Is Formby's Village Canter doomed?

FORMBY has been a hidden gem for many years, due to its own independently local owned shops and businesses. That local nature gave the Village, and the once many non-Village Centre shops, a truly unique feel, which in turn has made the area into a true shopping haven for locals and tourists alike. The area from the 80's into early 2003, had, not one but several locally owned butchers, a few small hardware stores, dry cleaning, key cutting, clock repairers, jewellers, health food shops, a bakery, toy and bike shops, health stores, gift shops and many more. These businesses not only took money in from the local area, but also gave it back, resulting in many local events, sports' and social clubs benefiting from their support because most of that money was mainly spent locally by staff and owners. It is not simply the fault of the internet that Village trade has dropped, but it has contributed to it, as many businesses appear to have failed to adapt. In Formby, it is also a case of the Council's miss management of the Village. Too often they seemed to have systematically targeted local shops with such things as enforcement orders which prevented trades like the fruit and Vegetable displays on the massive pavements. There has been over enforcement of the signage rules coupled to an apparent lack of consultation, or even an understanding of the parking issues in the area. Add to that, a long list of other failures, it is no wonder that the rot started. The fact not 1 but 5 superstores were allowed to open between 1990 and 2000, one is now a nationally owned fitness centre! This has lead to the area losing its colour and life over a prolonged period of time causing the footfall to drop. Added to that are the successive rent increases by landlords, who seem too often over value the property, thus forcing businesses to close; many seem to have a reluctance to let to small businesses, through terms that cripple the growth of those businesses. All this has led to a rapid decline in the number of small local shops, with many non-central area shops closing for good, as on Edinburgh Road Raven Meols with some turned into houses and only a hair designer, "Gemini Hair Design", remaining. This loss has also impacted on the community, who now often, as being elderly, are forced to commute by car, or rely on local transport services, some charity run, to go out and do shopping. The loss of the small businesses has also led, not only to a decline in our areas unique identity, but also to the loss of its media, for the Formby Times , which was 1st published in 1893, along with others, as advertisement has dwindled. The loss of local media, that is funded via advertisements, at 1st glance might may not look bad, but it is another piece of our history that has gone causing our community to lose its voice and own identity. The internet has also had a role, with sites like ours affecting hardcopy, but even we are struggling to keep things local and keep funded. In part the reluctance by the remaining small businesses not to use or support local media via paid advertisement is putting added pressure on the remaining accredited media outlets like us. This is a very viscous circle, which, without government or local council support, will see local voices in the media getting lost, for national groups tend only to play with national groups and put prices well out of the reach of small local independent businesses. But if you are a small business, do you use the limited cash for an advertisement in the hopes that local people respond by coming in or use it to pay staff now and worry about funds tomorrow? Government is also to blame, by only helping new business to set up with grants and forgetting to help viable businesses who are already trading, yet struggling with short term problems due to showing a debit when applying for the very small number of grants available, that is if they are eligible or can afford to pay it back! Banks are also to blame for the fall in local businesses, by putting ever increasing hurdles in the way, so when businesses are in trouble, they see it as a way to generate profit in the short term or they are just not interested! The focus on national businesses and lack of understanding or thought about local business, not only risks the country being controlled by multi nationals, or foreign governments, but also more importantly it takes the cash out of local areas and out of the UK.                   ...continued...

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