Major rethink to transform the future of Black Country's town centres

Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell are all being forced to "turn away from retail" to prevent town centres turning into ghost towns.

Online shopping, rocketing energy bills, the cost of living crisis, parking charges and an increase in working home have all combined to radically reduce the money being spent in local city and town centres.

Walsall Council leader Councillor Mike Bird has seen several flagship stores close in the town centre and believes a new approach is needed.

He said: "Online shopping is here to stay, we all do it but it means our town centres have to offer something more than retail.

"Walsall has lost Debenhams and Marks & Spencer and no longer has an anchor store in the town. Of course retail units are closing.

"We need to offer a leisure experience too, not just retail. Old Square being taken over by new private investors could be the shape of things to come, a mixed development with over 270 apartments."

Across the West Midlands last year 1,024 shops shut but 596 new stores opened, a net loss of 428 which was the lowest since 2018 according to date from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Local Data Company.

For the West Midlands the number of shops fell by 2.3 per cent which is the third lowest in the country.

The Black Country Chamber of Commerce, which promotes business in the region, refused to comment on the amount of shops which closed last year and its impact on the local economy.

Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for city economy, Councillor Stephen Simkins, believes retail being the lynchpin of town centres is a thing of the past.

He said: "It is difficult everywhere when it comes to retail, not just in Wolverhampton, I visited Durham, which is a lovely cathedral city and there were empty shops everywhere.

"We had a specialists come in when we were putting together plans in Wednesfield and they said they same thing, everywhere is struggling retail wise.

"Rising energy bills are making it so hard for businesses to turn a profit so it is no surprise to see places closing down, here and everywhere else."

He added: "And as a council we do not set the business taxes or rates so cannot do a lot for businesses but what we are doing with Wolverhampton is trying to turn it into a destination city.

"Beatties closing is a classic example of how the way it is, people used to come into the city just to go there but now you can get everything what Beatties used to sell online, so it closed."

The reopening of the Civic Halls in June is a major part of the Wolverhampton's reinvention.

Councillor Simkins said: "The halls will be bringing in 300,000 people into the city, people will be able to get into Wolverhampton easily because of our travel hub with rail, bus and tram. They can walk up Lichfield Street, get something to eat, go to our fantastic theatre, or a concert at the Civic.

"One thing you cannot do online yet is have a great night out. We are investing £6 million into the box park too which will be fantastic.

"We need a hook to bring people into town to use the retailers, so events like Pride in April will do that. We just cannot rely on people to come into our town centres, whether it be Wolverhampton, Wednesfield or Bilston for retail, those days are gone."

Dudley Council has found implementing its vision of a 21st Century town centre in the shadow of the historic castle fraught with problems.

Difficulties locating land owners of important pockets of the town centre and an unwillingness of current shops to relocate has seen several ambitious plans hit the wayside.

Dudley Council leader Councillor Patrick Harley is also convinced the 20th Century model of shops being the main generator of footfall has gone forever.

He said: "We believe town centres have changed. We need to ensure we have a mix of quality retail, residential and leisure offers.

"With our recently announced deal with Hush Properties for three buildings in Stone Street shows we are serious about creating a leisure zone. In addition we need to create new residential areas within the town centre."

He added: "We are now very close to agreeing a deal that will provide almost 200 new residential units in the town centre. Projects such as the Hush Properties and this new residential offer will ensure Dudley town centre has a bright future."

From nationally known department stores to family-run concerns, the shutters have been coming down on High Street stores across the Black Country.

In Sandwell, all six towns Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich, all have empty shops on their High Streets.

High Street mainstay Shaws the Drapers closed all its stores, including its popular West Bromwich Direct outlet suddenly three months after trading since 1916.

Mirroring reasons why other retail outlets shut up shop - higher costs and fewer customers - the family run business said it was closing its 28 stores because "it was just not viable any more".

One Black Country businessman, who did not want to be named, had to close two long-standing shops down last year.

He said: "What I thought were two nice little nest eggs turned out to be millstones around my neck. Every month the bills got higher and higher. My electricity bills tripled, and since the pandemic people never seemed to return.

"There were customers I saw every week of my life for 20 years who I just never saw again when we reopened, and they can't all have died, they just changed their shopping habits and never came back. It's taken a while but now I am grateful I was in business in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and can retire now."

However, Sandwell Council is implementing several multi-million pound regeneration plans in its town centres. The borough has been awarded £65 million to improve West Bromwich, Rowley Regis and Smethwick.

Cabinet member for regeneration, Wednesbury North councillor Pete Hughes, believes each town needs to navigate its way to get "a unique selling point".

He said: "Last week we had the National High Street Taskforce, who are experts in revitalising town centres, visit us in West Bromwich. And what we learnt is its all about revisioning what a town centre will offer people in the future.

"The night time economy is so important, we'd love to have the European cafe-culture which is so popular on the continent but it is not easy for towns in the Black Country.

"We now know instead of building just retail in town centres there needs to be something else, whether it be entertainment or more homes. My home town, Wednesbury, has had less money spent than most but the heritage trail has seen successes which will see the facades of shops improved.

He added: "Now we want more people living in town centres. There is a big parcel of land by the Morrisons which we need to decide what to do with. I did want an attraction there but the argument for new housing and apartments will bring natural footfall in the town, this is the way forward.

"If you look at Darlaston, our sister town in Walsall, it is dying on its feet, there are about ten shops left. It used to be a thriving industrial town. Unless the planners get their act together it will be lost forever.

"Local authorities need to look what can be done individually for each centre, Willenhall, that was in danger of going the way of Darlaston but they are planning a garden city approach and again it will be homes in the town which will help."

He added: "We are working on a master plan for West Bromwich, we need to remodel Queen's Square, there are plans to move the indoor market, nearer the outdoor market. Consultants have been brought in, we cannot keep on offering what we always have and expect people just to turn up.

"Each town needs a unique selling point, that's why we had the meeting with the Taskforce, there is a learning quarter coming together in West Bromwich, a campus would be great. Sandwell is the one borough without a university campus.

"And more homes also will be built. We need a new cultural offer too which the people of the Black Country will actually want to visit, unlike the experiment we had with The Public."

Stafford is banking on the HS2 factor to revitalise its town centre, with the prospect of Londoners and other commuters being attracted to the 54-minute journey to the richest part of the UK.

The Stafford Station Gateway masterplan will transform brownfield land around the railway station by creating up to 20,000 square foot of commercial space, alongside hundreds of new high-quality homes, a hotel and multi-storey car park.

A Stafford Council spokesman said: "The offer also provides opportunities for brand new leisure, retail and food and beverage concepts to create a fresh and vibrant centre for the community."

Walsall residents more than any other townsfolk in the UK want to work from home, a recent survey has revealed.

Working from home is another reason why town centres feel emptier and Walsall residents are more likely to want to stay away from the office than any other town in the country.

Every month there are 2,160 monthly online searches per 100,000 of the population, this month the prospect of rail strikes has seen Walsall residents inquire about "working remotely" more than any other UK town.

Walsall Council leader Councillor Mike Bird said: "The changes we have seen in the last few years have been huge, now the trick is to change with the times and thrive."