The coffee shop revolt
Town boiling over at plan for another cafe on high street that’s got 14 already
IT’S enough to get any town in a froth.
Businesses on a high street dominated by 14 coffee shops in a 500-yard stretch were angered by plans to open another cafe.
The row came to the boil as they joined residents in protest and the controversial proposal has now been rejected. Planners in christchurch, Dorset – where there is a coffee shop on average every 35 yards on the high street – have ruled that the premises should be left empty rather than turned into another cafe.
coffee#1 had sought permission to open the new shop but it caused a major stir. Rival cafe owners claimed the plan for the former shoe shop could damage their businesses.
And residents told council officials they had already had their fill of coffee. The high street currently boasts a caffe Nero and costa coffee along with 12 independent shops – the coffee Pot, cuckoos coffee bar, Fleur-de-Lis tearooms, Arcado Lounge, Soho, The Boardroom, Wild & Free, coast coffee co, Kelly’s Kitchen, Baggies, clay Studio and Indulge Yourself.
Greggs and Subway also serve coffee in christchurch, which has the highest proportion of elderly people in Britain, with 30 per cent of 46,000 residents over 65. Mike Ismail, 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 this size is a crazy
situation. When I first started in 2012 business was booming but it has become really tough and is a struggle year on year.
‘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.’
Councillors said although the vacant premises would have been put to use with new jobs created, it would probably have caused other cafes to close. Councillor Peter Hall said: ‘There was quite strong feeling from cafe owners and residents that enough is enough.’ Jacqueline Francis, who runs Coast Coffee Co with daughter Meghan, 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.’