Stunned – councillors in “thriving village”

MEMBERS of Stockton Heath Parish Council were stunned when a planning officer informed them that theirs was “the most thriving village in Warrington.”
Joanne McGrath, principal planning policy and strategy officer with the borough council, made the statement at the parish council’s monthly meeting.
She said: “This conclusion is drawn from the Warrington Retail Centre Report which surveys all defined centres in the borough.
“Stockton Heath has the lowest vacancy rate and the most diverse offer of all the centres.”
A number of councillors expressed surprise.
Cllr Tudor Pole said: “I think this came as a shock to most of us. There are plenty of empty shops in the village.”
Chairman Cllr Graham Roughsedge said: “It does not say much for the others.
“We have a lot more empty shops than we used to have and whenever we get a new business it is nearly always a café or a restaurant.
“People who remember the village as it used to be are very disappointed at how the number and variety of shops has dwindled.
“There is little we, as a parish council, can do about it. We do object when plans come in for a business we think is not appropriate and sometimes we are successful.
“But more often than not, we are unsuccessful.”
Ms McGrath’s visit to Stockton Heath came in the wake of complaints from local traders that footfall in the shopping centre is falling – particularly since the free period on the local pay-and-display car park was reduced from two hours to one.
A survey of shopkeepers in London Road found they were 100 per cent opposed to the reduced free parking period.