Revamp is killing off my business (From Swindon Advertiser)
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NEWS'
Revamp is killing off my business
3:30pm Thursday 2nd September 2010 in
TOWN centre regeneration is not improving business for one cafe owner.
Since work started in the town centre in April, Christine Turner, owner of Chris’s Café, believes her trade has suffered and she deserves compensation.
Christine, 49, who has been running the cafe on College Street for two-and-a-half years, has seen business drop by around £200 a day.
“I’m struggling every single day. You try and make as many cut backs as you can but there are limits,” said Christine.
Swindon Council has given her a 10 per cent discount in business rates, but she does not think this is enough.
“It only works out as about a month’s rent,” she said. “It will look nice when it’s finished but at the moment it’s killing my trade.”
Work is scheduled to finish outside the café in November but Christine is concerned some of her customers have gone for good.
“I do feel like I have lost a lot of my regular customers,” she said.
“What’s frustrating me is that since I have had the shop we’ve had rubbish summers and then this summer we had a good one but I couldn’t put my furniture outside.
“The builders have been really good and I don’t want to fault them though.”
Christine has spoken to a union representative and hopes this will help with her claim.
A spokesman for Swindon Council said the work was the responsibility of Forward Swindon.
A Forward Swindon spokeswoman said: “The public realm works in Regent Street are part of a major investment to improve the environment for shoppers and attract business for Swindon’s retailers.
“Such works inevitably cause disruption which the contractors, Skanska, seek to minimise whilst working safely in a busy environment. Skanska has been working closely with all the retailers including Chris’s Café to ensure that pedestrian routes and signs to the shops affected are sign posted and will continue to do so.”
Comments(23)
shannon_satine
says...
10:42pm Thu 2 Sep 10
itsamess
says...
11:09pm Thu 2 Sep 10
Yet another pointless post--people in glass houses should not throw stones.
sun_set
says...
11:22pm Thu 2 Sep 10
How Soon Is Now wrote:HA HA HA, Couldn't agree more!
Where would we be without Poli, Robbo and messy - lost for advice!
Robfm
says...
7:50am Fri 3 Sep 10
sun_set wrote:There would be no constructive comments on any of these threads.
How Soon Is Now wrote:HA HA HA, Couldn't agree more!
Where would we be without Poli, Robbo and messy - lost for advice!
As for these works, sadly a fact of life in business, we suffer numerous road works on the A420, flooding blocking the road, railway workers and their vehicles regularly blocking Old Vicarage Lane but it seems none of the agencies engaging in or responsible for these activities has any culpability.
How Soon Is Now
says...
7:57am Fri 3 Sep 10
itsamess wrote:"people in glass houses should not throw stones"
H.S.I.N
Yet another pointless post--people in glass houses should not throw stones.
Err, there's a point to this statement?
People, such as you, who are always willing to offer their Daily Mail based advice should politely stfu.
How Soon Is Now
says...
7:59am Fri 3 Sep 10
I see, so it's all down to you three is it?
bigbossman
says...
9:07am Fri 3 Sep 10
When was this summer good??
itsamess
says...
10:26am Fri 3 Sep 10
The point is very simple--you and a small group come on this site purely to attack others--even if they have not made a comment. Rarely in your case do you give your opinion on issues yet criticise even when someone has not posted.
star_struck
says...
10:55am Fri 3 Sep 10
Chrisg46
says...
11:12am Fri 3 Sep 10
I read a couple of stories, and noticed that the comments on each were reasoned, well thought out, generally constructive and relevant to the story and above all else, mature!
Contrast to this site, which seems to have a bunch of children on it whose main task is to shout nonsense at each other, derail any topic to a slagfest and do the internet equivalent of yelling na-na-nanaa-na and make faces.
Guys, grow up and stop being kids - whats the point of arguing and making personal attacks - its just the internet!
star_struck
says...
11:23am Fri 3 Sep 10
Chrisg46 wrote:I have to agree with. I have never read such, abuse, racism, nastiness! I wouldn't go so far as to say children I would say they are adults, and at a guess, well educated ones at that, I would definately say there is a 'catty' cluster on here. Set out to 'trolll' all day long! They should be ashamed of themselves1
On a side topic of "constructive comments" and abuse of others,i happened to stumble across the website for a local paper in a town i used to live in, which happens to use the same website design as this one.
I read a couple of stories, and noticed that the comments on each were reasoned, well thought out, generally constructive and relevant to the story and above all else, mature!
Contrast to this site, which seems to have a bunch of children on it whose main task is to shout nonsense at each other, derail any topic to a slagfest and do the internet equivalent of yelling na-na-nanaa-na and make faces.
Guys, grow up and stop being kids - whats the point of arguing and making personal attacks - its just the internet!
Robfm
says...
11:25am Fri 3 Sep 10
star_struck
says...
11:32am Fri 3 Sep 10
Robfm wrote:Thats right Robfm. There does seem a few regular posters on here, who do set out debate the news stories with relevance. And then there is a cluster who set out to launch personal attacks on posters who's views differ to theirs. Some posters on here, who the majority of us can see, do troll all day long!
Chrisg46, I don't think you would get any argument from those of us who just want to debate and discuss the threads. One does however need to defend oneself.
reality_check
says...
12:52pm Fri 3 Sep 10
11:25am Fri 3 Sep 10
"Chrisg46, I don't think you would get any argument from those of us who just want to debate and discuss the threads. One does however need to defend oneself."
.
@"Don't call me Bob"; congratulations on your most breathtakingly deluded and hypocritical comment ever.
itsamess
says...
3:03pm Fri 3 Sep 10
The cafe owner raised a very valid point and many folk would prefer to sit outside in good weather for a snack. Nice paved walkways do not compensate for a lack of decent shops. Do remember our Council sold the Brunel centre on the back of promises to to give us a choice as to what the money was spent on--we got nothing. The majority went to paying off WCC pension funds. Look at the major stores who came and went and the fact that John Lewis chose to avoid the centre. You can go to major towns close by who have the widest variety of major chains. Laughable Swindon is full of the cheapjack stores and charity outlets which suggests we are a poor town and the butt of many other towns jokes. As i said--pretty slabs do not make a town.
Robfm
says...
6:25pm Fri 3 Sep 10
Perhaps I ought to have an open day for all the cyber stalkers. But I guess none of them would turn up.
Always Grumpy
says...
6:49pm Fri 3 Sep 10
itsamess wrote:The thing is other towns nearby don't have town centres any better than Swindon.
16 comments of which 3 comment on the story--says it all.
The cafe owner raised a very valid point and many folk would prefer to sit outside in good weather for a snack. Nice paved walkways do not compensate for a lack of decent shops. Do remember our Council sold the Brunel centre on the back of promises to to give us a choice as to what the money was spent on--we got nothing. The majority went to paying off WCC pension funds. Look at the major stores who came and went and the fact that John Lewis chose to avoid the centre. You can go to major towns close by who have the widest variety of major chains. Laughable Swindon is full of the cheapjack stores and charity outlets which suggests we are a poor town and the butt of many other towns jokes. As i said--pretty slabs do not make a town.
Oxford is awful, with nowhere to park, the risk of being run over by a bus or bicycle at any moment and more or less the same shops as Swindon.
Bath, full of 'trendy' boutiques, tourists and cars. Again more or less the same shops as Swindon apart from the grossly overpriced boutique shops.
Have you been to Reading lately? They do have a John Lewis (overpriced) and that's about it. The same pound shops, cyclists trying to run you over in the pedestrianised areas and that's about it.
Don't even mention Gloucester!
Bristol - well there's the new Cabot Circus - overpriced shops and tiny Cribbs Causeway - probably the worst Mall within a hundred miles.
Cheltenham is much the same as Bath, excellent if the wife is looking for a new wedding outfit, but that's about all.
I'm not saying Swindon is brilliant, far from it, but everywhere has closed shop units, social problems, traffic problems etc., the same as Swindon, but they're not worth travelling 40 or 50 miles to.
To get a shopping experience well worth the effort means a journey of up to 100 miles or more, something I and most other people aren't prepared to do on a regular basis.
I suspect the planners know this and that's one reason, among many, that nothing is really being done to improve Swindon.
Because the other shopping venues aren't brilliant Swindon doesn't have to worry that much. If the centres I have mentioned were improved, then that would be a different matter altogether.
How Soon Is Now
says...
7:42pm Fri 3 Sep 10
Robfm wrote:Wishful thinking - I think posters tend to refrain because they don't want their comments pored over and given the 'seal of approval' (or otherwise) from the usual cretinous trio of self-enamoured fat-mouthed idiots that comprise 90% of the posts on here - Robbo, messy and poli.
Very sad people who spend their lives looking for mine or others posts to get 'off'.
Perhaps I ought to have an open day for all the cyber stalkers. But I guess none of them would turn up.
TinkeyWinkey
says...
7:43pm Fri 3 Sep 10
shannon_satines
says...
8:06pm Fri 3 Sep 10
itsamess
says...
12:03am Sat 4 Sep 10
What a truly pathetic claim. You persistently launch a tirade of abuse and malicious comments regardless of the fact that none of us has made any comments or posted an opinion on the post. Your own words in relation to us describe you perfectly and the reason you attack others is far from what you claim-the truth being you have a nasty mind. Perhaps you should seek help as inevitably the compulsion you have if followed in your daily life will backfire on you in a big way. I give you fair warning that any further malicious attacks on me when i have not posted will be reported. Fair criticism is welcomed if you feel any opinion i give is inaccurate. Otherwise stop stalking.
How Soon Is Now
says...
9:13am Sat 4 Sep 10
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How Soon Is Now says...
10:18pm Thu 2 Sep 10