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Friday, 3rd September 2010

Campaign to save our towns

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Published Date: 08 April 2009
Thriving shops are the lifeblood of any town and it is vital we take action to keep them open.
Boarded-up stores blight our high streets – a fact that was forcefully brought home to many towns with the demise of Woolworths.

Today the Ripley and Heanor News is launching a new campaign to get behind our shopkeepers and the groups striving to keep our towns alive.

We will be including a variety of special features in the paper from now until Christmas – all with the aim of protecting our towns.

We will be staging a competition in association with the Derbyshire Building Society to find our favourite shop assistant; there will be a chance for traders to enter themselves for special awards; and we will be also be putting our weight behind the county council's latest initiative to get people shopping locally.

We want to write special features on our success stories and help to fill some of the empty stores by making sure everyone knows what great towns Ripley, Heanor and Alfreton could be in which to shop and work.

Paul Jones, Heanor borough councillor on Amber Valley council, said: "I fully endorse this campaign and think it is an excellent idea.
"It is like the old saying goes; use it or lose it.

"Not only does shopping in your town safeguard businesses it is also more environmentally friendly to use your feet rather than your car.

"Shopping locally also keeps jobs in the local area. By shopping in Heanor, Ripley or Alfreton you could be helping to safeguard your neighbours' jobs."

Juliette Blake, leader of Ripley Town Council, said: "This is a fantastic initiative for Ripley and I welcome it with open arms.
"The town council is trying to do what it can to make the town better and this kind of thing is just what we want.

"If people shopped in their local town rather than the big cities it would reduce the carbon footprint and help independent traders to survive.

"People need to realise that they have fantastic facilities right on their doorstep. Independent traders' livelihoods depend on them offering the customer a great product and good service so that's what you get.

"If everybody gave their local town a try I'm sure many would be pleasantly surprised."

Give us your thoughts on how we can keep out towns vibrant by leaving a comment on this story.

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  • Last Updated: 09 April 2009 9:43 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Ripley & Heanor
 
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Ripley gardener,

Marehayside 09/04/2009 00:22:08
"Ambervalue" must be Ripleys success story as it started in a shop which was a corridor next to Woolworths it now occupies both the corridor and the Woolworths store!

How ever the shop in the corridor where you queued to shop must follow in the tradition layed down by Horace Bourne Iron Moungers Oxford Street Ripley (now occupied by Hurst the chemist photo dept), and, Gerald Parker Fish and Chips, Derby road Ripley. At both establishments service did not commence until a queue had formed!
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RIPLEY SHOPPER,

RIPLEY 09/04/2009 21:12:19
Well done Ripley News for promoting shopping in Ripley
The Council does`nt seem to care and bother, and it`s obvious that Paul Jones and Juliette Blake dont shop in Ripley unless they want something to eat or drink after 8pm The town is full of Take Aways just look round the Co-Op sqare and towards Beiton St. Were do you get DIY materials, Electric materials, Stationary,
fullrange of magazines like G.T.news use to sell Thank goodness for Franks warehouse and Amber Value. Its a good job most of us have got cars so we can take our money else were Ripley use to have the best market for miles look at it now is it 5 or 6 stalls on a good day.
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buyfromlocal,

IRONVILLE 10/04/2009 09:14:45
i know someone who recently got made redundant from a shoe shop in alfreton i know for a fact if the landlords had helped more with rent and rates they would still be open today they replied if we do it for one we will be expected to help with others
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joooy,

heanor 14/04/2009 17:14:52
lmao..what a stupid campaign,,in heanor they build the shopping mall thing,,housing all the top stores..argos,aldi.betano;s..home bargains,peacocks and In Store,,all these stores could have taken up old shops ,,round the market and kept the town alive,,but the council havent got a clue...when the market was designed,,why all the silly tree's and bollards ? the market should have been kept as an open space..to much parking has been lost at the top end of the town.......and as for the market,why have onlt 4 stalls paying approx 30 quid each,,,when 12 stalls at 10 quid each would breath new life in this key area.......and look at all the money being wasted on keep upgrading the Heanor Masterplan scheme...and munday street school would be the perfect place for the libruary,instead of 6 new houses....but this council is inept and incompitent to see this...no need to keep building new,,plenty of scope in a lot of the old buildings....but then again,,,ripley will get all the cash as usual..and they still moan in ripley
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2472,

Heanor 28/04/2009 08:39:01
Joooy from Heanor may be right about the market and new emphasis is needed to encourage new traders to stand and encourage greater footfall into our Town Centre. Where I disagree is on the national brands occupying the retail park opposite Tesco. Retailers demand a minimum amount of space before they will occupy and many of the vacant and existing shop premises in the centre are simply too small because they were built for a different age. I commend the newspaper campaign however believe that retailers are not the only asset for a vibrant centre. More emphasis is required for agreeing other uses for vacant premises such that would attract small businesses and community enterprises in turn encouraging a greater social use in our Town Centres. As national brands only want to operate out of larger retail spaces then we must think outside of the planning box and plan the place for different uses today. A strong social use is what makes a town strong today not just shops.
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DibbyF,

Heanor 28/04/2009 13:31:34
I agree with both comments about a) campaigning for our local shopkeeper and also giving the opportunity for retailers and social activity to thrive.

The problem I have is with the Heanor Master Plan. Who monitors this plan and puts the pressure on to ensure it is executed?

It seems that many local authority plans and strategies are well thought out but where's the action?

I have lived in Heanor only two years and understand that regeneration takes a while to be established but I can't see where they've even made an effort.

I also want to hear from the council and other public service providers, where's the chance for local people to have their say and influence decision making. If you read the real power, real people white paper from the government, you should have mechanisms in place to do this...... maybe then heanor town centre so called master plan might move a little quicker and might be built in line with the need of local people
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Cllr Kevin Parkinson,

Heanor 13/05/2009 10:52:03
A great deal of work by our officers and members has already occurred behind the scenes through the regeneration boards chaired by Amber Valley Borough Council. The focus has been to get the necessary partners behind the plan and push our agenda forward through their own organisations.

Stephen Jackson our regeneration officer has delivered some strong bids and we are securing much needed investment like offering assistance to landlords wishing to upgrade property and I am hoping in the coming months that we will be able to continue with upgrading the paths and walkways in the town.

It is the main regeneration board made up from elected members of the local and county council and members of the public who monitors your master plan and places the pressure on the physical regeneration board to deliver the design, construction and economic improvements you said you wanted to see delivered.

As the chair of this physical board I am supported by a resident of Heanor as our public member, local businesses and county council officers and we have been working with businesses and the college on establishing many new projects. Equally a lot of effort has gone into encouraging the County Council to agree the final decision over the relief road.

We are at a stage where the Town needs to know if the funding is to be approved and if the answer is no then at least we can start to progress with some of the larger ambitions without a relief road. Any more delays by County in releasing this statement simply hinder the Towns planning future.

I was responsible for pushing forward the master plan which received input from over 600 residents so I am confident that we have listened to the needs of local people and remain committed to ensuring we receive the necessary local and regional support to turn our plan into a long term reality.

If anyone has any questions or suggestions about the work we are doing then please contact myself or Stephen Jackson at the Council, first
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Cllr Kevin Parkinson,

Heanor 13/05/2009 10:54:40
If anyone has any questions or suggestions about the work we are doing then please contact myself or Stephen Jackson at the Council, first.lastname@ambervalley.gov.uk 01773 570222 or if you prefer my personal contact number is 01159309699.

Cllr Kevin Parkinson
Chair Heanor Physical Regeneration
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