Campaigning for Strood Highsteet and local traders

Cllr Hubbard and local Labour campaigners who have been working with our local Labour MP, Bob Marshall-Andrews are celebrating after strood tory councillors buckled under pressure from traders, residents and labour activists to confirm the move of the market to Commercial Road in August 2007. However, much work remains with small independent shops threatened by the closure of the Strood Civic Centre, and Tory policies which are leading to the closure of friendly independent traders in favour of Supermarkets

Strood Market threatened

Traders in Strood market had been under severe threat since being informed they will have to vacate the current site for the new Aldi development. The tories allowed Aldi to develop by allowing planning permission after the land was sold [by an indendent company], but had not agreed on a settlement for the traders who had been using the site. Indeed traders only found out about the threat when Tory councillors appeared in the local press congratulating themselves on another supermarket chain moving to the high street. Following increasingly vague answers from the Conservative portfolio holder for regeneration and local tory councillor, Labour campaigners started a petition on behalf of residents, local business and market traders to put pressure on the tories to act in the interest of Strood residents and confirm an alternate site for the market.

Commenting on the movement of the market, Tristan Osborne (pictured at market) stated.

"The market movement has been a combined success of residents and traders working with local Labour Councillors and our MP. Small shops and local markets are extremely important to a community and we must stop the Conservative policy of unplanned development with massive faceless stores."

Read more on this from the Medway Standard article from the 22nd April 2007

Petition for Strood small shops

Local residents are also concerned with the lack of coherent policy has led to an influx of larger, chain stores which are leading to the ruin of local business and the homogenisation of the high street. The council has waved through more supermarkets for Strood then you would find in a town five times the size. Netto, Aldi, Morrisons & Tesco.

          

Labour have completed a petition to safeguard small shops in Strood. The petition was signed by residents and local shop keepers and presented to the Tory Controlled Council in November 2008 for them to take notice. Small shops are at the heart of our high streets and town centres. They offer diversity and choice and provide a really personal service to Strood residents.The Conservative administration on Medway Council has been a significant driver to the destruction and loss of trade on Strood highstreet. The council has stiffled the development of business through a rising burden of local regulation and tax, and has failed to control the battle against graffiti and crime. In addition, the rushed closure of the Civic Centre has had significant effects on passing trade and many firms are struggling to keep heads above water.

Strood Action Plan: Where is it?

Despite numerous petitions and representation from the residents of Strood the Council’s Conservative Cabinet has failed to produce the promised action plan for the Town Centre. They are still in no hurry to do so, leaving traders and shoppers alike in limbo. The plan should include retail, transport and housing measures:

Councillor Stephen Hubbard states that,

'I’ve been working with the independent store owners on Strood High Street and outside the town centre to try and get the Council to realise the problems that they face. There’s not even a proper town plan in place, which means everything’s happening without any thought to what residents need, or what the town will look like in 10 years time'

"The Tories complete lack of any cogerent strategy means that Strood Town Centre, is in there eyes, exiting in a parallel universe where the credit crunch, current economic downturn and Woolworths’ closure is not happening. Strood may ‘only’ have lost 0.76% of its annual retail expenditure when the Civic Centre closed, but that is £760,000 per year, year on year"

"We now have Matalan and Netto, but that makes it harder for the smaller independent traders, and if Wilkinsons, Aldi and a super Tesco arrive, it will be even tougher. I’ve spoken with smaller traders in and near to Strood High Street, and they’re fed up with Medway Council’s lack of action. Earlier this year the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary, all independent traders, resigned from Strood’s Town Centre Forum in protest."

The Tories have ignored residents and have not produced a coherent Strood Plan or any initiative to help traders and residents of Strood.