A blight on any town are boarded up and obviously defunct shops, with all of the sense of failure and decline they carry and present.
The issue of empty shop units in Oban is high on the agenda of the town’s proposed new Business Improvement District (BID).
BID co-ordinator Pauline Cameron emphasises that there is provision in the Business Plan not only for the BID itself to work on minimizing the impact of empty shop units but also for it to take on a co-ordinating role for other organisations in dealing with the problem.
Speaking after the matter was raised with her last week, she says:
‘The BID’s vision is to create a vibrant and vital town centre. Empty shop units clearly don’t contribute towards achieving that.
‘Right from the start the Steering Group wanted this issue to feature in the Business Plan, and it does. We all understand the negative impact of empty shops on Oban’s trading environment, and the BID will do all it can to tackle the situation.’
If the ballot is successful and the BID gets the go-ahead, it will address empty shop units in two main ways.
Firstly, the Business Plan allocates £14,000 towards window displays and window cleaning for empty shop frontage. The BID company will work with property owners and their estate agents to make the vacant premises as attractive as possible.
The BID would co-ordinate available window space and parties seeking to use it and ensure the proposed displays are of a type and quality to meet the requirements of the scheme. It would also work with the Council to ensure that any temporary use would not be sufficient to trigger a claim that the premises were now occupied and therefore fully rateable.
Then the BID would seek to facilitate dialogue with property owners on the temporary use of shops by community and/or art groups – or indeed by commercial operations. This second way in which the BID would tackle empty shop units is pro-actively encouraging the uptake of vacant premises by acting as a first port of call for all enquiries on the availability of commercial property within the area.
The BID would host an ‘Oban commercial properties’ database on its website, which would include vacant properties’ addresses, available space, rates and estate agent contact details.
Pauline Cameron says:
‘Feedback suggests that having all this information in one place would be a great help to new or re-locating businesses, and similar databases have worked well in other BID areas.
‘Obviously none of our plans can proceed until a successful ballot is secured and a BID Company established. However, while the ballot process is ongoing we are looking to see how we might improve the visual impact of several empty units in the short term.’
Confirmation of the BID’s intention to tackle the issue of empty shop units was welcomed by Argyll and Bute’s Lead Councillor for Oban, Lorn and the Isles, Louise Glen-Lee, saying:
‘The Business Plan was drawn up after lengthy consultation with potential Levy-payers in order to ensure that it targets those areas which matter most to the local business community.
‘I am delighted that – as a result – the BID promises to lead the way on improving Oban’s economy through a practical approach to addressing the real issues facing our town, such as empty shop units.
‘I very much hope that the ballot is successful and that this work can get off the ground as soon as possible.’
This is positive and will hit the nail right on the head as so many empty premises gives a wrong impression of a beautiful hard wotking town. Good luck to BidOban and councillors to get this in the right direction.
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I hope this goes forward successfully.
I congratulate all those businesses with floral displays, Aulay’s Bar being probably the best example. They show what can be done. The other side of the coin are those premises needing some TLC. It’s so easy to accept lower standards through familiarity, but our visitors see Oban with fresh eyes and notice those grubbier parts. Can we aim higher, smarten our bit of town up and keep it clean.?
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Helensburgh has the same problem, and already this month three more shops have announced closure — all blaming the Council’s business rates.
But to my mind the problem is parking. We will not the footfall until Council car parks are free, as in Dumbarton and, I believe, a certain Lochgilphead.
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Business rates are killing Helensburgh. It won’t get any better when Waitrose opens and takes a lot of the custom away from the town centre. Can Helensburgh support anymore Charity shops because that’s the only type of business (charity) that can afford these rates.
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How can business rates be used as an excuse when shops are currently getting 100% rates relief? Goodness me!
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Donald Fullarton (or those that he speaks about) does not appear to know a great deal about business rates when he states “already this month three more shops have announced closure — all blaming the Council’s business rates”.
The level of business rates (Non Domestic Rates)is set by the Scottish Government each year and not by local authorities, and the rateable value of any property is set by the Assessor with Dunbartonshire and Argyll & Clyde Valuation Joint Board.
It should also be pointed out that although the Non Domestic Rates are collected by local authorities, these are collected on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Here endeth the lesson on “business rates”.
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George,
Correct me if I am wrong but is it not the case that ‘not for profit organisations’ enjoy a rates holiday?
Also, arn’t lower rated shops effectively exemted under a Scottish Government rebate scheme while medium rated ones enjoy reduced charges?
The forementioned being so, maybe the problem lies elsewhere.
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The SAA Portal provides all Scotland Valuation Rolls & Council Tax Lists on-line http://www.saa.gov.uk/
A Brief Guide to Non-Domestic Rates
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/11199/brief-guide
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Small Business Bonus Scheme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzEdaa67F3Q&feature=player_embedded
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/11199/Scheme
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Would a way forward be to tax an empty shop
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Is a private landlord excempt from paying rates on his property if he rents to a charity shop.
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The problem with Helensburgh is a lack of car parking. When will councillors and council officials wake-up and realise the problem.
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Campbeltown has umpteen empty shops , the main reason in my opinion being the lack of parking in or near the town centre which encouages people to go to the supermarkets .
Councillors have agreed to close local toilets but have been unwilling to provide a proper car park in the town centre . Until we have a pro business council and administration in Holyrood the situation will only get worse no matter how many town centre managers they employ .
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We must learn from the fact that the ‘Tesco factor’ has killed the main streets of our towns. We cant turn the clock back, but (politically)locally and nationally that trend can be reversed through better future planning to reinvigorate town centres. Town centre managers can be a positive link meanwhile till the nescessary actions are in place whether its car parking, rates relief or any other assistance.
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The ‘Tesco Factor’ extends way beyond large supermarkets grabbing all the trade by fair means or foul.
It’s truly astonishing that the Amazon online retail giant can get away with dodging tax by laundering their profits through Luxembourg in their mission to undercut local bookshops and drive them to the wall. In the current financial climate the pressure can only grow for people to shop as economically as possible, and for government to recover all the taxes due – and foster local employment – so what’s the game?
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Good points Robert re Amazon. Wasnt totally aware of that situation. Government should work to close that loophole.
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