Work started this week on the car park in Seahouses. The work will apparently take 16 weeks. It will cover 3 bank holiday weekends, the School Easter holidays and one half term. And the start of the main holiday season.
So exactly when the businesses in Seahouses need to make money to last them through the year, visitors will find it hard if not impossible to park. It’s hard to understand what went through the mind of (forgive the politics, Lib-Dem controlled) Berwick Council when planning this work. The driving force of the economy of this area is tourism. Tourism needs visitors, and it needs visitors to leave their cars and spend money. That is what car parks are for. Visitors tend to come during the holiday season, and the car park has since last October been largely empty (and will be largely empty again in 7 months time). So why now? I doubt if it’s a strategic plan to regenerate other parts of Berwick at the expense of Seahouses: I suspect it’s just a failure to appreciate how the real world works. It’s a further sign of the enormous disconnect between the governed and the governing.
One of the main paragraphs in my campaign leaflet was going to be:
Support for Business:
A vibrant local economy is fundamental to improving our well-being. In this area, tourism is of particular importance and we will encourage investment and support local businesses with publicity and by ensuring Council policies are business - friendly.
I was worried that this paragraph represented an important sentiment but was just meaningless words. But the issue of the car park shows they do have meaning and the sentiment has to be driven into how the Council thinks. You need people who care about business to make that happen.
So exactly when the businesses in Seahouses need to make money to last them through the year, visitors will find it hard if not impossible to park. It’s hard to understand what went through the mind of (forgive the politics, Lib-Dem controlled) Berwick Council when planning this work. The driving force of the economy of this area is tourism. Tourism needs visitors, and it needs visitors to leave their cars and spend money. That is what car parks are for. Visitors tend to come during the holiday season, and the car park has since last October been largely empty (and will be largely empty again in 7 months time). So why now? I doubt if it’s a strategic plan to regenerate other parts of Berwick at the expense of Seahouses: I suspect it’s just a failure to appreciate how the real world works. It’s a further sign of the enormous disconnect between the governed and the governing.
One of the main paragraphs in my campaign leaflet was going to be:
Support for Business:
A vibrant local economy is fundamental to improving our well-being. In this area, tourism is of particular importance and we will encourage investment and support local businesses with publicity and by ensuring Council policies are business - friendly.
I was worried that this paragraph represented an important sentiment but was just meaningless words. But the issue of the car park shows they do have meaning and the sentiment has to be driven into how the Council thinks. You need people who care about business to make that happen.
3 comments:
I find it quite sad that the power at Berwick Council fail to have the common sense to halt these works until after the main holiday season as you have suggested. It is completely stupid. The locals have once again not been taken into consideration. Local businesses who have a limited season may find their takings down this year and will they be reimbursed? I wonder..
Last year was quite disruptive also in Seahouses with the new apartments being built. The same people who came last year may return and wonder why they did.
C xx
Aren't they putting in pretty flowers to stop the boy racers?
I think they are, although I wonder if that will simply be a pretty chicane for them?
And I still don't know why it couldn't have been done in winter (although given this weekend's weather perhaps it is)- or next winter.
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