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Have Your Say - We Need an Action Plan for Wincanton

Thursday 27 March 2014, 15:29

By Nick Colbert

Following the failure to progress Wincanton's future due to lack of interest from local "organisations" it is clear to me we need to focus on ideas and formulate a plan to make Wincanton the attractive, thriving market town it once was.

As I visited my dentist in Castle Cary recently, it struck me that there were no empty shops to be seen. Likewise when I drove down Bruton High Street; everywhere was full and it was buzzing with people.

I contrasted this with the centre of Wincanton where there are not only many empty shops but some pretty run down empty ones as well. As one businessman said to me, there is a danger that when empty shops reach a critical point people shy away from opening new businesses in that town because the ambience is all wrong and there is a danger that people then shop elsewhere due to lack of choice.

Wincanton's "Town Team" has been doing a good job but some initiatives are outside their scope and involve changes in attitude to planning decisions, negotiations to deal with the Towns "eyesores" and car parking charges.

It is now time for action.

I have been assessing the differences between our three local towns and factors like the recession and internet competition apply equally to all three. Some of my predecessors encouraged/allowed out-of-town supermarkets to be followed by an out-of-town health centre, both of which have been very unhelpful for the wellbeing of the town centre. Footfall has deteriorated and the results are obvious for all to see.

There can't be many of us who do not want to see a vibrant, buzzing town again. As a council officer recently said to me, they have never seen the gap between the success of our three towns be so wide, sadly with Wincanton being at the bottom of the heap.

Things are drifting; not enough positive action is being taken. We recently had a meeting to discuss what can be done. Unfortunately, apart from Colin Winder and myself, no other invitees turned up and the meeting had to be cancelled.

This lack of interest is part of the problem. There was one chap there, Matt Day, who we had an interesting chat with. He's an expert in regenerating small towns and his blog makes interesting reading:

Matt is a "Regeneration and Marketing Consultant", who was employed by South Somerset District Council to attend that meeting to assist us in finding ways to make Wincanton the latest success story. The cancellation of the meeting due to lack of interest from the invited parties was a blow and the resultant view was (and I quote):

"It became clear there wasn't the capacity or focus on marketing Wincanton there amongst the organisations to engage with."

We are now where we are but it is not something we should let distract us from finding the answers and implementing an action plan.

I have a number of ideas as to how we can get Wincanton back to a thriving little market town with occupied shops and businesses, making the sort of money that will encourage them to invest further in their and our success. This will in turn encourage others to want to invest in the heart of the town and bring it back to, to quote Puffy Bowdens book "The pleasant town on the river Cale".

It still is a pleasant town but the signs are there and we need to act, I would ask anyone with positive thoughts on what can be done to regenerate Wincanton to please add to the discussion with your thoughts below, or if you are a little shy of your views being made public email me at .

When I have time to assess ideas from interested parties and residents, businesses etc. I will formulate an "Action Plan for Wincanton" and publish it on Wincanton Window for discussion before putting it into action.

We can either continue to do nothing and let things drift, or more of us can get involved and help bring about the thriving town I think we all want. I will read any emails or comments containing constructive ideas with interest.

Comments

Maisydae
Posts: 1

Re: Have Your Say - We Need an Action Plan for Wincanton
Reply #1 on : Thu March 27, 2014, 22:10:59

We have some types of shop that are missing from our high street, it is possible that chain stores could be introduced without causing problems for the existing establishments. Big names will bring new customers from all over the area.

A Primark would definitely bring in the crowds!

davidsmith
Posts: 2

Re: Have Your Say - We Need an Action Plan for Wincanton
Reply #2 on : Fri March 28, 2014, 13:44:21

The common suggestion for breathing life back into a High Street seems to be to convince interesting and well-known, national shops/chains/brands to set up shop locally.

I suppose if we had a Subway, Primark, WHSmith, etc. it'd certainly bring a few people to the town, reduce the leakage to Yeovil and solve a few temporary problems for local niche traders.

The trouble is, that approach seems to assume that a town must grow to survive. That it can't persist at any given size and that there's no alternate formula that could see the High Street come back to life without taking steps towards becoming another Yeovil -> Taunton -> Bristol.

Small villages don't have High Streets, unless the 'Village Shop' is considered the same thing, which isn't too much of a stretch. But in that context the village shop is there to fulfill a necessity, where High Streets that appear to struggle are perhaps failing to fulfill the necessities of a larger town, one that has a superstore on the outskirts.

I'd like to believe that towns don't live or die by their ability to inevitably transform into cities, or fade away entirely. There's surely a High Street and community formula that could sustain a Wincanton-size (or smaller) town in it's current state.

There's constantly talk of more houses, more people, more jobs and more shops in the High Street, but it's a circular argument similar to the one we use to justify our persistent attempts to sterilise our lives to prevent illness.

We ought to be looking for a holistic approach that will enable our town to survive without the need to push growth and globalisation.

riopippin
Posts: 1

We need an action plan for Wincanton
Reply #3 on : Fri March 28, 2014, 13:49:11

Regeneration of Wincanton High Street is long overdue. Ask anyone in the town where they shop for clothes/shoes and they will either say out of town or on line. This is because local retail is either too expensive for families or simply doesn't provide what the community needs.

Two or three good sized chain stores like Primark would keep people in the town and would not cause loss to local traders because they simply do not offer that kind of service in the first place.

Heyesey
Posts: 1

Re: Have Your Say - We Need an Action Plan for Wincanton
Reply #4 on : Fri March 28, 2014, 17:40:21

Indeed, it's clearly all the large stores like Primark that are keeping the pavements of Castle Cary so well trodden.

Oh no, wait...

Posts: 1

Re: Have Your Say
Reply #5 on : Fri March 28, 2014, 17:49:17

There's a great many suggestions both here and on Facebook that chain stores like Primark, WHSmith etc would be good for the High Street, Well of course they would, but what do we have to offer hard-nosed corporate chains like that? They're not sentimental about these things. Footfall is declining and the High Street's kerb appeal is looking decidedly shabby. At present, Wincanton is not an attractive proposition for any business whose bottom line and shareholders are always going to be the deciding factor when choosing a location.

So let's get real - make it easier and cheaper for smaller, more local businesses to get a foothold in the High Street, and encourage businesses that aren't competing too heavily with online competition or Morrison's/Lidls. If that means we get more service related shops in town so be it - at least the High Street will be serving a useful and more durable purpose, which will benefit both the traders and the people who use them.

PCullen
Posts: 1

Re: have your say
Reply #6 on : Sat March 29, 2014, 18:43:38

Maybe if the council waived taxes for 2 years, so that new businesses have a chance to get up and running, it might encourage new enterprise into the town. How difficult would that be? There can't be any taxes coming from empty shops.

We all need to use our local shops as much as possible to make sure that we keep existing businesses in place. I'm probably as much at fault as the next person. It's not always easy but does need thinking about.

davidsmith
Posts: 2

Business taxes
Reply #7 on : Mon March 31, 2014, 09:19:33

Which council are you referring to? On a previous article our Town Clerk, Sam Atherton, commented specifically to state that our Town Council collect no rates from businesses whatsoever.

While your plan sounds good, it would apply to SSDC at the very least, and campaigning for a motion like that would be a much more significant affair.

Nick Colbert
Posts: 2

Business taxes
Reply #8 on : Mon March 31, 2014, 10:48:57

It sounds a great idea but business tax's are carved up between Central government, County and District. They tend to charge whatever they can hence most of our toilets being closed - they stupidly charge rates on them so no-one will run them, no joined up thinking!

We recently passed a Business rate relief bill that allows business's with less than £50,000 rateable value claim back £1,000 each year for the next 2 years. Also any business taking premiss's that have been empty for a year of more also qualify for a rates discount.

Anyone thinking of starting a business act quickly, the relief's start from 4th April.

Last Edit: March 31, 2014, 11:22:29 by Nick Colbert

johnbaxter
Posts: 1

What Market, What Town, What Community
Reply #9 on : Wed April 02, 2014, 15:20:04

I am glad Nick Colbert has called for ideas for an Action Plan. The reactions are interesting. After the calls for Primark and more branches of big stores, I liked this ironic comment, “Indeed, it's clearly all the large stores like Primark that are keeping the pavements of Castle Cary so well trodden.”

Will Primark and Co Really Save Us?

I hardly think so. A visit to either Bruton or Cary shows streets with booming small shops catering to a discerning clientele who know there is nothing like them in Yeovil and the only competition is to be found in Sherborne or Frome. Speaking of Frome I hear most of the interesting small shops there are in fact depending on on-line business. Here again the Wincanton shop that has been able to afford a rather fine makeover using traditional styles has been The Cunning Artificer – a business which has combined putting Wincanton on the map internationally - by attracting strangely dressed visitors who give generously to local charities - with running a successful on-line business dealing in all things Discworld.

An Interesting High Street

We also have a remarkable collection of places to eat and pubs to drink in, including take a ways and Asian cuisine, Indian, Chinese, and Turkish, places to have your hair done , your vision fixed, your teeth refurbished, your bra fitted, your legs waxed, clothes recycled for profit or a good cause, and all the Polish delicacies you could desire, and don’t forget, the Post Office does lots of things.

Still a Market Town?

We are NOT however, in any meaningful sense, a market town. Instead we are a rapidly expanding dormitory town filled with new Wincantonians who have to live in the midst of large building sites for years, or on the edge of industrial areas. Property developers and builders – who it would take a brave man to criticise by name – have done very well for themselves while doing as little as possible for the town. They now seem poised on all sides of the town to press this expansion as far as possible and in any way they and their lawyers can get away with. They do this knowing that as house-prices continue to rise at a dizzy rate, there is a national shortage of accommodation. Sadly, while some of the new housing we have had in the last ten years, (I think of North Street and the Tout Hill homes off South Street,) fits in well with older properties and is attractive and seems well built and planned, the new housing we are getting now is cramped and unlovely and engenders little pride in its neighbourhood.

The Community is Not the High Street

So far the comments made speak as if all Wincanton needs is a flourishing High Street free of dead and decaying shops. Of course we all want that, but the malaise is deeper. What we have in very short supply is a sense of community, of belonging to a town and of living in a neighbourhood where we are known and of which we are proud. That is something which those who live around us in the other towns and villages so often seem to have when you talk to them. This lack I suggest is why attempts to “revitalise the high street” have had such a tough time.

So What Should We Be Doing? Look Hard at What We Have

Instead of moaning about, ignoring and criticising where we are, we need to accept what has been done is done and now we need to make the best of it and use the facilities and opportunities we have as positively as possible. We have a great new Health Centre. It is where it is. We have two admirable supermarkets which attract thousands for miles around. We have three big brand food and accommodation outlets near them because of our proximity to the A303 and most important we have hundreds of new Wincantonians feeling rather unloved and unknown as they sit in their new homes in what they may feel is a rather anonymous and not very friendly town.

Recreation Ground Plans

One great step looking towards the future taken by some of our councillors (Town and District) has been the plans and the work for the development of a park and play area around the Recreation Ground. That could become a real beauty spot and public area to be proud of which young and old could enjoy using. What about the "developers" contributing to that?

Some Excellent Facilities

We also already have some excellent facilities as a result of earlier philanthropic giving and district and county council provision. We have an excellent Sports Ground, an excellent Sports Centre and the only public swimming pool for miles. We have a lovely Library and now an adjoining Museum. These provide books, public computers exhibition space and in the Museum an unrivalled computer based archive. The revamped Memorial Hall is a great facility and the Balsam Centre provides courses and activities for all ages. We have in King Arthur’s an improving secondary school and two fine primary schools, Wincanton Primary being one of the 100 most improved in the country (see article) all working in partnership. We have Wincanton Hospital doing great work with its Friends who have raised amazing funds. We have a wide range of thriving organisations from the gardening club to choirs and the Silver Band. I could go on and on. We have sports clubs and we have a good number of churches whose members actually - as this year’s Lent lunches show, know each other and get on well with each other.

We have the Wincanton Window which was started by a small group of us when the Wincanton Journal closed and we saw that a web magazine could give the town a focus and opportunity to develop a greater sense of community when we went on line in October 2009. We are a charity and run by volunteers.

What to do Next.

We need to promote the whole town, the whole community, not just the High Street. If we get that right everything should flourish.

Where to start? A welcome pack for all newcomers listing EVERYTHING that is going on here and how to join in.

Fund leaflet promotion of the Wincanton Window. Many do not know it is there.

Active visiting and friendly outreach by members of all the churches, not of course aggressive evangelising.

The Promotion of town social events. Picnic in the Park. Summer concerts by our band and choirs.

Regular Town Meetings open to all who live and work here to review what is happening and help the Town Council be more in touch.

An inclusive Chamber of Commerce to promote all types of business.

As far as possible refrain from Party Political bickering or the exclusion of anyone because they are not seen as being members of a particular party. The future of the town is not basically a party political issue.

Last Edit: April 03, 2014, 07:50:38 by johnbaxter

nigelengert
Posts: 1

Action Plan for Wincanton
Reply #10 on : Thu April 03, 2014, 21:42:12

When we first arrived in Wincanton back in 1979 it was still recovering from the loss of the A303 through the town but attracted many people into the centre thanks to its antique/curio shops that also helped to give it a distinctive character. We are never going to attract national retailers but perhaps our renaissance might have already started thanks to the small number of art/collectors' shops that have appeared recently. We need to offer something that our neighbouring towns lack.
Incidentally, I met someone recently walking her dog who has just moved into the High St from Bourton and commented on how much friendlier she finds Wincanton.
We may suffer from Developers' Blight but we are an amiable bunch, it seems.

iangmclean
Posts: 1

Wincanton
Reply #11 on : Wed April 09, 2014, 16:41:16

The proposed work to the recreation ground looks great , but it will detract again from encouraging people into town. Having shops alone is not enough to regenerate the town, a town and a successful town is like a little eco system. Shops alone are not enough , you need to attract people up into town and then the shops will have a catchment group to entice. Things to see and do , landscaped areas picnic areas, curiosities.Passing traffic from the 303 only goes to Morrisons, lidl and Kfc, what is there to say 'look further into Wincanton' look what we have in town.I have mentioned before something that can be seen from the 303 at the highest point of the town akin to the Angel of the North, something to highlight that Wincanton is the gateway to Somerset, get Mr Pratchett involved , and lottery funds. If you had such a thing to attract visitors then you can landscape areas around it and the top part of town, the shops will come to catch the tourists, just think postcards sales, mini souvenir gateways etc etc.
The council needs to think more about what it allows in the shops too. A prime example is the Cat Cafe, it is totally in the wrong position and yet a more ideal place on the corner of Carrington Way is allowed to become another cake shop? It would be such a great place as a cafe with outside cafe seating and brollies and planters , it would add a real cosmopolitan feel to the high st, and if some effort was put into the rockery below the co-op with colourful rockery plants , what a pleasant place to sit and watch the world go by. The Green Dragon or the old ALL Days premises need to be an affordable clothing shop like the Factory Outlet Shop in Gillingham. That's where i go for my clothes, the shops in Wincanton are too exclusive and all for the ladies.The carpark at Clementina's and the view to the BT Factory just down from their are also a blight, surely some more ornate fencing and planting to hide the factory would help.
And stop vehicles from parking outside the post office , one of the nicest parts of the town is blighted every day by vehicles parked their unnecessarily. Make them park elsewhere and walk to the post office , they may even pop into the odd shop along the way ( Obviously the disabled and infirm should continue to park their when required).Oh and the Co-op building itself , get some Russian Vine growing up it , how this monstrous building ever got planning permission is beyond me and i originate from one of the country's concrete jungles.It is all relative , if their are things of interest and beauty then people want to be their , the budding photographers amongst us know that, and yet as some of my suggestions show its not all about spending huge sums of money its about making the right decisions and doing it right in the 1st place.

Nick Colbert
Posts: 2

Action Plan for Wincanton
Reply #12 on : Thu April 10, 2014, 09:27:15

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time and effort to respond with constructive ideas, here, on Facebook and by emailing me direct, there have been some good thoughts put forward even some from people who wish to stay anonymous and emailed me direct.

The good to come from this exercise has not only been good ideas but people coming forward who want to open business's but have come up against obstacles, I have been able to put them in touch with South Somerset District Council officers who are looking at ways to help them achieve their aims.

One particularly interesting idea came from an events entrepreneur who would like to start a "Fringe Festival" in Wincanton using many different venues, this could become an annual event which would bring people to the town for music, comedy and theatre events. I have put him in touch with a Council colleague who helped provide grants and security against loss for the "Packhorse Fair" held annually in Bruton, hopefully talks will be held and the project will move forward.

A lot of effort you put in fails but the more effort you put in the more you succeed.

It is worth pointing out to anyone dithering about opening a business in Wincanton that "Rate Relief" is currently available, enhanced for anyone opening in premises that have been empty for 18months or more and that we have 85 Army families moving into the town. Assuming an average family income of £40,000 that will inject £3,400,000 into our local economy and with the remainder of the housing currently under construction being occupied the increase should be around 5 times that figure.

I am now going to draw up the "Action Plan" using ideas put forward blended with some of my own and will publish it on "The Wincanton Window" for anyone to offer further ideas to enhance the plan.

Last Edit: April 10, 2014, 09:27:40 by Nick Colbert

phyllis
Posts: 1

wincanton
Reply #13 on : Mon April 21, 2014, 11:57:54

I agree that an action plan for the town centre is vital,however my concern is the regular sad state of the recreation ground each morning after the previous night's occupation by Wincanton's teenagers.Litter everywhere and obvious signs of drinking form all the beer bottles and cans.I thought that drinking in a public place was an offence,where are the police each evening when this is happening?It is a very sad reflection on Wincanton and it's community.

KatieWincantonToys
Posts: 1

Re: Have Your Say - We Need an Action Plan for Wincanton
Reply #14 on : Tue April 22, 2014, 13:25:00

I have opened up Wincanton Toys on south street in the past week, and it is crystal clear that people in the town really DO feel a sense of community just from chatting with them.
I myself, have lived here for nearly 13 years now and I have always felt that sense of community. You can walk along the high street and people will stop and smile, or say hello which doesn't always happen in other towns. It was partly the community element that made me want to open my shop and give something back to a town that I enjoy being in.
I think the trick with getting other new businesses to open is to make them different. In my case, we are the only toy shop in the town and selling a combination of new and second hand toys, we cater for a wide range of people.
Whilst it would be useful to have larger chain stores in the town, I don't feel that alone is necessarily what we need to regenerate. We simply need more help to be given to those keen to open up small businesses - help with start-up costs but also help with marketing and perhaps some sort of mentoring scheme from those already successful businesses that are in the town.
Wincanton is a great town and with the right implementation and encouragement, it will regenerate and remain a place that people want to both visit and live.

Matt Day
Posts: 1

Great article and comments
Reply #15 on : Wed April 29, 2015, 12:13:55

Apologies for coming into this late, but I've only just seen this article.

Good on Nick for continuing to work towards an action plan, which I believe has now been published?

I just wanted to add some details to what was happening among the town organisations and authorities that Nick mentioned and highlight some of the action taking place.

SSDC Area East asked me in Oct 2013 to see if there was common ground and capacity to develop a Marketing Programme for the town. After a useful workshop and two meetings, we'd identified 4 priority projects but it was decided that the group wouldn't meet again as each of the organisations were busy with their projects and with other meetings.

The 4 projects were;
• Market development (lead: Town Team)
• Pratchett/Discworld Museum (development work needed before starting a project team for this)
• A Work Hub - small flexible workspace & business support (WBT and Town Team both interested in this)
• Town Makeover/Paint the Town Day (lead: Town Team)
Obviously not all marketing initiatives but that's Ok as these were felt to be the priorities by the group.

As you probably are aware, the Sunday market continues to develop and the Spring Clean is happening in May.

Possibly developing a modest weekly market as an attractor is something that's been highlighted in the early work on the Neighbourhood Plan - which will be checked with the community when we have a public consultation event, pencilled in for June.

Another piece of work for the Neighbourhood Plan is the business survey. That has highlighted making the town centre more attractive, tidier and a better environment for pedestrians, along with lots of ideas to increase footfall. Feedback from that will come at an event for businesses at the end of May, and a summary of the report will be published.

There's also been considerable efforts at marketing the wider area (inc Cary and Bruton) for inward investment. A brochure and website was produced last year aiming to attract businesses. You can view these here www.businesspropertywincantonarea.co.uk

Regeneration can take place at many levels and the efforts of community initiatives like the Town Team and the Chamber/WBT can make a huge impact, along with leadership from elected representatives, the business community, planning reforms such as Neighbourhood Planning and local authority Economic Development.

Have Your Say - We Need an Action Plan for Wincanton

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