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The Deeside Chronicle November 5 1999

Battle to put brake on decline

by GEORGE TATTUM

A RALLYING call has gone out with just a week to go to D-Day for Shotton.

A key meeting next Friday could begin to reverse the town’s plummeting economic fortunes.

A series of shop closures and strong competition from mushrooming retail development in the area has sent Shotton into decline. Now Welsh Assembly member Tom Middlehurst has organised a meeting to try to get the town back on its feet.

The bold step will be launched next Friday when he brings the big name players in his rejuvenation plan together.

Under the banner The Way Forward for Shotton, Mr Middlehurst is holding the retail summit at his new office at Deeside Enterprise Centre at 1.3Opm.

Among the big guns taking part will be Flintshire County Council and the Welsh Development Agency. Speaking of his hopes for a successful brain-storming session to try to cure Shotton’s economic ills. Mr Middlehurst said he is delighted with the level of interest the meeting had sparked. 'I see myself as a facilitator, bringing people and agencies together.'

‘We need to look at how things can be improved and would welcome ideas from any quarter,' he said.

Mr Middlhurst said it is impossible to stop people shopping out of town, but he is confident ways can be found to revitalise Shotton.

He is optimistic the town can recover from a series of shop closures, which has caused consternation’ in the community

Flintshire County Council chief executive Philip McGreevy kicks off next week’s debate with a talk on initiatives already under way. Presentations will be made by the county’s economic development officer Dave Hegarty and a Welsh Development Agency official. Alyn and Deeside MP Barry Jones has also been invited to the meeting, as well as Flintshire County Council leader Alex Aldridge.

Further information about the meeting is available from Mr Middlehurst’s office on 01244 823547.

The Deeside Chronicle November 5 1999

Business leaders outline vision for the future

ALYN and Deeside MP Barry Jones is meeting with the business community to discuss the future of an ailing town centre. Members of Deeside Commercial Enterprise Group wrote to Mr Jones outlining their hopes and fears for lDeeside as a retail centre. After receiving a copy of their plans the long-serving MP contacted the group and arranged to meet a delegation of business leaders.

Group chairman Bruno Citra said he is delighted Mr Jones has agreed to a face-to-face meeting. 'We are obviously very pleased that the MP has agreed to meet us,' said Bruno. 'He has a lot of in fluence in all spheres of politics and this meeting shows he is taking the problems in Deeside seriously.'

Bruno says Mr Jones was sent a copy of the group's Vision for Shotton document which outlines their idea for an in-town shopping centre on the land around B&Q in Shotton. 'We will be discussing our ideas and listening to any suggestions he has,' said Bruno. 'It is more talking but it could be the beginning of concrete action which will help get this area back on its feet.' The talks come just a week before Assembly Member Tom Middlehurst hosts a public meeting on the future of Shotton.

And Bruno says things are beginning to happen in Deeside.

'Last week we had news of a buyer for the Tesco store. This week we have a meeting with the MP and then next week we have a public meeting with leading politicians and county officials.'

'Hopefully these are the first tentative steps towards making this area a thriving commercial centre.'

The Deeside Chronicle November 12 1999

Shoppers' views key to survival of town

by MIKE GREEN

SHOPPERS are being urged to attend key talks today to discuss ways of reversing Shotton's flagging fortunes following the closure of the Tesco store and other town centre businesses.

Welsh Assembly member Tom Middlehurst is calling a public meeting at Deeside Enterprise Centre on Rowley's Drive at 1.3Opm.

Invitations have been sent out to senior political figures, Flintshire County Council and Welsh Development Agency officials.

But Mr Middlehurst has made it clear that the decision-makers will be there to listen and learn rather than put forward their own ideas.

Positive input is being sought from shoppers and shopkeepers who have lost out following the growth of out-of-town stores at Chester and more recently at Queensferry and Broughton.

Deeside Commercial Enterprise Group chairman Bruno Citra said he shares Mr Middlehurst's view that there is little point in resurrecting old grievances about the damaging impact of superstores.

'Major stores like Asda at Queensferry look like being here to stay and our priority now must be to find some way of working alongside them,' said Mr Citra.

'Contrary to popular belief, small independent shops can offer customers a better deal on goods and services than many of the larger outlets given a level playing field.'

'Where we have fallen down in the past has been by competing with each other instead of working together. 'Connah's Quay, Shotton and Queensferry have operated as rival centres when we could have gained strength from marketing Deeside as a single, one-stop shopping area.'.

He said grants and rates and rents incentives have been available to firms launching manufacturing businesses for many years but anyone attempting to open a shop receives no help.

Councils and Government agencies need to learn that renovating premises and reviving town centres offer huge benefits in terms of creating jobs, boosting prosperity and reducing vandalism and squalor.

'There's no shortage of land on Deeside,' said Mr Citra. 'Shops which have stood derelict for years should be bought by the council and offered under favourable terms to anyone keen to start their own business.

'The huge site between Shotton and Queensferry could also be redeveloped to create a town centre focal point for Deeside.'

He said more could be done to develop riverbank sites fronting the Dee from Queensferry to Connah's Quay - possibly by creating theme pubs, a cinema complex and other leisure attractions.

The appointment of an energetic Deeside business manager could help attract the more specialised outlets the area needs, eliminate unnecessary duplication of goods and services and halt the drift of customers to neighbouring city shopping centres.

The Deeside Chronicle November 12 1999

Community leaders encouraged by series of positive meetings

MP aims to put town back on retail map

by GEORGE TATTUM and MATTHEW TAYLOR

ALYN and Deeside MP Barry Jones has been flying the flag for Shotton for some time.

He has launched a series of initiatives over the last year to rekindle the town's flagging economy.

Today he will attend the public meeting on Shotton's future organised by Welsh Assembly member Tom Middlehurst.

It was back in January that Mr Jones flagged up the issue.

He and Shotton councillor Arthur Davies met Flintshire County Council planners to stress the case for turning the town into a vibrant shopping zone. The determined MP also met Tesco bosses to underline the need to make sure the company's vacated Shotton premises were not left empy.

Then Mr Jones travelled to Bangor for talks with Welsh Development Agency chairman David Roe Beddoe to emphasise the importance of developing a strategy lor strengthening the town's economic base.

Welcoming today's meeting, the MP said positive steps are being taken to put Shotton back on the retail map and he is confident the agenda can be moved forward.

He points to the £300,000 investment in Shotton high level station, the opening of a new fruit and vegetable shop in the town and the letting of the former Tesco store as important milestones.

Mr Jones believes Shotton Town Council has a key part to play in any masterplan.

'Councillors are best equipped to help as they know the business community the area and the people,' he said.

·LEADING Deeside businessmen say they are encouraged after a face-to-face meeting with Alyn and Deeside MP Barry Jones.

A delegation from the Deeside Commercial Enterprise Group met Mr Jones to discuss the commercial future of the area.

The MP called for the meeting after receiving a copy of the group's plans for a new shopping centre around the B&Q store in Queensferry.

Group chairman Bruno Citra said he is pleased Mr Jones is showing an interest in the group's work.

'We are obviously very pleased the MP wanted to see us,' said Bruno. 'He seemed genuinely impressed with our ideas and was attentive to what we had to say.

'His involvement in the regeneration of Deeside can only be seen as a good thing. It shows he is taking the problems we have seriously.'

The talks come before this afternoon's public meeting being held to discuss the future of Shotton. Assembly Member Tom Middlehurst is hosting the gathering at his new of fices in the town.

Bruno says things are beginning to happen on Deeside. 'We've had news of a buyer for the Tesco store,' he said. 'Now we've had a meeting with the MP and there is a public meeting with leading politi cians, the Assembly Member and county officials this afternoon.

'Hopefully these are the first tentative steps towards making this area a thriving commercial centre once again.'

Closed sign on another town centre business.

AILING Shotton suffered a further blow to town centre prosperity when the shutters came down at Barclays Bank for the last time on Friday. Alyn and Deeside MP Barry Jones issued an urgent plea to bank chiefs to reconsider, but the closure order stands.

Barclays spokesman Andrew MacThomas stressed the decision was not taken lightly.

Management and staff in the area were extensively consulted to provide the local knowledge necessary to enable the difficult decision to close the branch to be made,' he said.

Mr MacThomas told Mr Jones: 'The closure of Shotton branch went ahead as planned on November 5. I am sorry this is not the reply you were hoping for but I would stress the decision was not made remotely without first considering the local issues. Mr Jones said the closure has upset loyal Barclays customers in Shotton, Connah's Quay and the surrounding area.

'Some are elderly, some disabled and some without transport of their own, he said. 'I felt it was necessary to protest on their behalf. 'Bank staff at Shotton have given long and courteous service and deserve our thanks. Their services will be missed.'

Fruit and veg shop is a refreshing change

AFTER more than six months without their own fresh fruit and vegetable shop, the people of Shotton have turned out in force to support Cymru Garden.

The town centre store opened late last week and owner Ian Charlesworth said business is brisk.

'It's still early days but if it carries on like this I'll be employing a few people to help out in a week or two,' said Ian, who has 25 years' experience in the trade. Customers seem pleased with the selection of goods on offer. Ruby Roberts, of Alexandra Street, Shotton, said: 'We have been without fresh fruit and vegetables in Shotton since the Tesco store left so this is a real boost for the town.'

Mr Charlesworth says he is confident of making a go of the business.

'We are very impressed with the response of people round here,' he said. 'I think Shotton is the perfect place to have a business and I never had a doubt about investing money in the town.'

The Deeside Chronicle November 12 1999

Revival is 'damaged by crime'

EXCLUSIVE by MIKE GREEN

DRUG addicts and petty crooks are damaging hopes of reviving Shotton's fortunes, business and community leaders have been told. But about 40 shopkeepers, townspeople and councillors who attended a public meeting called by Welsh Assembly member Tom Middlehurst have vowed to fight back. Ted Fyton, of Queensway, Shotton, called for tougher action after warning that addicts using a drugs clinic close to the town centre are causing major problems. He said neighbours have found as many as 14 syringes discarded in one street alone. Shotton councillor Bill Barton said the prospect of youths 'shooting up in public toilets or sidestreets is a real turn-off for residents, shoppers and businesses keen to open premises in the town.

He suggests injections for those needing them should be given at the drugs centre under hygienic medical supervision.

Diane Jones, who has run a baby care shop for 20 years, urges measures to halt invasions by caravan families, invariably coinciding with huge increases in shoplifting and angry confrontations. Security remains an ever-present concern, she said. Complaints have been made that Shotton looks like a 'steel city' at night but shopkeepers cannot get insurance unless they use shutters.

Concern was expressed about the shabby, rundown appearance of areas of Deeside, extensive litter problems, occasional flooding and a lack of town centre car parking spaces.

Welsh Development Agency area manager Jeff St Paul invites anyone with problems in applying for grants to renovate town centre properties to contact his department.

The offer came after Shotton television retailer David Butler said application forms issued in respect of cash support are too complicated and time-consuming.

New 'bombshell' for town centre

Store is stunned by sale

EXCLUSIVE by BEN PINNINGTON and PAUL BROWN

FOOD giant Somerfield is pulling out of Connah's Quay.

The store has been put on the market in a 'restructuring programme' and will be sold to the highest bidder.

The announcement comes less than a week after the company revealed plans to sell many of its Kwik Save stores - including the one in Connah's Quay - and just six months after the closure of the Tesco supermarket in Shotton.

The Kwik Save store is expected to survive. It is being sold as a going-concern along with 350 other stores across the UK.

But the decision to put the Somerfield store up for sale as part of the ailing chain's attempts to focus on small scale, neighbourhood supermarkets came as a shock to staff at Connah's Quay.

Alyn and Deeside MP Barry Jones said the news is a terrible blow. 'This a bombshell that has landed right in the heart of the high street,' he said. 'It is not acceptable that an anonymous board of directors 200 miles away has made this closure decision.

'Their decision has been made without reference to the needs and interests of this community'

Mr Jones will voice his concerns to Somerfield boss David Simons at the House of Commons on Tuesday.

'I will be asking Mr Simons to visit the Connah's Quay store to explain to the staff the reasons for the sale,' he said. 'I want to find out what the consequences for the staff will be. Are they to be relocated? Are there to be redundancies? How is their pension scheme effected?'

'This comes as a hammer blow for the area just six months after the closure of the nearby Tesco store.'

A spokesman for Somerfield in Connah's Quay said staff are shocked and suprised by the news. 'We knew Somerfield was looking at selling off 140 stores, but to find that one of them was us was a big surprise,' he said.

Somerfield has told the 100 or so staff at Connah's Quay that any potential buyer will have to meet the terms and conditions of their contracts and the chain will continue to support the store until a buyer is found.

A spokeswoman for Somerfield said stores in Holywell, Mold and Buckley will not be sold.

'The critieria on which we made the decision was particularly on Size, location and shopping potential,' she said. 'It has been a difficult decision, but in the current market place one that had to be made.'

Somerfield bosses want to focus on smaller scale community stores, moving away from their larger, failing stores. They hope to improve their 10 per cent share of the neighbourhood market worth an estimated £30 billion a year.

Meeting overlooks daytime workers

CRITICISM has been levelled at the timing of the public meeting called to discuss measures to revive ailing Shotton and its neighbours Connah's Quay and Queensferry.

The get-together was called for 1.3Opm and ran to about 4pm, denying many nine to five workers, and parents with young children to collect from school, the chance to put forward their views. But Welsh Assembly member Tom Middlehurst stressed this was only the first of what is intended to be a series of discussions and further meetings will be timed to attract wider audiences. The next will be at Mr Middlehurst's Deeside Enterprise Centre offices on Rowley's Drive in Shotton at 7pm on Thursday, December 16.

Deesiders unable to make the inaugural meeting can rest assured many of the issues they would have wished to raise have already been taken on board.

Shotton councillor and environmentalist Elwyn Jones presented a 'wish list' of improvements neighbours should welcome. He called for town footways to be upgraded making all shops accessible to the disabled and mums with pushchairs and the provision of sheltered bus stops with up-to-date timetables and seating.

Cllr Jones said pot-holed land on Charmley's Lane should be resurfaced and developed alongside additional town car parks, with CCTV to improve security.

And more could be done to clean up litter-strewn streets, improve facilities at Shotton railway station and enhance the town by commissioning art students to brighten up shop shutters with murals.

Shotton Community Association leader Ruby Roberts said the fall-off in trade caused by store closures has seriously hit fundraising by town charities.

But she offered special praise to shops which have repaid loyalty to customers - particularly elderly Tesco shoppers - by extending their range to include groceries until replacement foodstores open.

Ruby suggests Deeside's long-term future lies in offering visitors specialist shops and services not available at major stores.

And she urges the creation of a museum reflecting the area's rich maritime and industrial mining past - an idea based on the success of Ellesmere Port's crowd-pulling Boat Museum and Blue Planet Aquarium.

Sister Vianney, a nun who works from Beaconsfield Drive in Shotton, called for provision of free advice centres, meeting places and recreation facilities for needy groups largely neglected at present.

Young people with little to spend are particularly vulnerable with nowhere to study or socialise, resulting in many opting for life on the streets which only adds to their problems she said.

Playing the regeneration game

EXCLUSIVE by MIKE GREEN

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to revive Shotton following the departure of Tesco and other town centre businesses have vowed to forget past grievances and look to the future.

Instead of carping about competition they plan to recruit the support of neighbouring Connah's Ouav and Queensferry in marketing Deeside as a single shopping and leisure zone

The long-term aim is to curve out a prosperous future for the area working alongside existing city centres, out-of-town shopping parks and giant superstores.

Welsh Assembly member Tom Middlehurst said he is confident Deeside has now reached a turning point and will respond positively to the challenges ahead.

Flintshire county leader Alex Aldridge stressed that although help is available to regenerate the area, all councils and support agencies have to work within strict financial constraints.

'The way forward, he said, is to share costs through partnerships with the private sector. Flint has welcomed an edge-of-town retail park which has brought benefits to shoppers and to existing businesses.

County chief executive Philip McGreevy said priority has been given to attracting factories and jobs over the past 20 years following mass redundancies in traditional steel and textile industries.

The challenge now is to direct the same energy into reviving Flintshire town centres, often with vastly different characters and aspirations.

But he warned a totally new approach will be needed to meet the changes ahead. A switch to shopping via the Internet will mean even superstores and retail parks will have to rethink their strategies. Towns will he forced to offer shoppers more reason to visit their centres than shops. Consideration will also have to be given to promoting leisure facilities and other attractions. Campaigners were told Deeside remains grossly under-developed but that gives plenty of scope for improvement to meet changing shopping patterns.

The area's position as a premier gateway to Flintshire and the rest of North Wales makes it imperative that attractive redevelopment takes place. This will help bring more visitors to the area and halt the current exodus of shoppers to rival centres, taking with them an estimated £120m a year in spending money.

In-town leisure and retail are key

SHOPKEEPERS are keen supporters of plans to promote Connah's Quay, Shotton and Queensferry as a single Deeside shopping and leisure zone.

Campaigners responded en thusiastically to a blueprint out lined by Deeside Commercial Enterprise Group chairman Bruno Citra and secretary Paul Murphy.

The idea is to 'sell' the whole area as an 'in-town' retail park by encouraging the building of shops, stores and leisure facilities on unoccupied sites.

'This falls in line with current local and national political thinking in that it seeks to redevelop pre-used sites rather than diverting retailing to out-of-town locations,' says the group's report.

'We believe Deeside has neglected its potential for development for leisure pursuits. Deeside is the first trading centre in North Wales and warrants attention by the Wales Tourist Board and other relevant agencies to ensure it is as welcoming as possible.

'We welcome parkland proposals along the banks of the Dee between Connah's Quay and Queensferry. The river offers a neglected but valuable opportunity for sports and leisure activity.'

The report identifies wetland edging Wepre Brook between Connah's Quay High Street and the main Chester-Holyhead rail way line as a possible development area.

Acres of marshland across the railway line stretching from Dock Road in Connah's Quay to Queensferry are also suggested for future river leisure activities. And a further riverside area bounded by Welsh Road and Farm Road in Queensferry is proposed as a secondary enter prise park.

'Development at this site would offer an opportunity for the extension of existing motor trade and leisure activity in this area, says the report.

The Commercial Enterprise Group urges the creation of additional non-food retail stores between the existing B&Q store and Lidl low-cost supermarket between Shotton and Queensferry.

And it also recommends use of the Leisure Centre footbridge as a banner-carrier for the area, hacked by the appointment of a town centre manager to promote Deeside shopping and leisure attractions.

Existing sports, social and cultural groups have a key role to play in making the area a place people will wish to visit, says the report.

Activities could include further development of water sports on the Dee, the attraction of major events to Deeside Leisure Centre and Ice Rink and more determined efforts to promote historical features at Hawarden and Ewloe Castle.

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