Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.
If we are talking about towns and not cities then the differences between people visiting the town and going somewhere else can depend on just one decision, or a group of decisions which by themselves seem relatively minor but eventually can help lead the town into decline.
I've learnt that the Vale Of Glamorgan Council are considering introducing car parking charges throughout the borough. The biggest place that will be affected is Barry Town. As the title of this post shows, my first reaction on hearing this was to question the sanity of the councillors who were in favour of such an action.
But then I realised that I was in a unique position. Though now living in the Vale I've spent seventeen years of my life living in the Bridgend area. Perhaps what the council needs to stop it making this Brexit/Trump decision of insanity is a history lesson about Bridgend Town. And since this my blog I'll be the one to do it.
It's 1998. Bridgend Town seems thriving enough. Sure there's the big stores which are just a short walk away from the town but that really was it's only competition and it appeared to have endured that. But then Macarthur Glen Outlet stores opens outside the town. It offered many things. Crucially shops that are unavailable in the town and free parking.
But despite the clear advantages and indeed fairness to the many small retail businesses that helped the town thrive through the years,Bridgend Labour Council, displaying the arrogant incompetence that seemed to characterised it's recent time there refused to abolish car parking charges. Whilst there are other reasons for the decline in the town (and if you're interested Vale Of Glamorgan council search Bridgend Town on this blog and you'll see what it has become) it was that decision that I'd argue started the decline.
Many many years later. People could come into the town and park in the ASDA supermarket free for three hours.
But it was too late.....the damage was done.
What I'm going to show you, Vale Of Glamorgan Council, are pictures for the last time a few weeks back I went to Bridgend Town (I've posted and blogged about them before but I want you to see them) and ask yourself is this the future you see for Barry Town?
Bare in mind this is just a small portion of what I've written about the town again I say for a fuller picture look at all what I've written previously. So these are just examples.
There is in Nolton Street a small arcade which had small quirky shops. I remember a café, a knitting place and a toy and costume shop where I got a mouse costume for my daughter for the junior school Christmas panto.
Now apart from the two shops that go onto the street, every single shop in that arcade has closed down.
The Bridgend Indoor Market seems to be struggling with a vast amount of stalls empty.
And there are vast swathes of empty shops in the town centre. In the most extreme example there was a McDonald's which was closed for seventeen years and just left to rot. Only in the last few weeks has it been demolished.
And recently Argos has closed down. To be fair there is a larger out of town store about ten/fifteen minutes walk away but still. That's another major retailer that's left.
Now as I've said the above is a small picture of the state of Bridgend Town. And there are other factors in play here as well. But the imposition of a car park levy will make less people go to Barry Town, and instead go to the out of town stores in Barry or Cardiff Bay (where the car parking is free). The small independent shops will suffer first but major retailers will leave as well. Such is the ripple effect that charging will have.
My knowledge of Barry Town is recent Vale Of Glamorgan Council. And I know that it's not Venice. But I also know it's a happy vibrant place with a good mixture of independent shops and established retail outlets. Don't endanger it. The precedent of Bridgend Town is there for you.
Until the next time.
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