Beaverbrooks, Thorntons, Topshop & Topman

All closed recently, worrying when these are the types of retailers they're trying to attract into town.

https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/article/topshop-announces-barnsley-store-s-closure

 

I just love our council. Meadowhall with ample free parking down the road and it Barnsley has ridiculous parking charges and rules, relentlessly enforced. Got a PCN in a car park last week when all the ticket machines had yellow covers on. Last ticket I got I appealed to adjudicators and won, did foi request and found they lose 60% of all appeals, ghost town indeed, but keep dishing out the £25 fines lads, soon you'll have the town centre to yourselves

 

Same with n most town centres unfortunately

 

It makes me laugh when they do free parking on a Sunday, but yet you are forced to waste council money by printing a ticket to tell them it's free parking..

 

Isn't it all weekend? I think but not sure the printing of tickets is because there is a time limit on to how long you can park for free but not sure as I always walk into town & never need the need to park up.

 

Dont think it's just to do with parking unfortunately.

 

3 hours the limit on Saturdays

 

That is why town centres are dying. They will not give up the income they get from parking even though it is killing local businesses.

They charge you to come in to town. Then fine you ridiculous amounts to ensure you do not stay long. This is the opposite of what they should do.

Create sufficient parking and make it free no matter how long you stay, and it will give town centres a chance to re invent themselves. Maintain parking fees and inadequate parking capabilities and people will find it easier to go elsewhere.

Out of centre shopping estates and malls understand that free parking is essential to maintain footfall. Councils will eventually realise the.huge own goal they are scoring but will still not be inclined to give up their income source.

As shops close then they will lose more income due to loss of business rates. And so town centres will spiral down. They either give up parking fees or else town centres are doomed to decline.

 

It's not the sole reason but it certainly doesnt help though

 

Make it free parking and I'd be in the town a lot more But I'll keep going to meadowhall while it's still £5 odd. I know it 'only a fiver', but what is there to draw you into town anyway? And at least at Meadowhall I feel a little bit safer as there's invariably a police presence. It's a much better atmosphere.

I know no end of people who work for the council and work in town but have to pay 25 quid a week to park. Laughable.

But what do I know?

 

Trouble with free parking is all the slots would get filled by workers who currently struggle to get parked at reasonable rates in and around town centres.
I agree with the principle something needs to be done and there must be a workable solution.

 

Have you seen the number of Topshop/Topman stores that are closing? Literally hundreds. Sheffield Fargate, Doncaster, Blackburn, Bolton have all been announced in the last few weeks. Most Thornton’s stores were earmarked for closure when they were bought out by Ferrero due to a restructure of the brand. Barnsley isn’t in a unique position here. Retail is struggling.

The Glassworks scheme in town is probably too large for a town this size in the current retail climate (even though we won’t technically have more shopping units than what we had before all the old buildings were demolished), but the benefit for Barnsley is that it’s centred around leisure. Not many towns have multiplex cinemas bang in the centre as the trend was to build in out of town locations. Now local authorities are all trying to bring more leisure attractions back to town centres. My biggest concern for the town is that most retailers will be relocating into The Glassworks from the Alhambra Centre, so that’ll end up becoming an empty eyesore before long.

 

On some levels the glassworks is a brave effort but doomed cos the demograph it needs all (unfortunately in eyes of council) drive cars. Spend £10 million on a development and watch it implode cos you want to collect £100,000 in parking fines.

 

I believe the Cineworld contract has a condition attached to the parking prices. I’d expect to see subsidised parking (possibly free) for those using the cinema. The price to pay for parking and use Cineworld at The Glassworks should definitely be more cost effective than driving to Sheff/Wakey/Doncaster/Castleford.

 

I would have loved to see an opportunity to have a lane of independent shops in the glassworks similar to The Lanes in meadowhell. Maybe when a the shops move from Alhambra to the glassworks they might redesign the Alhambra as Barnsleys Corn Exchange.

 

Most high streets are dying off and it's same here with takings way down compared to five years ago.....

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news...ield-businesses-owe-kirklees-council-17773926

Councils charge too much to rent a building and charge you to park if you want to look in their shops. It's far cheaper and easier to shop online and get it delivered to your door instead of visiting a town centre.

 

The problem is they've focused on the arcade for that which will never take off because it's too far out of the centre for most people and it has too many standard shops in it that it isn't independent enough

 

The arcade did take off, looks a lot better than it did 5 years ago.

 

Town centre v retail parks v shopping centres v online.

Of all those the loser will always be the town centre for several reasons, many of which have been described in this thread.

I hardly ever go into town anymore, probably once or twice a month and then it is usually just to the bank.

When I'm in the office I will walk into town at dinner time but my visit is very brief and usually just to buy some deodorant / mouthwash / shaving gel from the home bargain shop. I walk to the supermarket for food if I don't take any in with me.