ANOTHER Westbury shop is blaming car parking charges as a key factor in their decision to move out of the town.
Westbury Delicatessen, run in Maristow Street by town councillors Charles and Marie Pope, is closing and concentrating on the wholesale trade while searching for an alternative premises, potentially in one of the other county market towns.
Westbury Delicatessen has been open for a year and its owners say, “The introduction of the new car parking charges has seriously affected trade in the centre of the town – evidenced by the downturn in daily business activities. Action must be taken to alleviate this situation as has been done in other market towns.”
The delicatessen’s move comes after models and hobbies shop The Gas Cupboard announced their move out of Westbury into Trowbridge, blaming car parking charges for a downturn in Westbury trade.
The delicatessen owners also voiced concern about the Market Place, saying the area is moving away from a retail area. They said, “Despite the optimism generated by the ‘Vision for Westbury’, recent decisions permitting deviation from its objective of keeping and promoting the Market Square as a retail area, we believe that current and potential retailers will be deterred from investing in the Market Square and Maristow Street, putting the future viability for retail in these areas in further jeopardy.”
