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Economic changes for Crewe and beyond
We've talked a lot about what the new Crewe town centre will look like, who will benefit and how the town as a whole will be transformed. It will be 201o-11 before we will see the bulk of the shopping complex completed, but as we move towards the start of the project a massive number of Crewe businesses must be considering their options. Take the Market Centre (pictured), covered, connecting the Market Street and Victoria Street corner (by Burtons) to the Argos and JJB Sports complex that is served by an extensive car park. This mall has for some time been the best bit of shopping in the town, with card, jewellery, shoe, chemist, game, clothing and general stores all housed under one roof. River Island is a big name, as is Dorothy Perkins and Etam. At the bottom end you'll find JJB Sports and Wilkinson's. Will any of these stores want to shift to the swanky new units available within the Modus development? If they do, will the Market Centre be reduced to cheap outlets or - worse case scenario - an edge-of-town-centre area dominated by boarded up shops, charity outlets and short let tenants?
I can't see Argos wanting to move as much of their stock is bulky - you need the car park close by. But you never know. JJB also enjoys a prime spot on the corner, easily accessible from the ample parking spaces. But the planned 800-space multi-story car park (where Wellington House currently stands) will change the whole dynamic of the town, just a few yards from the new Debenhams and the [covered?] new high street that will connect Victoria Street to Chester Street. There are already plenty of unused units around the town centre, so either the developers (and planners) have got it all wrong or retailers are holding back until Crewe has something to shout about.
Something else that could be interesting will be the impact on both Chester and Hanley as shopping centres. Personally, I don't think that either are anything special compared, say, to Manchester or Birmingham. But, suddenly, a new-look Crewe will bridge the gap between the big cities just as the railway connection did between 1837 and 1842. As well as giving Crewe folk something to be proud of, the transformation of the town centre could see South Cheshire profit (financially) at the expense of other long-established shopping areas! Once a railway town, Crewe is poised to become a significant student and shopping area...
7 comments:
Jules, I often mention the similarities between Crewe and Ashford in that they are both around the same size, both railway towns (in Ashford's case, a greatly diminished one compared to former times), both earmarked as developing areas and both have a new shopping centre with a big Debenhams being built (Ashford's is nearly finished). The other similarity is that Ashford already has two town centre shopping malls. The Debenhams development (big car park and associated shops) is being tacked on to the oldest one. In my youth Ashford was quite a dour place to go shopping. It had no big names except for M & S and Woolies so everyone went to Canterbury or Maidstone. However, despite the lack of a draw from the big shops it gradually flourished and the two town centre areas plus the wide long High Street have turned it into a very pleasant place to be. It's always crowded - every day and all day - more so than Crewe and that's despite there being a massive McArthur Glen designer outlet a 5 minute free bus ride from the town centre. Somehow they've managed to pull it off but whether the new units will pressurize the other two centres remains to be seen. I don't think it will. It's very important that the town becomes and attractive place to shop. Let's face it, Crewe town centre isn't pretty (apart from the flowers) so a certain amount of competition there will help.
Ashford, being about 600 years older, does have an advantage there with an abundance of old buildings, and the at one time frighteningly modern developments have been sympathetically melded with the townscape over the years. Older buildings haven't been ruined by chain store frontages too much and it's subtleties like this that affect the shopper and help create a decent atmosphere. The Crewe councilors responsible for the redevelopment could do worse than pay a visit to Ashford.
You could always grab us a few snaps and we'll run a comparison...
Consider it done.
there was always talk about building on the car park at the back of the market centre- and when the new development has been built it will have a positive effect on the existing shops in crewe and then it will be worth refurbubishing the market centre- Modus will want to buy as much edge of towns shops up so that thier hard work will benifit everything they own
just a suspicion modus will try and buy the market centre and mabybe the asda scheme- in time it will make sense to now them down and start again
it is sad that the economic life of a building is only 20-30 years- the existing scheme in vitoria street was built in 1955- the asda scheme early 80's and the market centre late 80's- but that is progress
again if we look at delamere and wellington house thay are only 20 years old- the economic life of buildins get less and less as prices go up and up
What effect on, say, shops along West Street, old High Street and Nantwich Road? Surely those areas will suffer with the arrival of the new development?
sad to say that west street is dead - its never coming back but nantwich road will thrive- it always has survived as a secondary centre to crewe town and went through a spell where the pubs did well so it got dull with kebab shops- these will gradually turn into resturants and good secondary shops estate agents etc- i could do my thesis on crewe- currently doing an ma in urban regeneration just in case you thought i was just a boffin!!!
I live near to Southampton which has had several indoor shopping centres over the years and each new one has meant a downgrading of the previous ones. I was shocked a few months ago to see how a relatively new and quite flourishing one had become rundown with quite a few empty units. The atmosphere lent by the outdoor cafe at the centre was all gone as the cafe has also closed. This has been caused by the opening of a huge centre only a few hundred yards away at West Quay. I hope this can be avoided in Crewe by attracting new shoppers from outlying areas. Margaret
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