Housing should replace closed retail units in the town centre

THE ISSUE of the loss of the Co-op car park and its effect on retailing businesses in Castle Street still trundles on in your postbag.

Whereas one can have sympathy with the retailers, the Co-op is not to blame. Indeed the decision of the Co-op board to close the store was the correct one in view of the fundamental shift in trade to the lower end of the town centre with The Crescent and Sainsbury developments as well as those on Station Road.

Surely when those developments were being considered impact assessments were produced and if so what strategy did Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council adopt to mitigate the effect on Castle Street of such major developments?

Possibly the councillors at the time should say just what those impact assessments forecast and what policies they adopted towards Castle Street!

The Co-op board will obviously have to obtain the best possible deal in selling the Castle Street premises, but opening up the car park may cut across sale negotiations.

The council needs to look very seriously at encouraging the creation of apartment housing on the Co-op site. It would bring much needed housing into the area as well as rejuvenating Castle Street by bringing back residents who can support the remaining retailers...a win-win all round?

The policy for Hinckley town centre should be, wherever possible, to create housing in place of closed retail units, bringing life back into town centre. Eddie Bestwick, Stoney Stanton