FROME’S town centre performs considerably better than comparable towns when it comes to footfall, according to a recent report.
The town also has a higher percentage of retail units, meaning that there are more active frontages with greater potential for footfall and trade. Many of these are shops that will attract people to visit, which can offer more than day-to-day convenience items.
However, free short-term parking and a cleaner environment are improvements the town can work towards.
The findings come from a town centre benchmarking report for Frome, collated by Action for Market Towns, after the town council secured funding from the Co-op to collect the data. The report was compiled to offer performance data to potential new businesses, as well as giving the town a baseline to improve from.
The report also highlighted several perceived weaknesses of the town centre. Only 6% of people who responded to the Town Centre Users Survey rated the cleanliness of the town centre as ‘very good’, compared to an average of 18% across comparable towns in the south west. The town council says this highlights the importance of the recently launched ‘Keep Frome Clean’ campaign.
A lack of free parking is also identified, with many of the respondents calling for free car parking over short periods. The town council says this should be a focus for discussion with Frome Chamber of Commerce ahead of the review of Mendip District Council’s parking policies later this year.
Survey respondents also wanted to see a greater range of shops, especially clothing, and restaurants. A need to make the town centre more pedestrian friendly was also highlighted, and the town council has prioritised the remodelling of the town centre.
