TRADERS ARE TAKEN FOR A RIDE
Claims that landtrain is driving away business fromTop ofTown
Traders at the Top of the Town have claimed that the city’s landtrain is driving away their customers.
Angry retailers fear they may be forced to shut up shop because the fun city centre transport link is taking away trade from certain streets.
The landtrain service runs from Murray Place, via King Street and St John Street, to the Castle Esplanade, before
returning to Murray Place along Broad Street, St Mary’s Wynd, Queen Street and Barnton Street. It is currently free.
But business owners say the link is taking tourists from Stirling Castle and shuttling them back to the city centre, by–passing businesses at the Top of the Town.
The land train was introduced by Go Forth, the organisation behind Stirling’s Business Improvement District (BID) and was one of the key elements of its ‘manifesto’ put before businesses prior to the endorsement of the BID in July last year.
It was hoped that the landtrain would attract tourists and encourage them to visit different parts of the city.
However, Jane Hamilton, owner of Sage, a lifestyle and antiques store in Broad Street, said she is considering shutting up shop, after a decade in busines there, if the landtrain gets the go–ahead to run in 2019.
She blames the landtrain for a 50 per cent drop in profits on days when it is running.
She added: “This is the worst Christmas I have ever had here. I’m seriously considering closing the shop. I will wait to see what they are proposing for the landtrain next year, but if it stays the same then I can’t stay open.”
Darnley Coffee House, in Bow Street, has also had its trade affected by the landtrain. Niall Pleace, from the popular cafe, said his takings were also down by almost half on days that the landtrain runs.
Alan Waldron, owner of Stirling Bagpipes, a bagpipe maker in Broad Street says he regularly watches batches of tourists pass by his store on the landtrain. His business is split between carrying our repairs for local pipers and selling bagpipe kits to tourists.
Mr Waldron said: “I used to be able to stand outside the shop and look up Broad Street, towards the castle, and see folk all over. Now I look out and I see nobody and every 20 minutes the landtrain drives past with all of my customers on heading back down to the city centre.
“Half of my business is American tourists sticking their head in the door on the way down from the castle. Now we barely get anyone walking past the window.”
Go Forth BID director Jon Walton said the businesses have been in touch with their concerns and that a meeting is to be scheduled for next month where traders will get the chance to make their grievances known before the future scheduled running of the transport service is to be decided. He said; “We are calling a meeting at the end of January where traders can come along and speak.
“We need to evaluate the success of the route and we also need to gauge the feedback from traders as well as the people using the service.”
The date and venue of the meeting have yet to be finalised.
The landtrain was first introduced during the Easter weekend. It returned in August but had to be pulled from service after teething problems arose.
Go Forth Stirling’s business plan, published in May 2017, revealed how the idea behind the train was to stimulate greater exposure to all parts of the city centre. Picture courtesy of Smith Art Gallery and Museum