Store wars

I read with interest the comments from the Thistle Centre management in last week’s Observer on the plans to close the King Street entrance to the shopping centre and replace the entire entrance mall with a new store for Boots.

They say that the plans are necessary to entice Next and Boots to stay in the centre, rather than see them move to out-of-town retail parks, and that it will be good for all businesses in the city centre.

I’m sorry but I’m with the many local retailers who have sent a letter of concern to Stirling Council’s planning department, saying the opposite.

National retailers like Next and Boots will always do what’s best for themselves, whether that is good for Stirling or not. If our city centre’s fortunes are reliant on whether Next have a store in the Thistle Centre we’ve got some big problems.

Stirling Council’s town centre manager position was abolished last year. Perhaps it is time to get somebody back into that position to avert a David and Goliath battle between big and small retailers. laudable, it should never come at the expense of community cohesion. The railway connects communities all over the country but it should never be allowed to divide communities along its path.

I hope Network Rail see sense and find a solution that works for local residents.