Dawlish Discussion

With the '£1.5 million regeneration of Dawlish Strand' underway what do you feel the high street in Dawlish is missing?

Give your opinions on what Dawlish high street is missing, what you feel would create more business, why is the high street not as busy as it could be? 

Is there a group of people age/ gendar, life style, ect that Dawlish doesn't cater for? 

As part of my final year at University we have been asked to create a business plan for our home towns to discover what part of the market is lacking and which consumers are being catered for. All feed back welcome and much appreciated. 

Thanks 

There aren't any fashion clothing shops

Woolworth is missed, by me anyway.

  & Me. 

What about a good cake/pie shop ?

BrightHouse would be good, to go with all the charity shops, furniture on the never never for all the affordable houses being well not built but chucked together on every bit of spare land.

Cash converters to exchange any Giro's that may be handed out

no giros anymore

A good fishmonger.

DIY STORE  ? 

we used to have a fishmonger in Park Rd, also we have Morris Mginns a diy shop.

I mean a good one in Dawlish .

A nice big B&Q  would be nice . good for us builders. 

What's wrong with Morris and McGinn? I find them helpful and prices aren't bad either.  I'd rather buy from them than from sheds like B&Q when I can.

I'd like to see a few decent restaurants, over and above the egg, chips and beans establishments.   Shame Ten Green Bottles didn't last long as a restaurant, it was heading in the right direction.  

Morris and McGinn are really good shame they dont have a place on Shutterton alongside Crockers. Would also like Barclays back and a decent Post Office once more.

Morris and McGinn do not carry enough stock & are to dear for local builders.

Pretty pointless opening anything. people travel, many have 2-3 cars per house! ...and the internet is here.

As for the High Street... you dont get holiday people up there so not a good idea....locals always seem to long for a new business to fail and dont start to support it for about 3 years! .. and as you see above moan about the prices.  So not a good way to make a living as that is what a business is about. 

Nightclub.

Close down Harrisons and then have all night parties there instead. During the summer there could be terrace and beach parties.

World famous DJs and foam parties.

Now that would be very popular and generate a lot of income for the town.

as much as I dont like Harrisons they do bring people into the town and create employment for local people

Morris & McGinn weren't too dear when Richard was behind the counter.

lol, everything was one price !!

Rounded down to the nearest £.

Surely all the shops that are ''missing'' used to be there but closed down due to lack of customers.

Has anyone seen the result of the Mary Portas ''high street regeneration'' scheme, with 2 exceptions all the areas that received the govt funding have continued to decline. High Streets are dying because nobody uses them.

Just bought a book from Amazon for £10 less than the Watersone's price, downloaded another book which is not available as a printed book and a cable from Amazon for £5,90, identical type and quality cable but 2m shorter from PC World was £23,99.

Who misses the ''good old days''???

Not me.

Amazon eh?

Is that the same Amazon that has a 'problem' with paying UK Tax and employs people on zero hours contracts?

http://www.channel4.com/news/anger-at-amazon-working-conditions

http://www.channel4.com/news/amazons-tax-bill-and-government-grants-revealed

Yes you are right but if we can get cheap stuff from them  let them get away with it.

So, it's okay then for certain employers to wriggle out of paying income tax and to pay their employees as little as possible as long as:

1. We can buy things cheaper?

2. We are not the ones employed by these companies?

3. We don't mind these companies not paying the taxes they should with the consequent loss of income to the Treasury and thus monies available to be spent in this country or saved to help reduce the deficit & national debt? 

4. We don't mind, as taxpayers, supplementing whatever wages it is they do pay their employees by way of our funding tax credits and housing benefit and anything else that their employees may need to claim?

Just asking    

Unfortunately Lynne while we might not like the tax arrangements of companies like Amazon, the fact is that they haven't actually broken any laws by doing what they are doing.  These tax laws allowing money to be transferred across borders was originally done to stop companies having to be double taxed if they trade in more than one country.  What they didn't think through was clever tax lawyers advising companies on how to move money around across sometimes multiple borders to somewhere with very low taxes.  Now that this has become a big problem worldwide (ie now countries are in a financial mess and need more tax revenue) they are going to try to cut back on how much of this can be done and sort it out.  But the simple fact is that until the laws change the companies are going to keep doing what they can to reduce how much tax they pay.  And frankly I'm sure we would all do the same given half a chance and they would be stupid not to.  It isn't necessarily moral or fair, but it is legal.  No-one like handing chunks of money to the taxman - why should big businesses be any different?  

So Govts worldwide need to change the tax laws to make sure that these companies cannot get away with paying less tax on profits than a lot of small businesses who can't take advantage of these loopholes.  I will certainly be very happy when they can get it sorted as I think the tax burden should be fair on everyone.

I didn't say they had broken any laws DJ. I am sure that what they are doing tax wise and employment wise is totally within the law. However, as I say, the outcome is that this country loses out financially both in terms of not receiving as much revenue as it might (from taxes) and having to spend more on benefits (to supplement the wages they pay their employees).

Arguably then, taxpayers in this country are not getting such a good deal as they might at first think when they buy these companies' products. 

But as long as people continue to buy from them................

Got to say they have some great bargains at AMAZON. And if we could get away with not paying tax etc we would all do it.  Am i right or am i right ?

No, Lynne, as long as the government continue to leave loopholes in the law.  They won't close them, it'll affect them and their pals.  Don't blame consumers for trying to get the best deal for themselves.  If you dig hard enough you can't find dirt on most companies.  Let's not buy anything from anyone.

Lynne "the zero hours contracts" The reason employers have done this is because If you sack someone or make them redundant you find yourself in a tribunal which costs a minimum of £5000 in costs alone. Its easier to just not invite them back to work again, it has been forced on employers by government rules & the claim culture we seem to have. Many years ago we made someone redundant instead of sacking them, we were trying to be nice, he then would get redundancy money and no bad item to add to his cv, he took us to tribunal on a technicality, he didn't win, we sued him for costs meaning we still get £48/month from him. We closed the company on a technicality (we didn't owe any money), made all employees redundant with no pay out then offered them new employment on 1 hour contracts, who gained out of all that, trust, respect, employee & employer are words that do not go together anymore, just my cynical opinion.

@Andysport. you write from the point of view of an employer. As there are at least two sides to every story here is a point of view from an employee angle.

"Dave Prentis, general secretary of the Unison union, said: "The vast majority of workers are only on these contracts because they have no choice. They may give flexibility to a few, but the balance of power favours the employers and makes it hard for workers to complain.

"Not knowing from week to week what money you have coming in to buy food and pay your bills is extremely nerve-wracking. Having your working hours varied at short notice is also stressful and it makes planning, childcare arrangements and budgeting hard.

"The growing number of zero-hours contracts also calls into question Government unemployment figures. It is clear that many people working on these contracts are not included as unemployed, even if they have no work at all - at the very least we have hundreds of thousands who are under-employed. In turn, this plays havoc with the benefit and tax credit system.

"Unison would like to see the use of these contracts banned - at the very least the Government needs an official investigation to confirm the true scale of the problem."

Er h'rm.  Excuse me, but to get back to the original question ...

What we need, IMHO, is a better choice of fresh food shops.  Someone already mentioned the fresh fish shop that we lost: we could also do with more choice of butchers', greengrocers' etc.

but i'm sure we won't get it.  as @wondering and @wriggler have said, the competition from supermarkets and the www is just too much.

the ones we have are just hanging in there

My question is would you invest thousands opening a new venture in the Strand probably not and why because the decline cant be reversed.  There are of course exeptions Totnes Keswick in Cumbria and why are these high street flourishing because they are interesting diverse and give the people what they want the same cant be said of The Strand, in 10 years it will be empty.

The town centre of Dawlish is a difficult place to run a business from due to most of the property being landlord owned. I for one wouldnt run a business from a rented shop with a seperate domestic rented flat over it.

The banks and building societies need to take a more open view on mixed use property so that families can buy the whole building to both live in and run their business from. At the moment you would need two mortgages one commercial for the shop and one domestic for the upstairs.

I'd like to see a really good deli, and a fish shop, also a book shop (which could double up as an internet cafe).   A wool / craft shop would also be good to have. 

It would be a lot busier if it didn't have so many charity shops all competing with each other.  You need more variety if you want to encourage more shoppers. 

And yet the charity shops are one of the biggest draws for tourists; I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked by visitors in the Strand where they can go to find some more charity shops!

Charity Shops - a reason they are in abundance (not only here but all around the country) is that there is a demand for them? And because there is a demand they are successful?

I mean, if there was no, or very little, demand for them then they would go out of business, wouldn't they? 

(And car boot sales are very popular as well, aren't they?)

In my home town Charatiy Shops are not allowed on the High Street they are all in side streets and you have to really search for them they provide a service but we need vibrant interesting shops lets be honest Sainsburys is more interesting than most of the shops in The Strand

@Lesley, we've had good quality delis, wool shops and fishmongers - all gone.  There's just not enough business to stay open. 

And our unique bookshop (though not an internet cafe) has just packed it in after years of trying.

Ironically the book shop featured in Book Collector Magazine as the 'Bookshop of the Month'. Sadly the magazine promptly went bust, followed in short order by the shop. The net has been progressively killing off the local second-hand book shop and it's a great loss. Browsing online never opens up the possibilities and discoveries a bit of browsing can bring.

A wool shop would be a great idea.

Imagine all the young mums in there, discussing what they are going to knit next before they all go home and cook their husband's dinner ready for him when he comes home after a hard days work.

Lol love it Carer

@Carer

Are they the same single type mums that spend all their time under the canopy at Weatherspoons in Newton, you know the ones drinking larger at 10 in the morning and flicking their fag ash into the row of prams parked in front of the railings. Bet your life they wouldnt have a clue how to cook dinner in fact if it wasent for Mcdonalds they would probably starve. Which probably wouldnt be a bad thing seeing as most of them look like they weigh about 18 stone. God help us 

Not to forget.. .their 'top of the range' smartphone glued permanant in one hand with a fag in the other. Lovely!.

What a horrible vision to go to bed with. Night all

@Carer. perish the thought. 18 stone single mum urgh!!  

@Carer hit the nail on the head at the start. woolworth going out of buisness killed the best part of the town. however looking forward to a future if we are to have a future i thing we would benefit highly from just a couple of well known branded shops. i don't think wool shops ever did will on trade as before we had "busy bobins", "paulas" and a shop where the monky house is now.

However shops such as Peacocks, Wilkinsons and a good Fishmongers would certainly add a little bit of life back in to the Town Centre, I don't know if the Council can apply for these places to consider Dawlish as a location, but it would be great and a much needed lift to the town.

A 18 stone single mum Mmmmmmmmmm  Yes please. A DREAM come true for me .

Do not knock it to you have tried it.

Whats your take on this Carer - Looks like Jools is into belly surfing then

Sounds like.. any port in a storm will do! ..id rather stay out at sea lol.

@Fred.

Dont know, as you were the one who started on about the 18 stone single mums, so it's over to you on this one.

I think you are all forgeting that dawlish has no room for good shops, they are all occupied by junk shops. The good folks of Dawlish give junk to them, only to buy junk from them. They have more cutomers than everyone else. Now we have carnival with stalls selling the same items as other shops, taking money away from them. The shops up queen street and park road don't have a chance with all the antics on the lawn. I know that the one shop in Queen street is fed up with it,  at the end of summer it will be shutting its doors and moving it all to another town. They have tried to get a shop in the strand a couple of times but local landlords wait for charity shops to take them. They don't pay rates and the rent is nomally part subsidised by funding. The people of Dawlish have got to stop giving and buying from the junk shops and then they might just go away. Perhaps rather than have banners in Dawlish saying " SHOP DAWLISH" they should have banners saying " DON'T USE OUR CHARITY SHOPS"

The shop at the bottom of Strand Hill is available to lease at a reasonable rate and anyone with a good idea should approach David Force to enquire or ask advice. It will NOT be available to Charity Shops. If I find the rates too much to cope with whilst looking for a responsible tenant who has a solid idea to keep the premises going I will have to apply to turn it into a maisonette. It will also not be available to any business that would be unsightly or detrimental to the town now that some effort has been put in to tidy up The Strand. If I can get a decent tenant then other shops may follow. The Town Manager should be contacting all small national businesses to ask if they are interested in Dawlish. It is no good sitting around waiting for someone to make enquiries.

I expect there will be comments about evil Landlords, but remember this little shop is supposed to be my pension and as I said before available at a reasonable rent which has been reduced and will be the same as it was in the year 2000.

Im sure it was a charity shop before or was you not the landlord then? The flats above was sold off towards the pension fund aswell? The asking price to rent this shop is £ 6500. a year plus the rates, telephone, public liability insurance, shop insurance, waste disposal which you need by law, electric, water, wages, tax, accontant, stock aswell. So thats at least £2000. a month TWENTY FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS A YEAR before you open the door. What could you sell in that shop which is very small to warrant any kind of business??? 

IF you were working on a third profit on your goods (which is the average) and IF you take in the till £75,000 a year, say £1,500 approx a week. £250 a day, 6 days. You would still be in financial trouble as you need to take something for yourself. Remember people normally take 3 years before they start coming to you,. With regret retail in 2013 is not the best place to spend your money ..may work in a busy town, but must still be risky..

How about a photography shop, photos for sale, printing and developing and a decent fishmonger would be brilliant.

Photography. Digital cameras finished Jessops. Developing is the dark ages. Fishmonger i think has gone from teignmouth with a larger population.

Don't think you know much about photography

@Tracy.

There was a Photogrphy Shop in Park Road next to Breaking Wind. He sold matted & framed prints and greetings cards of is photos.

Other various items were on sale also. It didnt last long.

@Carer - but he didn't do printing or developing  which is what @Tracy mentions and as far as i'm aware he did give up the retail premises for various reasons, and it wasn't just about not selling enough photos

Printing and developing in Queen Street been there as long as i can remember 30 years or more.

Yes, Dawlish News does photo developing and next door, Vivian Gallery, does assorted prints, picture framing etc (or at least used to, I've not bought a picture recently).