Town in a froth over coffee
A TOWN has become so sick of coffee shops swamping its High Street it has decided to fight back.
Officials in Christchurch, Dorset, have opted to leave a store empty rather than allow another cafe to open.
The decision has been applauded by local traders as the town already has 14 coffee shops in just one 500-yard stretch of its main street.
Things came to a head when franchise Coffee#1 sought planning permission to turn a former shoe shop that has been empty for a year into another of their outlets.
Rival cafe owners in the genteel coastal town protested against the newest application and residents also objected, saying they had their fill of coffee shops.
Among the wealth of establishments already on the High Street are chains such as Caffe Nero and Costa, as well as independent businesses the Coffee Pot, Cuckoos coffee bar, Fleur-de-Lis tearooms, Arcado Lounge, Soho, The Boardroom, Wild and Free Coffee, Coast Coffee Co, Kelly’s Kitchen, Baggies, Clay Studio and Indulge Yourself.
The list does not include Greggs or Subway which are not known for their drinks but also serve an array of coffees including lattes and cappuccinos.
But residents, councillors and store owners in Christchurch, which has the highest population of elderly people in Britain with 30 per cent of its 46,000 residents aged over 65, have had enough.
One cafe owner said that even the large customer base of tealovers with time on their hands is not enough to keep them all going.
Mike Ismail, owner of Baggies Cafe, said: “There are 28 food outlets just in the core part of High Street and 14 of those are cafes or coffee shops.
“To have that many in a town centre of this size is a crazy situation.
“The increase in coffee shops and drop in footfall has been a gradual process over the last six years.
“When I started in 2012, business was booming but it has become really tough and is becoming a struggle year-on-year.”
He added: “The footfall has reduced hugely because there are too many of us. Having another coffee shop open would have taken maybe five customers away from each of the existing coffee shops.”
In response to growing concerns, councillors at Christchurch Borough Council voted to refuse permission for the new franchise.
Struggling
They said that while granting the application would have seen the empty shop put to use and new jobs created, it would probably have caused other cafes to close.
Peter Hall, a town centre councillor who objected, said: “The applicants said they were going to employ eight people, but allowing the plans could have meant eight jobs were lost elsewhere.
“There was quite strong feeling from local cafe owners and residents that enough is enough.
“There are quite a few empty shops but another coffee shop won’t solve that.”
Councillor Hall added that planning guidelines state the town centre should not have more than 30 per cent of its shops as food outlets but Christchurch currently has 40 per cent.
Mother and daughter Jacqueline and Meghan Francis, who run Coast Coffee Co, said despite their business appearing successful, they struggled to pay the bills which includes £2,500 a month in rent and £1,360 a month in business rates.
In their written objection to the recent planning application, they said: “Far from bringing more jobs to the town, another coffee shop will be the final nail in the coffin for existing shops struggling to survive.”