Grantham Town Centre - Worth fighting for

I took a walk through Grantham Town Centre today. I usually go with shopping in mind but this was different. I wanted to look at our town as others/newcomers would see it. The most glaring issue was the number of empty shops. This is not news but the impact on the town, and the impression this leaves is serious.

There have been many comments made about why the town centre is failing and the recent debate organised by The Journal no doubt highlighted a few. I was on a pre booked holiday and could not attend.

My own view is that it boils down to:-

• Lack of investment
• Poor planning
• The greed of landlords/shop owners
• Excessive competition from the supermarkets, given prime sites sufficiently far away from the High Street as to be the equivalent of "out of town".

I am going to say something I know won't be popular with local businesses, but I really hope they will listen.

With stiff competition from the supermarkets some local businesses need to look at how they operate.

Do they have late night shopping? NO
Do they offer reliable access remaining open even when the town is a bit "quiet"? NO
Do the cafes stay open at "tea" time or are they closed?

I went through the town at 5pm today. Most of the shops were closed. All of the independent cafes were closed and the town felt deserted. The area around the Market Square development felt like a ghost town.


There are other concerns including the paralysis of the Charter Trustees who consider themselves little more than ceremonial. This body could be a representative voice for Grantham in the council putting forward ideas to the Policy groups. Instead the Mayor insists on pursuing a purely ceremonial and fund raising role.

It is going to be a challenge fighting for change in Grantham but I think Grantham is worth it. It has loads to offer with its attractive medieval street layout, mix of independent and national stores, theatre, cinema, historic market and historic buildings. Grantham can be great again.

It is going to take honest assessment and new initiatives to do it. Until we get that honest assessment from the councillors involved it will not happen.