Supporting and Attracting Business
As part of our effort to attract people into our city centre and to look after them when they arrive here, Swansea BID are looking to improve the aesthetic issues of the BID area. The overall aim being to brighten up empty shop units, working with property agents and owners to put eye-catching graphic designs onto bare walls and windows.
Funding has been approved for Swansea Council and they will focus on improving the appearance of High Street through vinyls and general cleaning of buildings. Swansea BID will focus on the inner City Centre and vinyl on vacant properties to encourage new businesses.
Swansea BID had funded footfall counters within the city centre. This enables us to monitor footfall, identify trends and patterns in pedestrian traffic, and compare the figures for our city to those of other centres and the rest of the country as a whole. It also enables us to gauge the success of city centre events.
Signage in the City Centre is being reviewed with the idea of introducing Signs, maps and banners to help attract people to the city centre show them what’s going on and direct them to the relevant areas.
BID Supporting and Attracting Business Group Update 6th December 2011
CAR PARKING
Parking remains high on the BID agenda with the BID up to 1 hour on in all City Centre NCP car parks and £3.50 parking all day for BID Members/City Centre workers (many businesses are making great savings with this offer = £7 per day per person), High street still has £1 for 4 hours in progress and St David’s car park is £2.40 for 4 hours running through the festive period into the new year, as well as free park and ride voucher scheme which will bring customers from the West Wales regions to FForestfach Park & Ride.
OUT OF TOWN SHOPPING
The Council continues to recognise the strategic importance of protecting our City centre trading by adopting policies since 2005 which prevent further out of town development. These attempts to somewhat level the playing field are now being backed by parking schemes to bring greater foot flow to the City centre (free park and ride and voucher schemes are being delivered)
RENT & RATES
Are currently under review by the Council in conjunction with WAG and the valuation office an effort to support independent businesses through this difficult economic times. We now have one of our BID executive directors co-opted onto the working group commissioned by the Welsh Government which is currently reviewing business rates.
BEP Shop Front Funding
BID are working with the BEP team to help market the programme. To date the scheme has recruited over 19 customers in The City Centre area. New shop fronts add to the appearance and aesthetics of the City Centre.
EMPTY SHOP WINDOW VINYLS
A scheme is already being actioned (Bristol & West on the Kingsway being the first) to improve the appearance of empty shop fronts, a concern expressed by many traders.
REGENERATION AREAS
Swansea has been recognised as 1 of 8 Regeneration Areas which should provide some further funding for City centre regeneration, development and improvement. Finance to be agreed.
FREE/REDUCED COST RECYCLING
A recycling audit began in September with a view to reducing costs to BID members, make sure you contact the BID office for further information. In some cases your recycling could become cost free.
YOUR BID is working closely on your behalf with the Local Authority to support and help businesses through these challenging trading times.
Juliet Luporini Phil Roberts
Executive BID Director Director Department of Regeneration and Housing
