Shops ‘disappear’ from town high street leaving locals ‘disappointed’
One resident believes “bigger cafés are taking over” from independent brands
St Ives high street(Image: Cambridgeshire Live)
People have said they find it ‘disappointing’ that some shops have ‘disappeared’ from their Cambridgeshire town’s high street. Over the years, many shops have disappeared from town and city high streets, leaving shoppers sad when some of their favourite brands leave.
This is the feeling for some residents in St Ives. Jackie Smith said St Ives is a “very safe” and “lovely” town, but said that more shops and cafés are leaving the high street.
She said: “The bigger cafés are taking over from the smaller people. We used to have one café down the road that has gone now.
“There’s a big Caffe Nero, but also a Costa opposite. Younger people can afford to go somewhere like Costa now. You couldn’t do that in my day!”
Derek Green said he finds it ‘disappointing’ that more shops are leaving the high street. He added: “That’s the only thing disappointing about St Ives. We used to have a lot more independents, like cafés and shops, but the bigger brands are taking over.”
His thoughts were echoed by another long-term resident, who wished to remain anonymous. They said the “high street is not what it used to be”.
They added: “We used to have a lot more shops than we do now, I mean you can see from how some are left empty. I guess it’s the same everywhere, but it’s a shame to see shops disappearing from the high street.”
Not only do people think there could be more in the high street, but they also think there could be more to the town’s market. Sara Jarlett, who runs a pick and mix stall in the market every Monday and Friday, thinks the market could be bigger.
She added: “Apparently years ago, the market used to be all the way down to the other side of the crossing. It’s a lot smaller now.” Sara thinks more stalls could be on offer at the market. She said: “You could get other stalls here like bric and brac.”
As well as improving the high street, some locals believe there is a problem with traffic in the town. Amelia Phillips said: “The traffic sometimes heading to Cambridge at commuting times is bad.”
Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said traffic in the centre has “become a problem”. She added: “There are a lot more cars on the road compared to when I moved here a long time ago. But, I guess that is the same everywhere else.”
