Can Mary Portas save Coventry city centre?

Celebrity retail queen Mary Portas could breathe new life into Coventry city centre.



Council bosses are putting together a bid which could see the city become one of 12 Portas Pilots - and save it from becoming a ghost town.

It is part of a scheme using the expertise of Portas, dubbed the Queen of Shops, to rejuvenate run down high streets.

If Coventry is successful it will receive a share of £1million to brighten up the city centre.

Councillors, traders and shoppers have welcomed the move saying it will be a huge bonus to the city and could re-open some of the many boarded up shops.

Councillor Roger Bailey (Con, Whoberley), an official city tour guide, says shop vacancies should be tackled to attract more people to the area.

He said: “The Portas Pilot scheme is a fantastic opportunity that we shouldn’t miss. There are still empty shops and more and more people in ward forums mention that we could do with better shopping

“I think we could do with more and better quality shops. If we were to win we’d have a superior package, we’d be difficult to beat.”

Councillor Sucha Bains (Lab, Upper Stoke) supported a petition signed by 205 people which was submitted to the council two years ago calling for the immediate regeneration of Coventry city centre before it becomes a “ghost town”.

He said: “I welcome anything that will help Coventry city centre.”

The Portas Pilot scheme was one of the recommendations in Portas’s governmental review.

A council spokesman said the council is in the process of writing a submission, which must be made by March 30.Portas said: “I am thrilled that now there is an opportunity to turn my recommendations into reality by giving communities across the country the opportunity to come forward with their vision for breathing new life into their locality.

“I hope my review has inspired people with a new vision for tomorrow where our high streets are re-imagined as destinations for socialising, culture, wellbeing, learning, as well as shopping.”

"Mary, Queen of Poundshops"

The nearest city to where I live has a highly-regarded centre, with many individual shops. However, Even that is now seen as under threat form particularly supermarkets and other chains. In a city smaller than Coventry there are now more than 20 Tescos. If anyone wants to revitalise city - and town - centres, it's time they learned to take on - and beat - the massive monoliths that are ruining them. Otherwise there won't be any decent shopping anywhere before long...

Warwick hopes ‘sexy ideas’ bid will win Portas Pilot status



More than 40 suggestions have been made as part of a package of ideas it’s hoped will catch the eye of judges who must decide whether Warwick can become one of the prestigious Portas Pilot towns.

And this is the last week that local firms can pledge their support to match some of the £100,000 Government grant being sought.

So far businesses including Calor Gas, the Tilted Wig pub, solicitors Wright Hassall, furniture shop Hatton and Harding, as well as the town, district and county council are set to offer a level of financial support ranging from £50 to £10,000.

To stand a chance of being one of the chosen ten or 12 towns, Warwick has to meet 28 recommendations set out by Mary Portas, the Government’s retail advisor, in her campaign to breathe new life into Britain’s high streets.

Ideas put forward so far include markets on Sundays and mid-week as well as Saturdays, more concerts and community events, better parking options and assistance with start-up costs for new businesses.

Twitter-expert Graham Todd, who works at Underwood Wines and has helped forge better links between small and large organisations, including the castle, the racecourse and the local authority.

As a member of a core group putting forward the bid, he said: “We’ve heard on the grapevine that the council has listened to concerns about parking and charges and we hope for some significant developments in that area.”

Mr Todd said there was now optimism in the town, helped by the goodwill generated by a feeling that many organisations are now communicating better with each other.

If the bid is successful Warwick will get up to £100,000 in Government help to be spent on improving the town centre and making it more attractive for shoppers, tourists, residents and the night-time economy.

Mr Todd added: “But it’s not just about the money – it’s more about the prestige of becoming a Portas Pilot. It would be great for the town.”

He said ideas put forward include putting on more community events, live concerts in the square, more shops opening on Sundays and continued improvements in communication.

He said having a “unified and lively” website to promote Warwick, better signs and access to entice people from the castle and racecourse into the town centre and “pop-up shops”, where entrepreneurs take over empty shops for two weeks at a time were also on the drawing board.

But he said: “The ideas have to be sensible and not pie in the sky – feasible and sexy to impress the judges.”

Some people have suggested that Market Place is too drab and needs trees and foliage to break it up.

One long-running success story has been the annual Warwick Folk Festival which brings thousands of new people into the town and the Mop fair.

The deadline for bids to become a Portas Pilot is March 30 and the Warwick group will have to create a YouTube video as part of its presentation. Anyone who wants find out more or pledge some level of supportshould email estelledimelor @btinternet.com

Warwick = sexy

Nuneaton and Bedworth bid to join Mary Portas pilot scheme

SHOPPERS’ champion Mary Portas has won over councillors in Nuneaton and Bedworth with her ideas about boosting town centres.

She has conducted a comprehensive study aimed at identifying what local authorities, businesses and communities could do together to promote prosperous and diverse high streets.

The government is considering the Portas Review but has already accepted the recommendation to run 12 high street pilots to test proof the concept.

Areas have been invited to bid to become involved, with funding available of up to £100,000 - and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has confirmed its interest.

Council leader Dennis Harvey, said: “Many of the recommendations made in the Portas report are already evident in our towns, which enjoy great support from businesses and the local community.

“However, there is always room for improvement and clearly the additional funding would be welcomed and enable our town centres to develop even further.

“We now intend to listen to the local community and work with retailers to submit a bid that has the best interests of Nuneaton and Bedworth town centres at heart.”

Portas pilot row erupts

A ROW has erupted over a bid for Nuneaton and Bedworth to become part of the Portas Pilot scheme.

Councillor Des O’Brien has slammed the way in which the borough council has submitted a joint application for the project for both towns.

The Conservative opposition group leader has said that the controlling Labour party are `playing politics’ and urged for separate bids to be put in for both towns.

But the leader of the council, Cllr Dennis Harvey, was quick to point out that within the application guidelines it was acceptable to put in a joint bid for the government initiative.

As reported in the Nuneaton News funding of up to £100,000 would be up for grabs for the borough if it is successfully selected to become part of the `Portas Pilot’.

Just 12 High Streets will be selected to take part in the pilot in a bid to give them a boost.

“I am really disappointed that Labour are playing politics with our town centres,” Cllr O’Brien said.

“They know that Portas Pilot bids have been encouraged on the basis of individual towns.

“By putting in a joint bid for Nuneaton and Bedworth they risk achieving nothing.” He went on to say that: “Nuneaton and Bedworth are very different town centres with very different issues; that’s why when the Conservatives were in control at the Town Hall we created separate town centre boards. There was a feeling that the old joint board for both towns tended to be dominated by Nuneaton. While a united Borough, it is vital that Bedworth has its own set-up and town centre. Since then, the two separate boards have been far more active and individually focussed on each town.”

He concluded by saying: “That’s why a Portas Pilot bid should be made for both towns individually. I urge Councillor Harvey and his colleagues to put the people before party politics and put in separate bids.”

But Cllr Harvey hit back: “I am really shocked by this. I spoke to Cllr O'Brien and he agreed to this bid going in on the basis of the whole borough if that could be done. He then checked this with Alan Franks, managing director and agreed to it.

“We are one borough and wish to bid on that basis. This is acceptable in the conditions. It is the Tories who are trying to play politics.”

North Warwickshire council given £100,000 high-street bonus

ATHERSTONE town centre is set to be given a new lease of life – thanks to a £100,000 “surprise” gift from the government.

The money has been given to North Warwickshire Borough Council through a national High Street Innovation Fund, aimed at bringing empty shops back into use.

It is part of the recommendations by “Shoppers’ Champion” Mary Portas to rejuvenate the country’s run-down high streets.

But despite a string of empty shops filling the streets of Coventry, the city has not been included in the list of places to receive the £100,000 gift.

Other town and city centres in the West Midlands that are included are Birmingham, Dudley, Lichfield and Wolverhampton.

A North Warwickshire Council spokesman said: “We welcome any new funding to boost our area and look forward to using the money to improve the high street experience for residents and visitors.

“As we did not receive any advance notification that we were to receive the money, we are at the moment looking into the details of the award but will be working with a variety of partners to agree how this money can be used most effectively.”

A further £1 million will be given to towns selected to become “Portas Pilots”.

Applications to join this scheme have been submitted by Coventry and Nuneaton and Bedworth and a decision will be made in May.

Coventry misses out on the Portas shopping pilots

COVENTRY has missed out on becoming one of the first towns and cities in the country to be named a Portas Pilot.

Twelve town centres were named at the weekend as the first in the scheme to receive a share of £1.2million and the chance to receive tailored support to rejuvenate the high street.

Retail guru Mary Portas completed a review of the high street last year which led to a competition to become a Portas Pilot town or city.

Coventry was one of 370 applications but found out on Saturday it had missed out.

Lynnette Kelly, cabinet member for city development said while the extra funding would have been a bonus it was not the end of the world not to be included.

“It’s really not the be all and end all. We do have plans and ideas for Coventry and we are going to make them happen. We will not leave it as it is,” she said.

“The plans for transforming Coventry city centre south are due to be heard on Thursday.

"What we need now is to find a developer to come in with us and we are confident we will do this.”

Despite losing out this time, Local Government Minister Grant Shapps has announced there will be a second batch of 12 pilots announced at the end of July. Towns and cities have until the end of June to apply for the second round.

Coun Kelly said the council would be keen to be re-apply for any funding.

“If there is a chance to reapply then we’ll go for it. If there’s any help being offered to rejuvenate the city then we’ll take it,” she said.

Talking about the 12 new pilot towns, MP Mr Shapps said: “The best local high streets offer more than simply shopping - they are the beating heart of their neighbourhoods: places to meet, work, relax and come together as a community.

“It’s why this competition to become a Portas pilot has captured the imagination of the nation, with communities across the country uniting to support their high streets.”

Ms Portas said: “I’ve been deeply touched by both the quality and creativity of the bids and the momentum Britain’s first town teams have generated in just a few short weeks.

“It is now clearer to me than ever that Britain wants its town centres revitalised and the energy and accountability for that needs to rest with the people who live and do business there.”

Warwick and Nuneaton, which also applied for the funding, were also unsuccessful.

The only place in the West Midlands to be included was Wolverhampton, which will receive up to £100,000 to help it improve.

The same problem as with many town and city centres; £100,000 buys a few good headlines and good press for Mary Portas, but does little or nothing for tackling the real problems. Our town and city centres are becoming just like the US. If you were blindfolded and set down in almost any town or city over there, you wouldn't have a clue which town or city you were in, they all look alike, same corporate shops, same style malls, same tat. Unfortunately with the government's current policies it'll only get even worse, even more quickly, as more small businesses close, and shoppers are afraid to spend in case they lose their job. The real problems are that whilst government hasn't a clue what to do, their sucking up to big business and abandonment of small business (despite their rhetoric) the problem just grows. The last government wasn't much better in this regard, nor indeed was any government from Thatcher on; she started the love affair with large shopping multiples, and giving them free rein in the name of competition has actually decimated our town and city centres.

My view is that it's largely too late to do anything except to accept the inevitable and abandon our town and city centres to become wastelands, while the large supermarkets and out-of-town stores take over completely, just as in the US. The only solution is if shoppers vote with their feet, and hard pressed as they are, they are bound to take their custom to the (for the time being) cheapest stores, for which read the large supermarkets.