailers is good news for a whole range of reasons. We want to see a thriving town centre that better meets the needs of all local people so that the town centre is once again the thriving heart of the local community.”
Fellow Frome For All campaigner Michael Rhodes said, “Unfortunately Frome has not had a town centre development since the early 1970s, during which time the local population has more than doubled. As a result, most regular shopping by local people is now done in out-of-town stores or other towns that have developed their town centres.
“Stronger national policy encouraging improved town centre shopping could be very good news for Frome and reverse the trend of more and more shopping involving trips to out-of-town stores or other towns. This isn’t just about shopping, it’s about social inclusion, promoting sustainability, building community and meeting local needs as locally as possible.”
Frome For All wants to see a vibrant, diverse and thriving town that meets the needs of all. The group wants to reduce Frome’s over reliance on out-of-town supermarkets and regular trips to other towns by many residents. The group would like to see a good range of new shops in the town centre, including a supermarket large enough to draw many customers back from the out-of-town stores
Frome For All has identified five key priorities for any town centre development to help ensure benefits to the community, the environment and the town centre. These are available from the group on request.
Frome For All can be contacted by email at fromeforall@yahoo.com found on facebook at www.facebook.com/frome4all or contacted by phone or text on 07714 460801.
