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About Hinckley BID
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Last updated on 10 July 2011
Hinckley BID is leading consultation for improvements to the Regent Street Area of the Town Centre.
In December 2003, Leicestershire County Council completed improvement works to enhance the local environment and remove through traffic from Regent Street and The Borough, Hinckley. Since the completion of the works, SOME local businesses have expressed concerns that they had experienced a steady decline in trade.
As of June 2011, 23% of the retail and commercial units on Regent Street and The Borough were vacant, compared to a Town Centre Average of 13.5% and of only 5% in the area designated by HBBC as the Primary Shopping frontage area.
Many of the traders who operate on Regent Street and The Borough consider that the aim of the works to improve the local environment and attract more footfall has had the opposite effect. In their view, since the implementation of the traffic restrictions, the number of pedestrians visiting this area of the town centre has fallen considerably and businesses have suffered as a result. It is suggested that up to 70 on-street parking spaces were removed as a direct result of these works.
It is the view of many local traders that the closure of Regent Street has restricted the ‘shop window’ to the town centre and many visitors to Hinckley do not venture beyond Castle Street and the Britannia Shopping Centre.
In an effort to address these concerns, the consultants WYG were appointed jointly by Hinckley Town Centre Partnership/BID and Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council following dialogue via the Partnership from local traders, to review the layout and operation of Regent Street, Hinckley with the aim of identifying possible traffic management measures to raise the profile of Regent Street and The Borough to visitors to Hinckley town centre.
This consultation will form the initial part of a wider consultation programme with other key stakeholder groups, should sufficient support be evident following this initial consultation.
