Lunchtime Walk
Earlier today I decided to go for a walk through Llanelli town centre. It was warm and the sun was shining and I wasn't going to spend another lunch hour in front of my computer at work.
People are always complaining about the 'state' of the town centre. It's hard to argue with them. However, their complaints are not properly thought through. I have worked at several different points in my career close to Llanelli town centre and have always struggled to find something nice to eat for lunch. There are a few excellent cafes if you have time to sit for lunch. But if you're in a hurry it's tough to find a quick snack unless you go to the same two or three places every day.
When you walk around you get a casual sense of decline, much like the majority of Welsh town centres. But in Llanelli you can also spot the potential. You look at the buildings, you look and the empty spaces. You think that the empty store would be a great location for a boutique or a gift shop. The empty street a ripe location for a snack bar. Plenty of people work near and visit the town centre. All you need is somewhere for people to spend their money.
However, you can see the successes as well. The Eastgate development's restaurants and cafes have customers. People occupy the street, drinking coffee, waiting for their bus. On the other side of town, at Spring Gardens, a temporary fair is attracting families during the half-term week.
What we need in Llanelli is a little imagination, some new ideas and private investment. Business is by definition risky, but only through individuals investing their time and money on their ideas will places like Llanelli flourish again. Let's not forget, it is the individual imagination of the industrialists and co-operators that built the town in the first place.
When the leader of the council tells you that we have a 10 year, 20 year, 50 year or 999 year plan to save the town centre, he is selling you a false truth. There are things that the council can do - like providing free car parking, which would level the playing field with out of town developments with unlimited space. They council could do more to beautify the street or change planning policy and enforce it by encouraging more people to live in and near the centre. However, the council cannot open a business. Neither would we want the council to start opening businesses. Only businesspeople, those with faith in their ideas, can rescue the day.
People are always complaining about the 'state' of the town centre. It's hard to argue with them. However, their complaints are not properly thought through. I have worked at several different points in my career close to Llanelli town centre and have always struggled to find something nice to eat for lunch. There are a few excellent cafes if you have time to sit for lunch. But if you're in a hurry it's tough to find a quick snack unless you go to the same two or three places every day.
When you walk around you get a casual sense of decline, much like the majority of Welsh town centres. But in Llanelli you can also spot the potential. You look at the buildings, you look and the empty spaces. You think that the empty store would be a great location for a boutique or a gift shop. The empty street a ripe location for a snack bar. Plenty of people work near and visit the town centre. All you need is somewhere for people to spend their money.
However, you can see the successes as well. The Eastgate development's restaurants and cafes have customers. People occupy the street, drinking coffee, waiting for their bus. On the other side of town, at Spring Gardens, a temporary fair is attracting families during the half-term week.
What we need in Llanelli is a little imagination, some new ideas and private investment. Business is by definition risky, but only through individuals investing their time and money on their ideas will places like Llanelli flourish again. Let's not forget, it is the individual imagination of the industrialists and co-operators that built the town in the first place.
When the leader of the council tells you that we have a 10 year, 20 year, 50 year or 999 year plan to save the town centre, he is selling you a false truth. There are things that the council can do - like providing free car parking, which would level the playing field with out of town developments with unlimited space. They council could do more to beautify the street or change planning policy and enforce it by encouraging more people to live in and near the centre. However, the council cannot open a business. Neither would we want the council to start opening businesses. Only businesspeople, those with faith in their ideas, can rescue the day.
Comments
Post a Comment