News
13th Nov 2008
Team Burgess Hill
This morning I attended a meeting of representatives from the BH Chamber of Commerce and the Town Clerk, David Carden, and Gary Wall, a Cabinet member of MSDC.
It was clear at the meeting that retailers are struggling at the moment and trying to come up with ways of bringing more people into the town centre to shop. 'Footfall' is down on previous years in all the town centres of Mid-Sussex, as they struggle to compete with out of town retail developments.
As we all wait for news of the town centre regeneration decisions, it is clear that retailers in Burgess Hill could do with assistance from the business community. In days past they benefited from the Erikkson minibuses, which brought a regular flow of workers into the town centre and boosted the local retail trade. Recent attempts by BHTC to get sponsorship from companies for such a scheme came to nothing, although we had the buses available.
David Carden is correct when he says that the way forward in Burgess Hill is with a collective (Team Burgess Hill ) approach. Anything less will lead to the sort of indecision and consequent lack of progress evident in another town slightly north of here.
It is important that this growing town is not divided and that the business parks do not become detached from the town centre, which would hasten the end of the small independent trader. If you can help with sponsorship of minibuses into town at lunchtimes, let me know.
Please also encourage employees to have a look in the town at lunchtimes; they would find a surprising number of interesting shopping outlets there. They need your business.
