Bid to bring big improvements to Twickenham (From Your Local Guardian)
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Bid to bring big improvements to Twickenham
10:45am Thursday 16th February 2012 in Richmond By Nazia Dewji
A study has been launched to assess whether a Business Improvement District (Bid) should be given the go-ahead in Twickenham.
The Bid would give businesses in the area a chance to take more control of the area and implement improvement ideas.
If a Bid is launched it would be funded by an increase in business rates going directly to the organisers.
Councillor Pamela Fleming, the council’s cabinet member for communities, business and culture, said: “We are working with a team of experts to learn whether a Bid would be in the best interests of shops and businesses.
“We want all the detailed facts in front of us before any decisions are made. If on paper it could work we will ask owners what they think before going any further.
“Bids are a good way of giving businesses a much stronger voice. They are not council-led, but controlled by members of the scheme, the council is only instigating and steering the idea.”
Findings of the study will be presented to the council in March.
Comments(5)
Gareth Roberts
says...
2:15pm Thu 16 Feb 12
Of course once that consultation had been completed then they could have a consultation about the results of the original consultation exercise.
Doing it this way looks like activity, momentum and, indeed, the first steps towards doing something.
Never mind, it's only taken the Tories two years to get off their backsides and start helping Twickenham businesses.
Eyeball
says...
3:45pm Thu 16 Feb 12
Surely this would put the exising businesses at some degree of risk.
Also I thought that business rates went to central government. Please correct me if I am wrong
Gareth Roberts
says...
4:08pm Thu 16 Feb 12
"Your Honour, I plead not guilty to the charge of burglary. I admit to instigating the burglary and steering the burglary but others did the actual burgling"
metis
says...
11:17pm Fri 17 Feb 12
http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Business_im
provement_district
Twickenham Bob says...
1:31pm Thu 16 Feb 12
Any business man walking down the high street is not going to invest in an area that looks like a part of run-down Tower-Hamlets.
Everywhere you look there are advertising signs that don’t have permission, satellite dishes, vinyl adverts stuck onto windows, windows replaced with different styles on mixed use buildings, amongst a host of other beaches.
Even the listed building such as the Cousins Greengrocers, & The George Pub are falling into disrepair with broken windows and many slipped tiles on the rood. Looks to me that it’s being deliberately neglected so they owners can apply to demolish it.
Twickenham could be a pretty town, like Hampstead, but it will never be until the council gets serious with planning enforcement, and employs enough staff to enable controls to be enforced. Money spent here will be far more effective than endless sham consultations.