ADMIN QUESTION OF THE WEEK 2

What could you do to revive The town of St Peter Port?

Is it possible or is it destined to become just a Cafe & Restaurant type town?

I'm very much afraid the last part of your question is the reality. There are some things we could try and do.....make town more accesible, create attractions to draw people into Town etc. However, look at the situation we have, nearly all the large retailers have established out of, or moved out of town, B & Q, Le Riche (Checkers), CO-OP, Quayside, various Garden Centres, other hardware shops, several electrical goods shops etc. These are the type of businesses that people have to visit for day to day living. Town is still the hub of clothes and shoe shops, banks, jewellers,cafes, camera shops, one or two "chain store" type shops and a miscellany of art/gift/china shops etc. None of which are imperative for day to day living. High rents discourage businesses staying or starting up, lack of physically large buildings eliminate large retail stores bar one or two and difficult access for the shopping public discourage the footfall needed for lower margin retailers. My memories of Town in it's heyday in the 1960's were of a non stop procession of packed red, grey and green busses, shuttling to and fro, not because people were "being green", but because they didn't have cars/didn't drive or they were visitors, those days are unfortunately long gone.
I believe paid parking would be a further nail in the continuing viability of a number of businesses still trading in St Peter Port.
Planning is in part to blame, the encroachment of offices and the associated parking required certainly played it's part. However, evolution is equally to blame, the requirement for larger shopping spaces and cheaper rents/buying costs has helped lead to the exodus. The demise of the "greengrocer" and the corner shop in favour of the large supermarket selling a plethora of goods at "bulk purchase" prices is the way the retail world has gone and the advent of shopping online takes this one step further to the "mega markets" providing even lower cost goods.
Sadly, I don't believe we can turn back the clock here. I think we have to regard St Peter Port as a social type shopping area, but even now we may see the variety of merchandise available decrease.
I am certainly not saying we should write it off, far from it, we should continue our efforts to make it accesible and keep it the jewel in our urban crown.
Cheers,
Paul D