‘I don’t know where we’d be without high street investments’

On November 30 2018, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) approved the Love our High Streets initiative – a £10m investment into the region’s high streets.

It will be piloted in Bedminster’s East Street, Bedminster Parade, Cannon Street, and part of North Road. Here, the focus will be filling empty spaces and attracting creative and digital businesses.

When Bristol24/7 went to speak to traders in Bedminster in the week following the announcement, an overwhelming number had not heard about the initiative.The general consensus was that more investment would be good for them and the community, but some expressed more scepticism.

The owners of The Toast Room Kate and John Cassettari (right) 

“North Street has had some successful investments and is quite established, but East Street is really lagging behind,” said Kate Cassettari, co-owner of The Toast Room on East Street, which opened in July 2017.

“The high street is really important for our community because so many people live around here. We’re trying to be a part of that by starting some evening clubs. Maybe this investment can help with that too.”

Kate also said that current creative presence in the area, like BV Studios on Philip Street, have enriched the area, and they will welcome more creative businesses.

Sim Pudney, manager of Vx Bristol

Sim Pudney, manager of Vx Bristol, a vegan junk food restaurant down the street from The Toast Room, said “the vacant lots can make the area look unappealing”.

“But, filling these with diverse shops and services could bring in more visitors who can then stumble across independent shops, like ours,” he added.

Eddie Essa, owner of Eddie’s Coffee Lounge

Eddie Essa owner of Eddie’s Coffee Lounge on East Street agreed. “I depend on regulars as my customer base, but it would be nice to have more footfall around here so people can see the cafe,” he said.

“Big name companies especially could help to bring in more visitors.”

Darren Jones, owner of East Street Fruit Market

Darren Jones, owner of East Street Fruit Market, who has run his business here since 1992, was however more sceptical. He was the first of the people that Bristol24/7 spoke to who was aware of the initiative. While he said he thought the idea was generally good, he remained unsure what would actually happen in practice and how effective it would be.

“We’ve had investments in the past and it doesn’t always make that much of a difference,” he said. “We’ve still got a long way to go.”

Simon Dicken is a multi-site manager at Wilko, including the Bedminster store. He is also the chairman of Bedminster Business Improvement District (BID)

While East Street’s independent shops are often talked about when it comes to supporting businesses on the high street, multi-site manager of Wilko, Simon Dicken, is the man to speak to about the high street.

He is also the chairman of Bedminster Business Improvement District (BID), which is a partnership of local businesses to make the area as economically prosperous as possible. It was formed in 2013 following inspiration from a £10,000 Mary Portas grant that the area received in 2012. The BID has also recently been reelected for another five years.

East Street and surrounding areas may get up to £3m from the Love our High Streets initiative, but what it will be spent on is currently unclear

Simon told Bristol24/7 that Bedminster’s high streets will initially only get a small fraction of the promised £10m, as it is a pilot project. Eventually, around £3m should be released and allocated to various projects in the area.

It is currently unclear how much exactly will be allocated and where, given that the Love our High Streets initiative is still new. And, as a council-led initiative, Bristol City Council will need to approve project based on a set of criteria, which is yet to be released.

But, Simon was also adamant that “any investment is a win”. He went on to say that the high street is incredibly important for the community as a space for social activities, particularly for older people and young families.

“I don’t know where we’d be without high street investments,” Simon said.