Bad smell about alley changes
Published 14 Oct 2010 11:00
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A REPORT by the New Economics Foundation last month named Reading as “one of the most cloned towns in Britain” which makes the council’s decision to make life harder for our few remaining independent shops all the more baffling.
To act as an obstacle to any enterprise that allows Reading town centre to stand out from the crowd at a time of economic recession seems perverse and counterproductive.
Every shopper knows Smelly Alley and its famous shops, such as Smelly Alley Fish Company. They are institutions which unite generations of people who have lived in the town and are part of our collective heritage.
As small businesses its traders have enough to contend with, without a daily battle to fulfil the most basic rudiments of their trade and being able to distribute goods quickly and easily is essential for the type of fresh food businesses for which Smelly Alley - more properly known as Union Street - has been renowned for decades.
How hard can it be for council officers to devise a scheme which allows for careful control of parking without cutting off support to the traders who are the lifeblood of our town?
When the Conservative and Lib Dem coalition took control of Reading Borough Council in May they promised in their Coalition agreement to “place greater emphasis on local shopping areas for shopping and local commerce”.
It’s time to support words with actions.
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 14 Oct 10
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