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Thanks Nigel and Jan.
Street Scene is one of the most important aspects of Dover - for residents and visitors alike.
Regeneration and all the associated development is great and very necessary, but there isn't any one on the "ground-floor" looking after the Town and its businesses.
Every Town has closed shops, but when those in Dover close, they are left in a really disgraceful state, totally unnecessary too.
Most of the shops fronts in Dover look O.K. - clean and tidy, but you only have to look upwards at the floors above the shops, to see how dilapidated the buildings are - other Towns don't stand for it, they get it sorted.
Crime in shops here is relatively low and the DPAC phones are very useful, but every business should have a phone, or at least every other business - maybe sharing the phones and the cost would be an idea; certainly offering a discount for membership would help.
More visible police officers and PCSO's walking around the Town Centre would also help and give a good sense of security for people, whether from theft or violence.
Floral displays and hanging baskets - there are winter as well as summer flowing plants that could be put up all year round, it would certainly make Dover look brighter.
Tyrone and the other street cleaners work very hard to pick up the litter that the lazy people just chuck on the ground. Restoring a sense of Pride in the Town is what we should all be aiming for.
Business welfare is a very important issue because if we don't care about the businesses, we very soon won't have any - use them or lose them. With business welfare, it also includes things like the cost of car-parking and its affect on trade; also the high level of business rates - all businesses are trading far below what their business rates would suggest; there is also a serious inequity as regards the areas of Dover Town and their valuation.
As I said at the beginning, regeneration is very important, but don't forget the ground floor.
Roger
