#RichmondShops: Views from Catterick Garrison

Catterick’s new centre

Following the recent opening of Catterick’s Princes Gate out-of-town shopping complex opens its doors, Darlington College journalsim student Lauri Cox talks to some local residents about their views on the new centre.

Phoenix House Army rehabilitation centre, which is within half a mile of the new complex, has seen the benefits first hand.

One service woman, a beneficiary of the centre, who wishes to remain anonymous spoke of the new confidence that she has gained in being able to easily take advantage of the shopping centre: “I like it. Before, I had to go into Richmond or Darlington and

I couldn’t do that without somebody with me. Now I can go down the road and get my shopping, and I can go alone.”

These positive sentiments are echoed by Melanie Dickinson, executive officer at Phoenix House.

“We have a gentleman who comes on a mobility scooter, so he can go from here to a shopping centre, to a cinema, easily, without having to even take any additional transport.”

John Burbridge, logistics and support assistant at Phoenix House also told me about the employment opportunities the new shopping centre has bought to the area.

“They work on a system where they can work on zero hour contracts, part time contracts, or full time. The army wives can come and go.”

And one former beneficiary of the centre, Justin, who now works there part time is ecstatic that he can now go out for tea in Catterick.

“I work on reception part time, but I came through the centre as a wounded soldier back in 2013 and I never left. It’s great, if all the rooms are occupied and they don’t want to eat here they go and eat down in Hungry Horse or Brewers Fayre, fantastic idea having them both together.”

It isn’t only the local Garrison, the largest in Europe that is speaking about the benefits. Pupils at local Risedale School also spoke of their delight at the new centre, and how it has made them more sociable.

Reece Winsfield, a pupil at the school spoke of the different benefits it has had for him.

“It’s all in walking distance and not too far away.” Commenting also on how it has

made him more able to socialise with his friends: “Before this complex was here I used to just go to a football pitch around the corner, but now I’m more sociable with my friends.”

While Laura Middleton highlights the fact even saving the bus fare into Darlington for her and her friends is a benefit. “It saves a lot of money because I used to get the bus down, maybe once every other weekend me and my friends would go down for a shopping trip.”

Cost of parking highlighted in #RichmondShops survey

As part of the #RichmondShops initiative, Emma Craggs found that parking provision in Richmond was an issue for traders and customers alike.

Local artist Lou Gilmore-George from Ellerton opened art gallery and café Jacalou Junction in Richmond at the start of September this year, hoping to encourage children and adults to get involved with art. But has the independent Café been affected by the new shopping complex?

“Buisness has been picking up -I don’t think it has anything to do with the Catterick Garrison shopping centre, it’s an art cafe so it’s more to do with word of mouth”, the café owner explained.

“I think in some ways the shopping centre is good, but I feel it may have a knock on effect to local buisnesses in Richmond”, she continued.

Artist Lou, although split on the shopping complex, believes the real concern is how to provide support for local retailers in Richmond.

“I think if there was more support for local and independent shops that would help, the council definitely need to do more”, she added.

The 150,000sq.ft shopping complex opened in the Summer with chain retailers like Poundland and Sports Direct as well as variety of fast food restaurants such as KFC and includes a new Cinema.

Local councillor and former mayor Stuart Parsons doesn’t think the Catterick Garrison shopping centre is a threat to Richmond.

“I don’t think the shops there are in competition with the businesses in Richmond”, councillor Parsons said.

“I think it’s had a very strong benefit for the economy of Richmondshire”, he continued.

However, some local Richmond businesses are said to have felt an impact.

“Some businesses are saying that they’ve noticed a fall off which always happens when something new opens”, he said.

However, opinions are divided.

Clerk to Richmond Town Council, Heather Lawler, has concerns over the new shopping complex and how it will affect local retailers and keep people away from Richmond.

“It’s very worrying for Richmond and some of the retail outlets here, although Catterick potentially is going to be such a large Garrison, it will serve Catterick well”, she said.

“But obviously, it keeps people away from Richmond. Richmond needs to keep it’s individuality with individual shops that will attract people.”

“There will certainly be retail outlets in Richmond that will have been affected because they can’t compete with the bigger names… We need to offer them something that Catterick Garrison can’t”, she continued.

Using the shopping centre as provider of jobs for Richmond people is an idea the Town Clerk believes would benefit the town.

“We should look at Catterick as being a bigger catchment for jobs for Richmond people”, she said.

The new leisure centre has created a boost for local economy, providing more than 700 jobs for local people and has also encouraged locals to spend in the area rather than go further afield.

Catterick Garrison’s new leisure complex situated at Princes Gate in Catterick, was built to benefit Europe’s largest Army base.

Army wife Helen Kemp, who volunteers at Jacalou Junction, thinks the shopping centre in Catterick is much needed for those in military and occasionally uses it herself. However she also values local and independent businesses in Richmond.

“From a military point of view Catterick needs it, I don’t think it will affect Richmond” she explains.

“The Garrison is getting bigger with lots more people arriving in the next 10 years, there was no facilities before”.

“I live at Catterick Garrison and I’m also a local girl, and I do really like local and independent businesses.”

Helen was one of those who believed there were larger issues in Richmond.

“The biggest issue for Richmond would be parking, for us to come to work we either have to spend a fortune on a permit for a year or spend up to £4 a day.”

* Residents parking permits are to increase by 5.56% next year following a decision taken at Richmondshire Council’s Corporate Board last month.

#RichmondShops focus continues next week

Phones, cameras and notebooks. Students get to work at the pop up newsroom in Jacalou Junction

After a busy day gathering news and views in both Richmond and Catterick, the Darlington College journalism students who took part in our news day now have notes, pictures, videos and audio to sift, sort and edit.

They may have returned to their base – but their work is not over.

During the day we’ve blogged, tweeted and shared just some of the reaction and thoughts they’ve captured as they seek to find out more about the two towns’ shopping facilities and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

They will report back during next week with more detailed findings which we will continue to tag #RichmondShops to make it easy to follow across social media.

And it’s not too late to take part. If you’ve views about this issue, please do get in touch via the comments below, by email to RichmondNoticeboardATgmail.com or via our Twitter stream or Facebook.

Thanks due to Jacalou Junction for being a pop-up newsroom for today’s experiment – a first for both the journalism school and the Richmond Noticeboard.

#RichmondShops Friday focus on the town’s shopping health

A group of journalism students from Darlington College will be pounding the streets of Richmond and Catterick on Friday as part of a major focus on trade in the two places.

How is our town centre doing? What are the challenges and opportunities to come?

This is a first for the Richmond Noticeboard and we’re very pleased to be able to offer some real-world news gathering experience to these journalists in training.

The students will be using mobile technologies to report on the issues during the day.

They’ll be using the hashtag #RichmondShops so you can follow the activity on social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook. We’ll also update this blog with their findings.

And there’s still time to take part. You can add your comments or questions at the bottom of this page, drop us a line to RichmondNoticeboardATgmail.com or call into our Friday base – Jacalou Junction on Victoria Road. Why not drop in for a cup of tea and support one of the town’s newest businesses at the same time?

Princes Gate complete and open for business at Catterick

Catterick’s new centre

RLF, the independent cost and property consultants which has been working on the new town centre at Catterick Garrison, has declared the job done.

On its website the comoany says its Glasgow division recently completed the £15m Princes Gate Development.

As well as providing Employer’s Agent, Quantity Surveying and CDM Co-ordinator Services, RLF was also engaged to complete tenant management.

It said:

The project comprised of 24 units which included a mixture of retail and restaurant units, as well as a seven screen cinema for Empire and a 60 bed Premier Inn hotel, inclusive of Brewers Fayre restaurant. A number of recognisable high street retailers including Next, Boots, Brantano, Sports Direct, Costa, KFC, Subway and Greene King are all part of the development.

The grand opening ceremony took place on 22 September, however, the majority of the units have been trading from August and, to date., have been very well received from all within the local area.

Most viewed September: Richmond is ‘not an amazing market town to shop’

Richmond’s shopping experience has left one local shopper so disappointed they’ve taken to a local newspaper letters page in protest.

Taking Richmond Councillor Stuart Parsons to task over his recent praise of the town, Anthea Rawling from Scorton tells the Darlington and Stockton Times:

When I am shopping in Richmond I prefer to take my custom to the butchers and bakers that have served the residents of Richmond and the surrounding areas for years despite the high rents and business rates that they have to pay.

The only hotel of any size in the Market Place does not have a lift for use of any disabled person to get to the dining room or bedrooms. What use is that?

Such places as the castle, the museums, art galleries, the Georgian Theatre Royal do not help people who prefer to do their shopping while in the town, or should I say “this amazing town.”

Oh, another thought, there is not to the best of my knowledge an electrical/television supplier or a children’s clothing shop.

(While her opinion on the range of shops and accessibility of hotels is, of course her own view, we should point out that the letter writer is inaccurate on one point – Richmond does indeed have a shoe shop. Gerry’s opened on Castle Walk earlier this year as we reported.)

Regardless of that oversight, what do you think? Does she have a point about the quality of shopping now on offer? Have your say or cast a vote below.