Forum Topic

Regenerating high road retail

Does the report consider traffic flows/access from different parts of Chiswick too? I live  south of the A4 and in past 5 years found it easier/quicker for a big shop to drive to Sheen Waitrose or Sainsbury superstore  (With carparks) than cross two main roads both involving queues to get to the other  side of the High Road.  So I no longer get to browse the High Road shops anymore.  Public transport takes a minimum of 30 minutes (walk and bus) each way to High Road so not a “pop out and browse“ option .

Liz Hagerty ● 2297d18 Comments

That's what our traders fear - that these schemes will drive local residents away from our local economy to spend their money in other local economies. Please tell Hounslow council how the schemes affect you - decisions are being made by councillors who don't know Chiswick, or how it works, or how retail works.https://haveyoursay.hounslow.gov.uk/traffic-and-transport/streetspace-feedback/There is a lot more to be done locally to encourage us to shop local which your local councillors are trying hard to do: http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=contaskforcereport001.htm

Joanna Biddolph ● 2297d

I don’t think these Conservative government approved schemes have stopped the OP from driving to the Chiswick shops for the last five years. Seeing as they have only been in place for the past few weeks and are currently free parking schemes anyway.

Paul Campbell ● 2297d

As it's now illegal to turn into TGT from CHR getting there will be significantly more difficult, not to mention other road closures... LBH and cyclists may well find these schemes attractive, but do local residents, shoppers and businesses ?If you look at the numerous threads on these road closures they are not popular with the words used to describe them "ill thought out" almost universally used.However, as you're both a Motorist and a Cyclist you have the best of both worlds, unfortunately not everyone can afford both options due to finances and mobility issues. Would be wonderful, for once, if you demonstrated some empathy for others but most of all for businesses.You and LBH have a lot in common...

Loraine Pemberton ● 2297d

Well you can’t remove me from office because I don’t hold one but you can make sure you don’t vote Conservative at the next opportunity.

Paul Campbell ● 2297d

These are indeed strange days. However even in less confusing times, it seems to me that the best way for Chiswick residents to have their views recognised at Council level would indeed be to vote for Labour councillors no matter whatever their natural allegiances. As things are the W4 Conservative group, whatever their  individual merits or otherwise, are routinely ignored at a decision-making level, with the result that we, the voters are effectively powerless. Just a thought - discuss?

Bruce Hammal ● 2297d

Whoever I vote for it would never be Labour, it would completely negate any chance whatsoever of overturning Labour LBH's schemes !If anyone thinks that having Labour Councillors in Chiswick would be of any benefit they're living in cloud cuckoo land !

Loraine Pemberton ● 2297d

And the chances of overturning these schemes as things are?

Bruce Hammal ● 2297d

How far south of the A4 do you live that it takes you half an hour to get to the High Road by public transport?I'm a not particularly fit middle-aged chap and can walk it from Grove Park in less than 15 minutes.

Mike Firth ● 2296d

Fair point but it doesn't undermine the 30 mins by public transport claim if you can't or don't want to walk to CHR. If you pick the wrong day at the wrong time it is perfectly possible to spend that long on the journey - most of it stuck on the E3 or 272 in the queue along Sutton Court Road which many people  are convinced will get much worse once the road restrictions are in place.

Bruce Hammal ● 2296d

" found it easier/quicker for a big shop to drive to Sheen Waitrose or Sainsbury superstore  (With carparks) than cross two main roads both involving queues to get to the other  side of the High Road"Totally agree. And using public transport is a non starter unless you want to catch and spread Covid-19.  Stay safe - use your car, protect the NHS, Save Lives!

Steve Taylor ● 2296d

There are usually lots of different options.  You could for instance buy all the heavy and bulky stuff online and have it delivered so that you only buy a lot less heavy stuff and more of the stuff you particularly want to choose yourself when you visit the High Road.

Philippa Bond ● 2296d

Or just don't bother with the high roadgo to a superstore with parking, load up then drive home the long way avoiding any stupid road closures.or buy online, then get a mobile greengrocer to deliver to your street for the fresh stuff twice a weekthe high road will soon only be hairdressers, estate agents, and maybe a few cafe’s then all those that don’t have car will have to figure out how to buy their food locally or go onlinethen Hounslow will double the council tax to make up for the lost rates, but no matter they will blame the demise of the hight street on Covid 19

Rahman Hyatt ● 2296d

The high road will be charity shop after charity shop. Estate agents will be gone as property prices collapse, hair dressers are going mobile, mobile phones going online, high road house apparently in trouble,but worry not the rip off  jewellery shop which keeps changing names, will still be there!

James Smith-Jones ● 2295d

So long as so many short unnecessary journeys are made by car it will be difficult plus so many of our streets simply used as car parks.  How many are clogging up the roads just driving through?  Cycles don't all only have two wheels and we don't do enough walking.  Surely during this period you must have already made some changes to your routines.  Years ago I remember telephoning orders to shops for delivery and/or collection - we have now returned to a lot of that but using the internet more to contact them and see what they are selling at what prices.  It doesn't have to  mean that you can't also visit.

Philippa Bond ● 2295d

On the day when M&S announces 950 job losses, online delivery company Hermes* announces recruiting 9500 extra staff. Says more about high street retailing than all the wailing and gnashing of teeth going on locally. Prediction: High streets will become the place for non-internet services: Restaurants, hairdressers, repair shops, nail bars, healthcare, snackeries, opticians, newsagents and - no doubt - a few more things.*Hermes boss quote something like 'Five weeks of quarantine saw five years worth of growth in online shopping'.

Ken Munn ● 2295d

Councils can't just double Council Tax.  It is controlled by Govt.  They were allowed more recently to put it up a little bit more than the set percentage amount specifically to pay for social care - something that weighs heavily on Councils whose funds have been cut by Govt and which patently should be more centrally paid for.  Social care is something all Govts have continuosly failed to deal with properly and which this pandemic has glaringly highlighted.

Philippa Bond ● 2295d

"Years ago I remember telephoning orders to shops for delivery and/or collection"indeed and the butcher, the baker and the grocery store used to deliver it all by bicycle with a huge basket on the front. Perhaps Hermes and Amazon could consider the environment.

Steve Taylor ● 2295d

Maybe a windfall tax on the big online providers and deliverers as they must be coining it during the present emergency. Ditto the big supermarkets because people have been buying more to eat at home as they've not been eating out.

Peter Evans ● 2295d