Some initiatives have had merit, others have not.

There was the ‘Action Plan’ Rediscovering Dumbarton, published in 2001.

It promised a revitalised and regenerated town with a sense of place and civic pride within five years.

It is fair to say that the action plan didn’t just fail to deliver that promise, it achieved the complete opposite, as shops continued to close and their vacant properties failed to be reoccupied.

Certain closures like those of The Co-op store, Woolworths, Currys, Scottish Power, Burtons and Malcolm Campbell were the result of large companies either ceasing to trade taking decisions to cease trading in small towns like Dumbarton.

Others like Durham Pine, B Line, Lomond Hardware, Think Cards, The Sports Shop, Spar, Gear Change and Caulfields Fruit Shop, Gallaghers Fishmonger and Wallace Butcher were simply not making enough to continue.

I wrote here about the big idea in the plan which was traffic management/pedestrianisation. Nothing wrong of course with trying to make traffic move more freely around the town. The problem was that the five different ideas which were put forward considered the objective as a traffic movement project, and despite the stated aim of regeneration, disregarded entirely the economic viability issues which would arise.

There was a public consultation. Here is the result of that consultation on each of the five plans.

And here is a breakdown of those results. A mark of 1 expressed a strong dislike of each plan through to 6 expressing a strong like.

Option 3 was a one way system for buses and taxis only to be admitted to the High Street during peak business hours. It was later changed to a two way system, a modification I understand which was requested by the bus companies. This option in consultation had been rejected by a ratio of 4:1. Whilst 7% expressed a strong liking for the scheme, 58% were strongly against it.

In terms of popularity it was up there with the poll tax. Local traders were dismayed when this scheme was implemented in 2005 and with good reason.  It did nothing to address the parking shortfall which had been identified as far back as 1985.

Car borne families which the action plan hoped would be encouraged on to buses, simply set off in their cars for alternative destinations. The drop in footfall gave the town a ‘dead’ ambience. Nature abhors a vacuum and the space vacated by shoppers gradually became occupied by anti social elements who took ownership of the town. This ‘side effect’ of diminishing safety and security had already been seen in Paisley where a similar scheme had been implemented. One customer’s comments highlighted this issue.

By 2008 Dumbarton, far from being revitalised and regenerated, had the highest square footage of unoccupied retail space in Scotland. Between 2005 and 2008 when the town should have been regenerating due to the action plan, it was dying. Businesses closed and weren’t replaced.

In June 2008 we published results of a survey undertaken amongst our 65 members at that time Of the 58 forms returned, every single one opposed the scheme. Not one business owner or manager was happy with it.

Soon afterwards the council commissioned a viability study by consultants MVA to reopen the street. Again it was not the solution we sought. To allow traffic to flow as before the road would have to be widened as before. Of course we had campaigned not to have the road narrowed in the first place but it seemed we were now stuck with it.

We recommended a one way system which at least partially addressed the parking shortfall and the issue of buses meeting head on. We still believe that a one way system would address the congestion issue whilst not further harming the economic viability of the town centre.

It is particularly disappointing therefore to find out that one councillor, without any consultation with Town Centre businesses intends to try to reintroduce the failed bus and taxi option again. He is a member of the town centre forum and I would have readily entered a dialogue on the subject.

However it seems he is determined to seek reinstatement and once again ignore the wishes of the providers of over 400 jobs in Dumbarton.

To put it bluntly the remaining businesses in Dumbarton Town Centre are on their knees.

We need a lift.

We need encouragement.

Sadly as a result of the councillor’s move at least one trader whose lease end is approaching has decided not to sign a new one. Another who was ready to invest a considerable sum in his business has decided to wait and see what happens.

I was speaking to William Wilkie of Wilkie and Rider the other day. He was dismayed that the buses and taxis option was once again on the agenda. “We just can’t withstand anything else” he said.

From my own point of view, our shop being the anchor store at the west end of the town, were we to pull out, it is hard to imagine what business could survive in that premises.

The annual rent is £25,000, rates £12,000 and rising, wages and employment costs £40,000 with another £10,000 of annual costs. Around THREE TIMES these amounts have to go through the till simply to pay these bills.

I am a resourceful businessman.

I am NOT a magician.

Should the buses and taxis plan be introduced once again, I don’t think there will be a single business who will not be thinking that this may be the last straw.

Hopefully common sense will prevail and a workable traffic and parking solution found to contribute to the regeneration of the town.

The alternative is I’m afraid too painful to contemplate.

Robert Ryan

The cost to the town centre and High Street is there in black and white. It would be £2.1 million per annum, representing a drop in turnover for the town centre of 18.7%. The total turnover of the town centre (including the High Street) is £11.23 million. The turnover of St James Retail Park is £32.06 million with Asda alone exceeding the turnover for the whole town centre by some £3 million.

I am in regular contact with many of the businesses and let there be no doubt. If business in the town centre were to suffer that kind of drop it would be a catastrophe for Dumbarton. The current 30% vacancy rate for commercial property would become a nostalgic dream.

La Salle, the new owners of the Artizan Centre have an excellent track record of investing in, and regenerating struggling shopping centres. They own centres in Bexleyheath, Kingston Upon Thames, York, Chelmsford, Colchester and nearer home in Cumbernauld. The refurbishment of the Artizan Centre is something that town centre visitors have longed for over many years and it now looks as if there is an investor ready to do that.

It would be a real shame if further development at St James were to put that regeneration and investment at risk.

Several matters requiring discussion and agreement. These range from the closure next year for four months of the Artizan Bridge, The plans for investment in the Artizan Centre by new owners La Salle and of course the renewed application by British Land for an extension of St James Retail Park and how we respond to that.

On the positive side we have another Pride in our Town week coming up and we look forward to the events and exhibition.

The details of the scheme are as follows:

Access to a Retail Consultant who will provide a full independent review of your business with accompanying action plan;

· Free advice on property related issues and shop front improvements;

· Access to a free Merchandising Course;

· Access to a Retail Improvement Grant for internal and external improvements that will provide up to 75% of project costs or £10,000 (whichever is the lower);

· Access to additional Council discretionary business support grants.

· Free follow up reviews with a Retail Consultant

Please get your application in as soon as possible as the pilot is operating on a first come first served basis. I’m sure that you will agree that it is a really good opportunity to obtain free advice, assistance and grant support.

Anyone interested in taking part should contact Davina.Lavery@west-dunbarton.gov.uk WITHOUT DELAY

Paul met with BfD members last night and gave a presentation of some of his ideas. Today he will be meeting one to one with business owners to share his expertise re matters relating to leases, property, merchandising and the like.

Earlier in the day I met with Paul and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and West Dunbartonshire Council. As well as the current upgrade plans in the town under the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, there are discussions taking place t pilot a scheme in Dumbarton which could see businesses benefit from some free consultation and advice from a retailing expert and based on their recommendations, there may be grant funding available.

Things are at an early stage but there will be more details here as we get them.

Another property at 34 High Street is shortly to receive the ‘Shopjacket’ treatment. However the application of Shopjackets is only one of the strings to Paul’s bow. He can offer advice on leases, rent, marketing, merchandising, layout, property and improvement, customer care and grants and assistance. We are currently in discussions with Paul and West Dunbartonshire Council with a view to Paul coming to Dumbarton on the 8th and 9th of February.

On Tuesday 8th February we’ll be holding a meeting to which all businesses are invited. The meeting will be at 6pm on that day at the Council offices at Garshake (Now arranged for St Augustines Church Hall). Paul Murphy will address that meeting as a precursor to one to one sessions at St Augustines Church Hall the following day. The even better news is that these consultations will be completely FREE OF CHARGE. If there is something that you require advice on or would like a sounding board for improvements you are planning for your business then I urge you to take advantage of this initiative.

Anyone wishing to have a 1-1 session with Paul will require to make an appointment. The sessions will commence that day at 2pm so if you want to benefit from Paul’s advice please email info@shopjacket.co.uk and mark it for the attention of Paul Murphy. If you can give Paul as much info as you can about what you require assistance with and what would be your preferred time on the day, then that will give Paul an opportunity to make an appointment for you and also to have as much relevant advice as possible on the day.

Davina Lavery of West Dunbartonshire Council and I will be out distributing leaflets to publicise the initiative this week. Please make use of this fantastic FREE resource

Footnote: Members should note that information/advice is also available at business.support@west-dunbarton.gov.uk or by telephoning 01389 737777

There is much to report. West Dunbartonshire Council has been putting plans in place for measures to upgrade the quayside as part of the money received via the Town Centres Regeneration Fund.

Also £120,000 has also been allocated to improve the frontage of the High Street. This is a fairly complicated process and requires owners’ consents but that process is underway and we are hopeful that there will be developments in the coming months. There are particular buildings in the High St which BfD identified in our own Action Plan in 2008 that require attention. If the ways and means can be found it will provide a real lift for the whole area.

On a parallel subject, Business for Dumbarton has been assisting the owners of Macfarlanes Shoe Repairs who approached us when they and Fusion Barbers were flooded out of their business premises over the festive holidays. It’s fair to say that serious remedial works are needed to the building in question. Whilst this requires action on the part of the private landlords involved, following intervention by Business for Dumbarton we were able to connect the owners of the businesses with the right people in the council to progress things.

I sincerely hope that these two well run businesses can weather the storm so to speak. Business for Dumbarton will continue to assist in any way we can.

Thanks are due to various people at West Dunbartonshire Council along with Cllr Geof Calvert and MSP Jackie Baillie for their assistance.