Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration says he’s yet to be convinced that a retail park in Newton Aycliffe could work.
We asked Cllr Foster about retail provision in Newton Aycliffe, amid Great Aycliffe Town Council’s Neighbourhood Plan, which is canvassing opinions from local residents.
Go to our Video Vault to see what Cllr Foster has got to say.
6 Comments
vicky haigh
October 25, 2014 at 11:39 amand why not? newton aycliffe is getting bigger by the week and when the likes of west auckland can have a retail park and darlington numerous retail parks. why are residents of newton aycliffe being forced to leave their own town and spend money elsewhere? isnt it fair that we support our town and encourage retail growth for goodness sakes. all we will have left in our town soon will be betting shops and charity shops.
steve wild
October 25, 2014 at 3:39 pmWhat world is this man in? Aycliffe has been crying out for a retail park for the past 20 to 30 years. Amazing he was behind supporting the flop at Durham Gate. It appears that everything Aycliffe wants is opposed by the county council and other areas get everything they ask for. Perhaps Foster should bear in mind that Aycliffe is the most densely populated area in the county council area and would therefore assume it generates the most council tax which in turn pays his wage.
Give us something we deserve in this town and stop messing the residents about
colin cockburn
October 25, 2014 at 5:37 pmhow the hell can you say a retail park would not work in newton Aycliffe. Bishop (st Helens) has just opened one up in an area that was business. Darlington has Morrison’s etc. outside of the town on business area.
Why do people from Newton Aycliffe have to travel from Aycliffe to buy a,TV, Fridge Freezer,Computer,Radiator.which is cheaper than buying from many business parks locally. Yes I know we have Argos, they cannot beat Screw fix though for price
j sinclair
October 25, 2014 at 10:55 pmWhy are we treated like we are not worthy of a nice place to shop. Its like Newtonians dont deserve anything that might put us on the map. Other town thrive but all we have is houses. Thousands of them. Come on councillors give us a break.
rachelle
October 26, 2014 at 2:05 pmWhy make more shops when can’t fill the ones we have if the council lowered rental costs instead of been greedy I have lived in aycliffe all my life and all it needs is these empty shops filling
V,C
October 26, 2014 at 5:15 pmThis as been an issue for many years and like anyone in the know there are several factors involved the first being that this should have been done when Aycliffe Development Corporation was dissolved by Mrs Thatcher in 1979 and sold the Town Centre to a private developer namely Granger Trust.
The other factor are the main retailors, they will not come on the grounds that they consider the Aycliffe Business Park (The only area who could accommodate an Out of Town Shopping Centre) as being too close to Darlington therefore not viable
The other is that we need to develop our town centre without making another I believe and studies with other towns around the Country have proved that out of town shopping centres kill town centres.