Empty shops tell a sad tale of High Street woe
Holly Black, Billericay & Wickford Gazette, 29 April 2009 

Council plans £125million rescue package to lift traders out of gloom

AS you wander the length of Wickford High Street you can't help but notice the sad-looking, vacant shops.
   There are more than half a dozen empty shops in the town centre.
   Kim Heudebourck, 45, owns Tickled Pink Gifts, which sits opposite shops that have been empty for 18 months.
   She said: "People think there's not that much in Wickford because there are so many empty shops."
   An average of 11 per cent of high street shops are sitting empty in towns up and down the country and the Government, in a bid to bring back the spark we are lacking, has suggested art galleries, makeshift cafes and social enterprise schemes.
   This comes as Basildon District Council announces they are one step closer to launching a major regeneration project to shape up the whole town, investing £125million in retail, leisure and health services.

Activities for kids
   Kim said: "It would be good to have shops filled rather than empty, but not an art gallery In my old town they used to have activities for kids and craft classes, that would be a good idea."
   Lynne Bavin, 56, of Garbett Chemist, added: "I do think it would be better to have a shop that has got something in it rather than it standing empty. It's a shame when shops close, we've got to hang on to our high streets."
   Other measures could include offering short-term leases, speeding up planning procedures and extra powers for councils to take over vacant properties.
   But many traders feel the most important thing is making sure the right traders are encouraged.
   Shirley Bailey, 56, of Moore's Shoe Repairs, said: "We need to put something in these spaces that is going to draw people into town and an art gallery is not going to do that."
   Shopper Lesley Henley, 52, agreed. She said: "No more coffee shops, charity shops or banks. We need something new, but I don't know if that will happen because all the individual shops seem to go under."

Grand designs to put the town back on the map
   THE recession has failed to kill off a major rejuvenation project that could drag a. tired town centre into the 21st century
   The £125million multi-pronged attack on Wickford - looking at health, housing, retail, parking, leisure and employment - is still on track despite so many other re-developments being put on hold.
   The council has invited developer Community Solutions for Regeneration to submit their final tender for the scheme, with a view to officially signing them up as development partner in July.
Wickford will undergo a massive overhaul, gaining a new swimming pool and fitness centre, community centre, health centre and library
   More than 650 homes will be built and a new retail quarter with car park are planned.
   Public realm improvements will make the town more attractive, safer and make it feel more integrated, and "around 500 jobs are expected to be created.