Brentford deserves a healthy High Street
The Town Centre group has two tasks: to provide support to High Street traders whilst the Ballymore and L&Q developments take place; to engage with the planning of the Town Centre that these developments will produce.
The High Street has seen a thirty-percent drop in footfall following the February closure of shops, Post Office and public car park on the south side of the High Street and this is putting the surviving businesses under great pressure. Meetings have been held with High Street traders and their main concerns are parking and business rates together with the loss of a Post Office. Sadly, none of these challenges have quick answers. We have supported two bids to house a Post Office in Brentford but so far without success; this may now require the active support of local politicians.
We are encouraging more events in the Market Place which is the natural centre of the High Street. There have been two successful fashion shows using the facilities of the Verdict café and the Sunday market happily continues. We are exploring the possibility of a Christmas market in the Market Place and music December weekends.
On the longer-term future of the Town centre, we have started conversations with both the Ballymore senior team and key Hounslow councillors. The Ballymore project is scheduled to provide new Town Centre shops by Autumn 2023 and to include a supermarket. The redevelopment of the Morrisons site by L&Q is currently uncertain due to the company’s public statement that it holding fire on new developments due to uncertainties nationally.