Grand Opening Of More Empty Shops
St Neots Council today proudly announced the addition of another fourteen empty shops to the town centre.
The Priory Mall and Jade Bridge, empty for over 8 years
Paines Brewery on the Market Square has stood empty since the late eighties, and after years of stalling has finally been converted into shops, offices and maybe flats, said Cllr Roy Maloy today.
“Empty shops now make up a third of the town centre,” said Councillor Maloy. “This is a very important industry for St Neots.”
When new shops are made available in the area, the pattern is usually that they remain empty for up to six months before being occupied. Local free newspapers then proclaim the new businesses as a lifeline for the town, before they are crippled by extortionate rates and close down. The shops are then let to either charity shops, estate agaents or warehouse outlet discount stores.
The Paines Brewery was due to be occupied by an unnamed “major retailer” in 1997, rumoured to be Marks & Spencer. However, the deal collapsed after board members of a local department store, who sit on the council, got worried about their profits.
The Priory Mall (pictured) was due to be rennovated and occupied by another “major retailer” last year, but the council spent three months in dispute over a listed wall, between the Priory Mall and neighbouring Jade Bridge restaurant – which has also been empty for over 8 years.
The Citizen presented the evidence to Cllr Maloy who simply said, “Why do you need national chainstores when you can buy everything you need from St Neots’ Favourite Department Store? It has all that you’re looking for.”
Maloy is a majority shareholder of the store which recently closed all but three of it’s departments.
