More business people should share views

I warmly congratulate one of the city’s leading businessmen on taking the time to write to the Starabout his concerns for the future of Lisburn City Centre.

I hope this will generate a lively debate amongst the city’s businessmen and women because it is important any investment by the ratepayers delivers a revival of our city centre businesses.

It is necessary to do something with the city centre infrastructure which presently poses a number of problems:

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1. The sunken garden is of little benefit to shoppers and is the main attraction for skateboarders.

2. ‘The Berlin Wall’ built to improve security during the period in which the city was being bombed by the IRA needs removed as it has strangulated footfall on the south side of upper Market Square as is evidenced by the number of empty shop units.

3. Parking laws and their application by the traffic wardens is repelling shoppers from the city centre and the proposed increase in fines to £90 is an act of lunacy which will further damage the city’s economy.

There is no doubt that out of town shopping centres are more attractive to shoppers and we need a strategy to counteract that. I did propose that the first hour should be free of charge but that was rejected by DRD and as Mayor I had several meetings with those in charge of traffic wardens to plead for a less stringent application of the law.

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It is necessary to have some control on parking as there are selfish motorists who will inconvenience other road users and there does need to be a deterrent but if the first two hours were offered at 20p (some payment needs to be made to activate the time period) with the ability to pay for any limited overstay period, rather than be fined a punishing and disproportionate amount to the nature of the offence it might encourage more shoppers. It would be unfair to them to offer all day parkers free parking when we are trying to encourage more use of public transport.

As far as vacant shops are concerned the main problem is not rent as some landlords are offering vacant premises at peppercorn rent and still cannot obtain tenants. The biggest problem is the level of rates and a downturn in spending.

The Labour Party did immense damage to the retail trade when Peter Hain hiked the regional rate by a colossal 19% but traders also have to also pay for their bin collection and water charges. There is the belief in higher circles that businesses have a bottomless purse and we are now seeing the consequences of that uninformed policy.

John Lewis is quite different from other out of town stores in that it will be the only one of its kind in the Province and will bring 40,000 customers per week and the task is to bring them to the city centre. The developers have offered to subsidise a linking bus service for a period of three years and as we all know the generous profits of John Lewis are distributed to staff which should be a further boost to the local economy.

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The Council must be enabled to use the substantial rates from this enterprise to reduce the rates burden on city centre shops.

It is unfortunate that in the Assembly and in our own Council chamber there are few elected representatives who have any experience of running a business and that is why it is essential now for local traders to make their voice heard and hopefully their seasoned advice and wisdom will make this debate a mutually profitable one.

Councillor Ronnie Crawford