Out of town shopping - is it sustainable in a recession?
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by Richard Ellard, partner in the commercial
property department of Thomson Snell and Passmore
Out of town shopping centres have been springing up for many
years now.
A question, in an economic downturn, is: Are they any more
sustainable than retail in a town centre?
Whether the development is created out of a previously unused
site or is developed ad hoc from an existing site, such
developments pose challenges for local councils.
How will the roads take additional traffic? Is there enough
public transport? What about services and amenities? How do you
prevent the town centre dying?
Locally we have seen the development of one such out of town
centre.
Longfield Road in Tunbridge Wells was once a cut-through from
High Brooms to the A21 and Pembury Hospital site with the odd DIY
superstore and trade-only retailers.
Over the years it has developed into a shopping destination and
Knights Park, an entertainment centre in its own right, has been
added.
A number of well-known retailers have stores there and some of
the original stores have been sub-divided, creating additional
stores increasing the numbers of shoppers.
Traffic is an issue and is set to worsen with the expansion of
Pembury Hospital and the additional retail outlets opening over the
next 12 months.
Will the local council be able to resolve traffic issues by
park-and-ride schemes, free public transport from the town or
staggered opening hours for retailers?
Or will shoppers stand by what is almost a constitutional right
and drive to the new shops and exacerbate traffic problems?
It is argued that additional out of town shops take business
away from already struggling town centres.
Will this be the case in Tunbridge Wells?
The local retail offering is mixed, with a number of boutique
retailers offering perhaps a different kind of shopping experience
from the out of town shops.
There are, however, some retailers who will have offerings both
in and out of the town. Does this mean that these retailers feel
they can maintain both?
Or do these retailers see the future for them as being out of
town and are getting established now?
Can the local council overcome the challenges and successfully
allow a town and out of town centre to flourish without competing
for the same market? Time will tell.
Wednesday, May 12 2010
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