Whitebirk Retail Park

[Margaret Pilkington]

I shop for elderly people and they want their goods from specified shops/market stalls.
Also, it gets us out of the house and is exercise for us - we get to see where the bargains are.

Preston Market is not brilliant and neither is Southpost, but then these towns don't sell themselves as being a 'Market Town'.
How does Accringto propose to market it self when the market goes belly up?
Of course the shopping habits of people have changed...but this change hasn't been sudden.
As for your comment of things being cheaper in shops other than the supermarkets - that just isn't true.
On one of the butchers stalls just this morning they wanted £3.99 for a slice of gammon(prepacked in plastic)...in aldi gammon(two slices - similar size/quality also prepacked) £1.99.
Some of us do not have the luxury of being able to afford that choice of buying from a market stall, a similar product which is almost double the price. We have to go where the best value for money is.

[Ken Moss]

I've come across wrong, I don't mean that everything is cheaper it's just that certain things cost a lot less in Accrington itself and are of much better quality. The fresh fruit and veg stalls for instance always leave me wondering whether I've paid enough.

There seems to be a growing demand for local businesses, there certainly is in Rishton and we have seen four new ones spring up in the past few months which all seem to be doing very well. Great Harwood Farmers Market is also growing and growing, it's very nice to see that shopping ethic being bred back into society.

Yes, there are things which could be improved and shops which everyone would like to see but we're crawling out of a recession and it is difficult to attract bigger names when they can't see the footfall. Mind you, if we attract bigger names then the Council is accused of not supporting smaller businesses so we lose both ends upwards to be frank. Look what happened when Tesco opened.

It's all a question of scale and trying to get away from the attitude of 'look what they've got' instead of 'look what we've got' but it's endemic. People in Accrington want to have a setup more like Blackburn, Blackburn want to be more like the Trafford Centre and the Trafford Centre want to be better than anyone else in Europe.

Whatever people have they always want something else.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I really like the little quirky shops and lament that we no longer have a decent book shop.
I spent many happy hours in Wardleworths in Accrington, and Seed and Gabbutts in Blackburn.
I have little option but to buy off the internet because the town has no bookshop.
It is a question of scale...but it is also making the shopping experience in the town 'friendlier'...and I don't mean that the market stall holders have to have smiles welded onto their faces, but that the shops need to be concentrated more centrally.
Making it easier for those without transport to shop and get back on the bus with their shopping without having to hike down Union Street.
What is going to happen to Peel Street......is it going to be one of those open spaces?
What happens to the shops in Little Blackburn road and Church street, Warner Street and Abbey street. The new bus station will leave them all high and dry.

Whitebirk has never been a threat to Accrington. Certainly not to the market anyway...it is out of the way, there is no public transport to get to it and if you get there there is very little of interest.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

What is going to happen to Peel Street......is it going to be one of those open spaces?

It will save Ken getting to know the shop names

[Graham Hartley]

from Ken - ' Look what happened when Tesco opened.' Ken, if you and I can manage to get away with mention of a store not on Whitebirk Retail Park then I invite you to look at what happened when Tesco closed on Christmas Eve. Morrisons and Aldi also closed, leaving me (if I may descend to the parochial) potless in Great Harwood. Such competition, what?

[Graham Hartley]

from Margaret - '...there is very little of interest. [at Whitebirk]' If I may be contrary then I claim that there is much of interest at Whitebirk. What one finds of interest, another can find of no interest.

[Less]

Originally Posted by Graham Hartley

from Ken - ' Look what happened when Tesco opened.' Ken, if you and I can manage to get away with mention of a store not on Whitebirk Retail Park then I invite you to look at what happened when Tesco closed on Christmas Eve. Morrisons and Aldi also closed, leaving me (if I may descend to the parochial) potless in Great Harwood. Such competition, what?

Your own fault surely?

The hours all those shops are open the rest of the year and you hadn't got anything by Christmas Eve?

Or do you live in a world that revolves around you and the staff of these stores should forgo their celebrations just to keep you in comfort?

Perhaps next year you'll organise yourself, get off your backside and do your shopping early to avoid disappointment.

[Graham Hartley]

Originally Posted by Less

Your own fault surely?

The hours all those shops are open the rest of the year and you hadn't got anything by Christmas Eve?

Or do you live in a world that revolves around you and the staff of these stores should forgo their celebrations just to keep you in comfort?

Perhaps next year you'll organise yourself, get off your backside and do your shopping early to avoid disappointment.

Ah, what taunts rise so easily. I had indeed completed my Christmas shopping in good time - and I do expect comfort in return for payment. I had worked my usual Christmas Eve, and am rather pleased to count myself among those those willing and so able. Sweet Jesus, if you are able, see those who taunt fry in hell.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Graham Hartley

from Margaret - '...there is very little of interest. [at Whitebirk]' If I may be contrary then I claim that there is much of interest at Whitebirk. What one finds of interest, another can find of no interest.

you shop every week for groceries, but how often do you go out and buy white goods, TV's, computers......you might find it interesting, but I would suggest that many do not and that is one reason why many of the units remain unoccupied.
Unoccupied units do not pose a threat to Accrington town centre.

[Less]

Originally Posted by Graham Hartley

Sweet Jesus, if you are able, see those who taunt fry in hell.

More proof of your charitable nature towards others I see?

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

It's also interesting to read views that although an out of town shopping centre with direct competition won't do any harm to Accrington because there's nothing there anyway, but moving the bus station two hundred yards will kill it stone dead.

Figure that one out.

Exactly what I was thinking Ken.

Politics would be easy if there were no pesky residents with barmy ideas

Will Peel Street be reopened for traffic when the bus station moves?

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

I would never have known about half the stuff in Accy if it weren't for word of mouth simply because I don't have time to wander round and find out for myself. I would urge everyone who has found something good to spread the word and encourage more people to use our town centre, encourage businesses, encourage investment from companies that we want in addition to what we have.

Maybe HBC should be helping shops promote themselves better, if you are only finding out what ACcrington has to offer maybe others are in the same situation

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Whitebirk has never been a threat to Accrington. Certainly not to the market anyway...it is out of the way, there is no public transport to get to it and if you get there there is very little of interest.

I drove past it this morning under the railway bridge and thought maybe they could put another station on the line behind Currys/PC World so people could easily travel by train from Accrington to Whitebirk.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I don't think the residents have the monopoly on barmy ideas Neil.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Neil

Maybe HBC should be helping shops promote themselves better, if you are only finding out what ACcrington has to offer maybe others are in the same situation

They did help with the leaflet thing last year. Problem with Accrington is there are too many separate groups , if they all pooled together they might actually get somewhere, a bit like our neighbours do in that small village up the road