‘Shift to home working outside of cities may bring new life to town’

THE ABSENCE this Easter of Otley’s most significant seasonal landmark was itself a sign that these are not normal times.

With gatherings of more than a few people off the agenda, it had been impossible to drag the huge wooden cross on to the Chevin that overlooks the town.

As the shops that cluster around the cobbles re-open today, no-one is quite sure how many other casualties there will be. With most of them given over to independent traders, their survival through months of enforced closure has been a private cross to bear. Yet there is optimism that the town, one of the great crossroads of the old West Riding, will recover.

In fact, said Tom Hatley, chairman of Otley’s Business Improvement District, it may bustle with more visitors than ever – a beneficiary of the move amongst office workers towards basing themselves at home instead of commuting.

“Those people who used to commute to Leeds will now be popping out on their lunch breaks and supporting local businesses. They have already found it more convenient than a big city,” he said.

Otley had its share of charity shops and vacant units even before the pandemic, but it fares better than most, Mr Hatley said.

“It’s very rare that shops here sit empty for a long time. Our vacancy rate before last year was below five per cent and we’ve seen it creep up to about seven per cent, so not a huge change.”

Paul Carter, the chairman of Otley Town Council’s trade and tourism committee, added: “We benchmark the number of vacant units and we’re on the national average. We hope most are going to reopen.”

The fact that three shops in every four are unique to the town – a figure which is higher than the national average – has prompted the launch of a marketing drive called Only In Otley, which also plays to its reputation as a destination for a night out.