As there are so many shops in town now empty and landlords desperate an offer to take over a shop and just pay the business rates may be an idea for the club to look at Help build relationships with Gwent dragons and NRC WRU invite them to share and spread costs

Sell merchandise Sell tickets have a Physio there drop in clinic

Just a few ideas

UPTHEPORT wrote:As there are so many shops in town now empty and landlords desperate an offer to take over a shop and just pay the business rates may be an idea for the club to look at Help build relationships with Gwent dragons and NRC WRU invite them to share and spread costs

Sell merchandise Sell tickets have a Physio there drop in clinic

Just a few ideas

I work for the council and will defend them as much as possible but the reason those units are empty are because the rental costs are just so high!

Bush wrote:

UPTHEPORT wrote:As there are so many shops in town now empty and landlords desperate an offer to take over a shop and just pay the business rates may be an idea for the club to look at Help build relationships with Gwent dragons and NRC WRU invite them to share and spread costs

Sell merchandise Sell tickets have a Physio there drop in

I work for the council and will defend them as much as possible but the reason those units are empty are because the rental costs are just so high!

That's what I'm getting at they are better off having one taken on and just pay the rates than nothing at all

UPTHEPORT wrote:

Bush wrote:

UPTHEPORT wrote:As there are so many shops in town now empty and landlords desperate an offer to take over a shop and just pay the business rates may be an idea for the club to look at Help build relationships with Gwent dragons and NRC WRU invite them to share and spread costs

Sell merchandise Sell tickets have a Physio there drop in

I work for the council and will defend them as much as possible but the reason those units are empty are because the rental costs are just so high!

That's what I'm getting at they are better off having one taken on and just pay the rates than nothing at all

My Issue would be knowing there are local business' who want those units but are priced out of it it would be a real kick in the teeth for them if the council offered those units cheaper to us. Ideally they would lower the rent and encourage more business' into the city anyway but for some reason they don't. I work in education so not my remit! ha

Do the council own all the buildings mate because a private landlord may jump at that offer the building is at least getting looked after and rates paid

UPTHEPORT wrote:Do the council own all the buildings mate because a private landlord may jump at that offer the building is at least getting looked after and rates paid

Im no expert mate but I think I mean the business rates not the rent.

We're having a complete Club shop revamp, full FBT branding, refresh of the stock......why would we want to move to another location?
One minute people describe RP as "central" and the next minute people want a shop "in town"...... either a revamped outlet at RP is suitable or it isn't.
Mind you, I'll believe in the shop revamp when I see it. Remember, everything is meant to be in place ready for the START of the new season, by which time, all the stock will be in, and anyone waiting will have received any kit paid for.

I'm not sure a shop in town would provide anything that a "central" Rodney Parade can't...

Cardiff City had to close their "shop in town" because it wasn't selling anything, and Cardiff's stadium is much much further from their town than Newport's stadium is from their's.

All of the upper floors of empty city centre retail units should to be converted into flats. I know its far worse than 30 years ago, but even then in a busy town centre most upper floors were left empty.

If you look at comparable towns and cities in Europe they all have flats above shops, providing customers for shops below and a vibrancy that makes centres popular places to be.

It seems local authorities are not prepared to acknowledge that crippling shop owners with Business Rates is creating these wastelands.

Bush wrote:

UPTHEPORT wrote:Do the council own all the buildings mate because a private landlord may jump at that offer the building is at least getting looked after and rates paid

Im no expert mate but I think I mean the business rates not the rent.

You really are no expert. Rents are set by private businesses and rates by HMRC.

whoareya wrote:All of the upper floors of empty city centre retail units should to be converted into flats. I know its far worse than 30 years ago, but even then in a busy town centre most upper floors were left empty.

If you look at comparable towns and cities in Europe they all have flats above shops, providing customers for shops below and a vibrancy that makes centres popular places to be.

It seems local authorities are not prepared to acknowledge that crippling shop owners with Business Rates is creating these wastelands.

Trouble is that it's not local authorities that set the rates. They calculate them on the basis of rateable value which they don't set. So their hands are tied.

Caradog wrote:

Bush wrote:

UPTHEPORT wrote:Do the council own all the buildings mate because a private landlord may jump at that offer the building is at least getting looked after and rates paid

Im no expert mate but I think I mean the business rates not the rent.

You really are no expert. Rents are set by private businesses and rates by HMRC.

Well whoever it is all I know is small business who are desperate for those units can’t afford them.

whoareya wrote:All of the upper floors of empty city centre retail units should to be converted into flats. I know its far worse than 30 years ago, but even then in a busy town centre most upper floors were left empty.

If you look at comparable towns and cities in Europe they all have flats above shops, providing customers for shops below and a vibrancy that makes centres popular places to be.

It seems local authorities are not prepared to acknowledge that crippling shop owners with Business Rates is creating these wastelands.

most don't have fire exits (entry and exit through the shop) and owners will not pay to have them installed

penycwm county wrote:

whoareya wrote:All of the upper floors of empty city centre retail units should to be converted into flats. I know its far worse than 30 years ago, but even then in a busy town centre most upper floors were left empty.

If you look at comparable towns and cities in Europe they all have flats above shops, providing customers for shops below and a vibrancy that makes centres popular places to be.

It seems local authorities are not prepared to acknowledge that crippling shop owners with Business Rates is creating these wastelands.

most don't have fire exits (entry and exit through the shop) and owners will not pay to have them installed

All of which are achievable if there is an incentive to do so. Failing that, compulsory purchase empty/derelict premises and convert them into social housing.

compulsory purchase of private property ! at what cost to the Council ? where do they get this money from ?