High streets failing to keep up appearances – Daily Business Magazine

Dereliction in Musselburgh High Street (pic: DB Media Services)

Tidying up shops and streets is as important as cutting the cost of doing business, argues TERRY MURDEN

At one end of Musselburgh High Street the Kaffeine cafe was crammed with customers enjoying brunch and taking advantage of the Sunday morning sunshine. They may not have been tempted to stray much further along the town’s main thoroughfare which, like many others around the country, would not invite anyone to hang about too long.

It was the weekend of the town’s art festival and first time visitors who crossed the tree-lined River Esk, with its rows of pretty cottages, would be in for a rude shock when confronted by the drab and scruffy shops, garish facias and broken paving that make up the town centre.

This dismal state of affairs is shared across the country. Edinburgh’s once-grand Princes Street is now a collection of ugly buildings occupied by some upmarket retailers trying to outshine the shabby discount stores and general air of neglect that faces the grandeur of the Castle and the Old Town.

This is what awaits the Prime Minister as he tours the UK asking the public how the government can improve their lives, with a focus on tackling the cost of living and improving local high streets.

He’s certainly got his work cut out. Musselburgh would be an informed destination. Its wide shopping street, made up largely of historic buildings, could be the pride of East Lothian. Instead, it is not a place you’d spend much time taking selfies, let alone doing the weekly shop, though if you’re looking for vapes, pound items or an ornamental chimpanzee giving the middle finger then this is your place.

David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, insists it is all about making it easier to do business. “It’s heartening to hear the new PM’s focus on living standards and a renaissance of the country’s high streets. After all a buoyant retail industry is central to the revival of our high streets and town and city centres.

Empty unit reveals a blast from the past (pic: DB Media Services)

Buildings and paving suffer from neglect and shabbiness (pic: DB Media Services)

“To achieve that politicians need a laser-like focus on fixing the cost of doing business as this is the way to fix the cost of living and help retailers’ efforts to keep down shop prices.

“That means easing the cumulative regulatory burden on firms; too often governments treat individual policy initiatives as isolated actions with little regard for their combined impact on retailers. It also means cutting business rates further.”

A shop selling a model chimp telling visitors where to go (pic: DB Media Services)

While business rates and online shopping take a share of the blame, local authorities stand accused of failing to “insist or assist” on improvements to shopfronts that make high streets more welcoming.

Landlords and shopkeepers also have a part to play. Historic towns like York have managed to retain an air of elegance without scaring off the big chains. Even McDonalds was forced to abandon its red and yellow logo in order to fit in with the medieval centre.

Given the efforts by North Berwick to ensure its high street is more presentable, it will be no surprise that it attracts more visitors, thereby boosting the local economy.

A recent decision by East Lothian Council to impose car parking charges therefore dismayed local traders. It is too early to assess the impact of the new charges, but like the visitor levy being imposed in Edinburgh, it may be one route to keeping up appearances and a lesson for towns like Musselburgh.

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