The closure of 4 High Street shops in fast succession may sound the dying knell for a once-thriving seaside resort.
Subway, Costcutters, Poundland and Boots have all introduced they are going to be shutting up store in Colwyn Bay. It follows the closure of Peacocks and WHSmith in recent times leaving residents and shopkeepers fearing it may change into a “ghost town.”
Just final week, Costcutters closed its doorways, shortly after the neighbouring Subway additionally shut down. Poundland is ready to shut early subsequent month, and Boots will comply with swimsuit in April.
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According to North Wales Live, some locals at the moment are complaining that Colwyn Bay is rapidly turning into a city of “nail bars and hairdressers” and never a lot else. One shopkeeper revealed that enterprise has change into so sluggish that she’s needed to take drastic measures.
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“Footfall is so bad that the last few months I have worked from home because I can’t afford to heat a shop that nobody comes into,” she shared on social media. “It’s already like a ghost town.”
Several locals have voiced their considerations concerning the city’s decline, with some blaming the brand new A55 Expressway within the Nineteen Eighties and others pointing to the closure of Woolworths in 2008.
Many have taken to Facebook to precise their “anger and frustration over the decline of their town, with one resident warning: “They’re actually closing in every single place. At this charge Colwyn Bay might be generally known as a ghost city with simply charity outlets and few pubs together with the homeless on the streets.”
(Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)
In response to the information that the native Boots retailer is ready to shut, Clwyd West MP David Jones has urged the council to permit vehicles again onto Station Road to draw extra customers. He believes that pedestrian-only streets are “unnecessary with modern traffic-calming methods”. The MP is because of meet with the council to debate attainable options to the wave of closures.
Meanwhile, Conwy Council’s plans to revamp the city centre have sparked fear amongst locals. One resident stated, “That will be the final nail in the coffin,” whereas one other blamed the removing of parking areas and highway area for biking lanes.
(Image: Tom Davies Photography)
However, many residents recognise that their city is not the one one combating retail points. The cost-of-living disaster and the rise of on-line purchasing have left individuals with much less cash to spend, impacting the as soon as thriving seaside city.
A neighborhood resident admitted, “Put some blame on ourselves. We have grown accustomed to online services and the high street has been dying for decades because of it.”
* This article was crafted with the assistance of an AI instrument, which quickens Daily Star’s editorial analysis. An editor reviewed this content material earlier than it was revealed. You can report any errors to starletters@dailystar.co.uk