Shopping habits (From Gazette & Herald)

Shopping habits

2:43pm Thursday 2nd July 2009

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MORE than £18 million a year spent by Ryedale residents rings tills in supermarkets outside the area.

The report that Coun Andrews quoted in last week’s letters shows only 63 per cent of shoppers in the Malton catchment area buy “convenience” goods locally.

That same report says that while some people at the outer edges will always migrate to other stores, the overall figure for keeping shoppers local is “relatively low”.

On top of that, it also points up the potential for a 17 per cent increase in persuading people to shop locally with “development of the right type, in the right location”.

It adds that the type of store needed to fill the gap is a higher end supermarket, for which Malton town centre represents “an appropriate location”.

Using part of Wentworth Street car park for retail is considered a long-term possibility in the study.

And it remains important to look at the wider benefits of developing the site while retaining 80 per cent of the car parking spaces.

A development offers a way of raising millions for improved roads or other community benefits such as a major overhaul of the Milton Rooms.

There is no confusion, as has been suggested, just clarity about making sure we look at opportunities.

Any planning application would still have to be treated on its merits. There are no foregone conclusions.

But there are options – and we have to look at them.

HOWARD KEAL, Liberal Democrat group leader, Ryedale District Council

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