Retail

We will endeavour to help successful local businesses to remain so, and to attract ethical and sustainable new businesses to the area, including lobbying to make business rates and rents fair for all.

Equally, the last two decades have seen accelerating changes in the nature of retail, such that the model of large chain stores and shopping centres are on the wane, with consumers making more of their purchases online and expecting them to be delivered to their door. In light of this, we would like to see traditional retail space usefully repurposed to provide:

• shared work spaces, with facilities for printing, photocopying, scanning, 3D printing, teleconferencing, in-person meetings, etc.
• community spaces for classes, workshops, exhibitions, rehearsals, performances, etc.
• makerspaces
• art and music studios
• swap shops
• repair shops
• leisure and entertainment opportunities
• green spaces
• homes

 

Modes of Travel

The changing nature of our town centres is a major opportunity to reshape the ways in which people travel to, from and within them.

We would like to see a typical visit to and from a town centre made by an active travel mode or public transport, and every town centre to be accessible to all. An increase in pedestrianised space is key to this, but it is clear that some residents are deeply sceptical about efforts which seek to get them out of their cars, hence it would have to be brought about in such a way as to get them on board with the proposals. Likewise, we would like to help to facilitate, where appropriate, last-mile delivery using zero-emission e-cargo bikes and ultra-low emission electric vehicles.

Noting that public transport is already good in specific places, especially Wimbledon, we would seek to introduce local, shuttle bus routes following spoke-type routes around town centres in order to ease access for people with mobility difficulties, families with young children, etc.

Having established viable alternatives to using the car to access our town centres, it will become possible to reduce the capacity of the large car parks, potentially using the space for more congenial and productive purposes, such as open markets. More importantly, it will become possible to reduce the width of carriageway dedicated to larger motor vehicles through our centres, freeing up space for pedestrians, cycles, cargo bikes, mobility scooters, small-format vehicles, on-street trading, al-fresco dining, and leisure and entertainment opportunities. Indeed, in the face of rapidly changing climate conditions, it will become possible to create an ambient microclimate in the heart of each town centre through cultivating extensive tree cover to provide a green canopy, which will complement climate mitigation and adaptation measures like rain gardens and green walls and roofs.