Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
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by Lib Dem team on 9 January, 2018
Gatley village centre is struggling with too many empty units, and we need a community plan to turn it around, says Cllr Iain Roberts.
Owners of some shops are retiring. Others have been closed for a long time or just recently.
“The British economy is struggling, internet shopping is growing and our High Streets are bearing the brunt. New food and drink offers – cafes, restaurants and takeaways – are filling in the gaps in many places. Gatley has followed this trend, with far more cafes and restaurants than even a few years ago, but retailers are having a hard time and it looks like Costa have scrapped their plans to open in the village,” said Iain.
Gatley’s shops are all privately owned, so we don’t have any easy way to cut rents or take over buildings. Government cuts also means the Council has far fewer people working on our town and village centres than a few years ago – they’re a good team, but they have a lot to do.
“If we can come up with a plan, there’s a chance we can get the Council, some landlords and traders on board. I don’t think there are easy options and any plan will probably be unit-by-unit rather than some grand scheme to transform the village in one go.”
Please let us know what you think.
18 Comments
Why the surprise?
Oneself has said for many years that there is probably too many shop premises in the central area.
Shopping habits are changing like never before – the Internet being the reason, to which tha pleads guilty of using!
Food outlets are surely maxed out now, barbers / hairdressers also.
There may be an opportunity to make Gatley into a more ‘artisan’ shopping area, but, even that market is approaching its limits – everywhere else wants in on it!
I think that, when you look round at the individual businesses that have stopped trading you can see why that might have happened – Hewitt’s perhaps falling victim to the internet, for example.
The question is to know what sort of businesses might think Gatley a good place to be. And that’s definitely a tricky one. Looks like we might have come to the end of the food outlets with, as Iain notes, nothing happened with the planned Costa or, seemingly, with the wine bar development in the old Barclays
Oneself purchased a ‘big ticket’ item via Euronics website when living in Gatley!
In my defence – the Hewitts /Euronics outlet did not have the item in store.
Regarding food outlets – whatever happened to the Caribbean takeaway? It was once suggested as being a possibility by the supposed owner through this website.
Guessing it to be a long way down by now! ⬇️
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There is (or was) a Caribbean takeaway somewhere in Benchill. I remember a leaflet coming through the door a couple of years ago – but I never tried it.
You’d like to hope that, if we have to have such a profusion of takeaways in Gatley, that the number of “Indians” might have peaked and we start to get some diversity.
I’ve had a few conversations over the last 2 or 3 years with someone interested in opening a Caribbean takeaway in Gatley, but they’ve not done it yet. We’ll have to see.
“Use It Or Lose It “ is a saying that the residents have ignored and now the result of lack of support for your local shops is clear.
The only way forward is to change local attitudes
Gatley is a pleasant place to look around the varied shops and I for one can get there easily by bus but others need car parking and there is a lack of car spaces unless one wants to annoy the local residents by parking outside their homes, which must and does occur in Cheadle as well.
I concur with the above remarks, though I think Hewitts were also retiring, same as the post office.
The problem is that the man in the street wants SERVICE and if he gets it, whether online or in a retail outlet, he will support that retailer. I cite John Lewis, A&I supplies, Snapes (Cheadle Hulme), Sumners (Northenden)……. apart from JL the others have a family history behind their success. The “family” element is obvious when one looks at the shops owned by Asians and Chinese etc. And giving “service” is in the family’s interest.
I really don’t know how one can promote the empty units. I am certain rents and business rates are paramount obstacles when footfall is minimal. We could ask Mary Portas as a last resort…..?
Supply and demand ad simple as that, rents and business rates are too high to justify.
And I understand Mathers has now closed due to the owner retiring. Is it being sold as a “going concern” or has it just gone forever. I’ve been going there since we moved to Gatley when I was a lad in the early 1960s.
That would appear to be the case.
I was shocked ?, when passing on the bus on Saturday, to see no sign of life there AND no sign there!
Another Gatley family institution bites the dust ?.
It was only yesterday that I was in Gatley near the old cinema and thinking how shabby the place looks especially with the two empty shops opposite.
Were the units private houses way back? – perhaps a mixture of residences and retail on the high street in Gatley and Cheadle is the answer these days.
Can’t help wondering if our local councillor spent more time working for the interest of his area instead of supporting the faceless beuracrats of Stockport ,we might get the changes required to hep local business , but I think based on the time lost on the Taton and his willingness to give up the greenbelt to Stockport Planners for them to Develop I don’t hold out much hope
Some of the units on Church Road were private houses – I can remember some of them, and the opticians on Gatley Road was also a private house.
If they were private houses again they would soon sell but too late now.
Why is it too late Paula?
One has no idea about the business rates and any other expenses confronted by small businesses / retailers, but, if I was Optique – I would be wanting to spend a fair bit either upgrading the existing premises (which, apart from the sign board, has had nothing spent on it in the twenty-one years I have been going there), or, better still – relocate to one of the empty purpose built retail premises and sell the existing property – on condition it is returned to residential usage.
Better for the streetscape, AND, in my humble opinion (!) – better for Gatley.
As tha mentioned in an earlier piece concerning the relocation of the Greenbank Veterinary Practice – one hopes for the same outcome.
Gatley has now lost Convergys and Boutinet. These businesses bought people into the village during the day. I’m sure sandwich shops and eateries at least notice the difference. Maybe for the Tattoo development some commercial (non retail) business should be considered to try to replace some of these potential customers. Not just building houses for commuters, who may never need to shop in the village.