Lerwick town centre

[Ghostrider]

The butcher and baker are long gone ? , does Tesco not having something to do with that ?

 

You pair are terrible and totally misguided blaming the town centre state on the SIC only , what about internet shopping ???

Nope, Tesco have not a lot to do with the butcher and baker leaving the street. They may well have contributed to the last butcher and baker leaving the street, but the end of the butcher and baker days occurred long before Tesco, or their predecessor Morrison, or Safeway or Presto which went before even them were heard of in Shetland.

 

LIkewise, while internet shopping may have added, and continues to add nails to the coffin, the street went past it's sell by date long before the concept of the Internet was thought of, and even before computers were everyday items.

 

When the boat went to Holmsgarth people and business was dragged away from the street area and it experienced a sharp and sudden decline which has never been addressed or regained. The SIC through various policies and actions ever since have been no help whatsoever, and if anything exacerbated the problem. Positively discouraging retail anywhere else in the town unless the street, hasn't driven more business it's way, its driven folk to shop elsewhere, and their various traffic measures, while they have maybe encouraged a few more pedestrians, those have been cancelled out by the motorists who now simply can't be hassled with the hoops they have to jump through to get near the place.

[Property2017]

What in your ideal vision do you see the town centre being Ghostie and Suuusssiieee ?

[Ghostrider]

^ I've said it on here before. In the late 70's/80's instead of doggedly trying to stem the natural flow from the obsolete street the SIC should have embraced and encouraged it and guided it in an organised and planned manner.

 

The town was growing to the north and south, and it was clear any further growth would have to continue in those directions, as it has. The loch/dump side of Lochside was then wholly undeveloped and would have been an excellent site to establish and develop a new modern shopping street with good vehicle access and parking on the road side and equally good service side by a second road on the loch/dump side. It would also have been roughly equidistant to both the older part of the town and the newer south and north end developments, and as its turned out, with the Coop and Tesco at either end it would have been a full length shopping strip. The now existing developments at Clickimin could mostly all have still co-existed behind such a street as well, had it been planned that way.

 

Instead shopping in town is now a mix of cramped premises with poor access clustered away from the majority of the town without having to pass through the whole town to reach it and get away from it again, and a mix of smallish adhoc clusters of units and single premises scattered randomly throughout the town. None of which encourages folk to shop in any of them unless you really must and completely discourages a 'day's shopping' where folk can browse and buy just about whatever they feel like in a relatively compact area, that comes naturally with a dedicated and inviting shopping street, and which Commercial Street did well until the early 20th C. and managed reasonably well until circa 1980, but have steadily fallen further and further short of ever since.

 

Developments along Lochside has all but removed the possibility of developing a shopping street there, and there's a shortage of other obvious potential locations to establish one. But either a site needs to be identified or created, or Lerwick and Lerwick's retail sector may as well accept the steady contraction of retail of the last 35 years will continue to its inevitable conclusion.

 

The street has a future as a place of entertainment and to service seaborne visitors, but as a place for the public to conduct day to day routine business its long since stopped being fit for purpose - folk expect ease, speed and convenience when doing routine business in the 21st C. Commercial Street was created to service a long gone way of life, and simply cannot adapt to cater to modern expectations any more like it did for most of the 20th C. Those adaptions were all it is capable of within the constrains of its location and construction.

[Scorrie]

OK, everyone's very quick to point out the problems, so what's the answer?

[Colin]

Bulldozers?

[Colin]

It will go up on the roof shortly (to overlook the harbour) but, here is part of the problem.

 

http://213.123.229.95:80

 

Still testing/setting up.  Use Internet Explorer and login/password as guest/guest.

You might get an AV warning if you have to download the player but, it is totally safe.

[suuusssiiieee]

Clearly the street as it is now has problems, i think everyone is in agreement with that.

 

What are the solutions? Well as Ghostie has allured to in the last page, modern living has certainly not helped, but other similar streets are thriving.

 

On a side by side comparison let's again take Albert St, as it is similar, & Kirkwall has a comparable population to Lerwick

 

Firstly the main issue is parking, namely a large space close to shops that aids convenience for the customer. Obviously Lerwick in this respect struggles greatly, no fault of the current businesses, it's just the way the town has been built with the shape of the land. The solution that jumps out is Victoria Pier, but  in no way do i think LPA will ever give up the use of this for free parking.

 

Living Lerwick rather than sitting silent should try and negotiate with the LPA and try and come to some sort of deal. They won't however, as Living Lerwick are as useless as a one legged racehorse.  

 

Other sites around "the street" are far from ideal, so right away you have a reason not to visit the area.

 

Then you have the retail outlets....Lerwick has a huge imbalance of shops, there was once choice but that has gone, and you must ask yourself why? Tesco/Internet  perhaps, rate charges, (they must be horrific), SIC to blame, absolutely....

 

Kirkwall's street is less than 800 yards from three major supermarkets yet they have a wide variety of shops, two local butchers shops, dealz (what was once Woolworths), a 99p shop, a travel agent's, multiple private grocers, and a vast array of choice. All these businesses survive there so why not here? It must be rates in my opinion. 

 

The SIC could have a 50% reduction to start with, try and stimulate trade, and encourage more choice but will they let the likes of Dealz into the island, NO. Add in the location factor and as Ghostie says a relocation of the entire place should have been done in the past.

Edited August 2, 2017 by suuusssiiieee

[Property2017]

I went today had a stroll around a bite to eat at Montery Jacks and did a full walk of the street, I have to say it was disappointing to see Universal stores closed because it was Wednesday and also a lot of shops closing up at 5 even though there was a small cruise boat in.

 

Dennis Coutts shop is another empty one in a great spot but what could it be used for ????

[Ghostrider]

^ Strange you should mention MJ's - again (You're not on commission, are you

 

Back in the mists of time wen I were a lad and all we had to eat from breakfast was paet muld - Lerwick and tthe sftreet was run by the Lerwick Town Council, which was dominated by people with business connections to the street, who operated a very strict and vigorous, if highly unofficial policy of 'discouraging' any off island retail interest to move in to the street area - 'Buuuyyyy, a muckle sooth shop comin in here wid destroy da place an be da very ruin o' wis aa.....'

 

Oh, but the irony, that now in 2017, were it not for the few 'muckle sooth shops', Boots, Beggs, Mckay's, Specsavers etc, which have managed, usually with neither help nor encouragement from the SIC or any organisation supposedly charged with promoting and growing the street's retail sector, to gain a place on the street, the rest would be unlikely to survive beyond the short term.

 

Perhaps, had those former elderstates(wo)men of the town had a little more foresight and seen any retail activity, whoever it was, could only be helping build a stronger and dynamic retail street, things might just have been slightly different today. While the sun may well be very far west these days to consider anything, it's not impossible that if today's representatives of street business interests were to go forth and actively court 'muckle sooth shops' to establish a branch on the street, something could be salvaged from the wreckage.

[Property2017]

No connection to MJs but I will add it was the most mainland like experience on the street with regards to atmosphere and service I have experienced, the only negative was the internet was down so no wifi.

 

Another positive I noticed was the table and sun visor outside harbor chippee, with a good group of visitors sitting eating.

 

regarding south firms on the street the more the merrier, very backward thinking not to welcome them and let them build up and the street thrive.

[Urabug]

The whole of Shetland has witnessed the closure of shops over many years,Unst,Yell, Burra ,Whalsay  the list goes on 

 

The main street of Lerwick is just another casualty, among the many..

 

Unless manufacturers and importers have fixed prices for all,which I do not see happening, then as always we the customers will usually go where it is cheapest. 

 

When the 1/4 of tea is the same price everywhere then we will shop wherever. 

[suuusssiiieee]

If Monterey Jack's is the saviour of the street were in even bigger trouble than I first thought...it's really no different to all that has gone before it ie Osla's, or Paparazzi, it's the same business just rebranded.

 

That aside Lerwick's Commercial St is unsuitable to accommodate larger modern retail businesses, also the fact shops close on a Wednesday like something out of Medieval times even when there is a liner in port speaks volumes of how folk up here just don't seem to get it.

Edited August 2, 2017 by suuusssiiieee

[MuckleJoannie]

Clearly the street as it is now has problems, i think everyone is in agreement with that.

 

What are the solutions? Well as Ghostie has allured to in the last page, modern living has certainly not helped, but other similar streets are thriving.

 

On a side by side comparison let's again take Albert St, as it is similar, & Kirkwall has a comparable population to Lerwick

 

Firstly the main issue is parking, namely a large space close to shops that aids convenience for the customer. Obviously Lerwick in this respect struggles greatly, no fault of the current businesses, it's just the way the town has been built with the shape of the land. The solution that jumps out is Victoria Pier, but  in no way do i think LPA will ever give up the use of this for free parking.

 

Living Lerwick rather than sitting silent should try and negotiate with the LPA and try and come to some sort of deal. They won't however, as Living Lerwick are as useless as a one legged racehorse.  

 

Other sites around "the street" are far from ideal, so right away you have a reason not to visit the area.

 

Then you have the retail outlets....Lerwick has a huge imbalance of shops, there was once choice but that has gone, and you must ask yourself why? Tesco/Internet  perhaps, rate charges, (they must be horrific), SIC to blame, absolutely....

 

Kirkwall's street is less than 800 yards from three major supermarkets yet they have a wide variety of shops, two local butchers shops, dealz (what was once Woolworths), a 99p shop, a travel agent's, multiple private grocers, and a vast array of choice. All these businesses survive there so why not here? It must be rates in my opinion. 

 

The SIC could have a 50% reduction to start with, try and stimulate trade, and encourage more choice but will they let the likes of Dealz into the island, NO. Add in the location factor and as Ghostie says a relocation of the entire place should have been done in the past.

Business rates are set nationally. If you have time on your hands want to compare the rates paid in Lerwick and Kirkwall these site will help

 

https://www.saa.gov.uk/search/?SEARCHED=1&SEARCH_TABLE=valuation_roll&SEARCH_TERM=ZE1+0HX#results

 

https://www.mygov.scot/business-rates-calculator/#introduction

 

I was in Stromness at the weekend and it seemed far more vibrant than Lerwick or Scalloway. But Orkney has 6 ferries a day compared with our one. The tourist trade is huge compared with ours.

[Property2017]

The toll clock is another eyesore , a mismatch of old roof/wall sheeting which is rusted threw in areas, even the big sign on the wall is missing a letter but nothing ever gets repaired and a mini market that's in need of a gut out and make over, not to mention those ghastly toilets downstairs, it isn't too bad inside in other parts, same old story though I am sure they think its still 1967 !

Edited August 3, 2017 by Property2017

[Urabug]

The toll clock is another eyesore , a mismatch of old roof/wall sheeting which is rusted threw in areas, even the big sign on the wall is missing a letter but nothing ever gets repaired and a mini market that's in need of a gut out and make over, not to mention those ghastly toilets downstairs, it isn't too bad inside in other parts, same old story though I am sure they think its still 1967 !

Totally agree, but a good makeover will be very costly and taking into consideration the competition that most of the businesses are already up against would they be able to withstand additional rent increases that may well be necessary to pay for these improvements .

 

I do agree the toilets in the toll clock are a disgrace,possibly they should be manned and everyone charged to use them like we see in many places down south,but it would be a shame to have to pay for one of the necessities of life .  

 

Staff costs money and not many want to clean toilets !