Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, has launched Welsh Conservative plans to rejuvenate the high streets of Montgomeryshire’s town centres.
The AM launched the document ‘A Vision for the Welsh High Street’ following a Montgomeryshire Conservative Association Policy Forum event in Meifod. Mr George, who shared the forum platform with local MP, Glyn Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservative Group on Powys Council, Cllr Aled Davies and with the party’s candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys, Christopher Salmon, outlined his and the party’s vision for high street regeneration for key towns like Welshpool and Newtown, which are centred on community engagement and empowerment, as well as practical proposals that will ensure fairness for businesses. Among the main proposals he set out are:
- Abolish business rates for small businesses with a rateable value of up to £12,000, and provide tapered relief for those with a rateable value up to £15,000, which will help to make the Mid Wales economy more competitive.
- Create a ‘Charter for the High Streets’ so that Powys County Council can learn and share best practice with other local authorities in Wales.
- Develop with existing town organisations, a cohesive team of local people to cultivate an inclusive community-led regeneration initiative.
- Promote the benefits of Town Centre Managers.
- Seek updated planning guidance from the Welsh Government to reflect the changing nature of the high street.
Commenting on the launch, Mr George said:
"I committed myself at the beginning of this year that my main focus for 2012 was to do everything I could to help develop and grow the economy of Mid Wales and this document is an important and practical part of that pledge.
"I want to achieve real change for our high streets and I want to ensure that positive action does not get lost in general warm rhetoric.
"While I have already met representatives from trade and business organisations in Welshpool and Newtown, I hope to meet with representatives from other key towns in Montgomeryshire because I want to see all our high streets brought back to life as thriving centres of economic activity.
"Our high streets should be the bustling heart of our communities but sadly, too many are blighted by vacant and dilapidated shop fronts; we want make it easier for budding entrepreneurs to not only set up new businesses but to also bring those empty premises back into use.
"The proposals that I and my Welsh Conservative colleagues have published set out a bold and ambitious vision to regenerate our high streets because we are convinced that the right approach can attract consumers back to those high streets.
"While the rise of internet shopping and out of town shopping centres has impacted on local trade, our high streets have also suffered from neglect and a lack of leadership from the Welsh Government.
"In addition to correcting the imbalance in business rates which is a huge burden on small businesses, the Welsh Government could also provide direction to improve the marketing, management and accessibility of the high street.
"The Welsh Government should be working more closely with Powys County Council and existing business-led organisations in our towns to promote the merits of town centre managers who can take a lead on marketing, branding and driving up standards of cleanliness."
"Powys County Council’s role in this process is also important. While it is currently experimenting with a free parking initiative in the run up to Christmas, I hope it will look closely at the proposal to implement free controlled parking schemes in all of our town centres on a permanent basis, in order to make our high streets more accessible.
"By regenerating our local high streets, we can take a significant step forward in nurturing growth in our economy.
"I hope Welsh Ministers and Powys County Council will read our detailed proposals and consider the contribution a revitalised high street can make to creating jobs and making Mid Wales a more prosperous region."
The AM has also pressed the Welsh Government about driving forward plans to create Local Growth Zones (LGZs) in Powys. Mr George led the Welsh Conservative response in the National Assembly to a statement given by the Business and Enterprise Minister, Edwina Hart AM, regarding the future development of the initiative and its impact on towns like Newtown.
While Mr George welcomed the announcement that the LGZs would be prioritised for the phased roll out of Next Generation Broadband in Mid Wales, he pushed Mrs Hart to announce a definitive timetable on when the process in Mid Wales would start. He also urged the Minister to ensure that business leaders across Powys were full engaged and consulted in developing the fine detail of the LGZs plans.
Commenting Mr George said:
"The Powys growth zone model has real potential to be a vital component in encouraging and supporting jobs and growth in the county of Powys and I welcome the Business Minister’s support for that.
"When developing a business-led initiative for Newtown it will obviously be vital that the Minister and her officials work closely with local business leaders to ensure the fine detail of the proposal works for the town; ‘business-led’ is the key, therefore it cannot be devised from Cardiff.
"I was very pleased she gave a commitment to do all she could to ensure the future of the Market Hall in the town and I know that will be appreciated by local traders.
"I was also pleased to hear her echo the First Minister’s recent response reconfirming the Government’s commitment to the Newtown bypass and to there being no slippage in the construction date of 2014-15.
"However, the current traffic problems are killing the town and business people are telling me that they cannot wait for the Newtown bypass and that issues need to be addressed in the meantime.
"I know that Government officials are meeting local stakeholders and I hope that Mrs Hart will be able to support the recommendations that they bring forward."