Summary
Cheltenham high street has been hit with a spate of shop closures in recent months – and now residents are fed up with the ‘shabby’ state of the town centre. The historic Regency town was hit with a massive blow at the start of this year when flagship store, Cavendish House, closed on the Promenade after trading continuously for more than 200 years.
Details
Earlier this summer, other traders along the Promenade reflected on the impact that the closure of the former department store has had on the once-busy shopping street, saying they felt ‘forgotten about’ . But it’s not only the Promenade that has been struggling.
Just round the corner, on Cheltenham High Street, more and more premises have been vacated and left empty, boarded up, with ‘To Let’ signs displayed outside. Even the shops left behind don’t seem to be thriving. When I visited recently during a Friday lunchtime, shopping centre Regent Arcade felt like a ghost town.
Popular high-street retailers like The Body Shop and fashion brand Apricot were empty, while others like Schuh or The Card Factory were quiet. One of the biggest gripes Cheltenham shoppers seem to have is the number of chain coffee shops that fill the high street, replacing more useful sites such as clothing shops.
One local Lauren Stemp, said: “There’s not much variety in the shops anymore, it’s literally just all coffee shops. As soon as something shuts, another coffee chain opens. We don’t need it.
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“You can come in for a coffee or a bite to eat, there’s loads of nice bakeries, but shopping is pretty dire now. We need more clothing shops, I think that’s my main issue. There’s not really anywhere to shop here anymore.” Lauren said she is planning to go shopping in Bristol next week because of the lack of options in Cheltenham.
Taking a stroll down the high street, it’s not hard to agree with her. Over the span of less than half a mile, between the Brewery Quarter and Roxy Lanes, I count no fewer than five chain coffee shops, as well as a McDonald’s, a Burger King, a KFC – and seven betting shops and arcades. David Lewis, from Bishop’s Cleeve, has been coming to Cheltenham since he was a child – and says the town centre is “a shambles” now.
He said: “I come in as rarely as possible. It’s shabby, it’s a shambles. It’s awful, really.
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One local Lauren Stemp, said: “There’s not much variety in the shops anymore, it’s literally just all coffee shops. As soon as something shuts, another coffee chain opens. We don’t need it.
Report source: Gloucestershire Live
