Boston - for sale or rent ...

Efforts to combat the blight caused by the high number of empty shops in Boston are currently underway - but are they too little, too late? The best that the BBI can come up with is to slap a load of stickers on the windows of empty shops, and create another charity shop in a town that's already overwhelmed with the things.The money is coming from the government in the shape of a £52,000 grant ... part of a £3 million kitty offered by the government's communities and local government department- "to improve the appearance and vibrancy of town centres."
The stickers will cost £12,000, the charity shop another £30,000, and the remaining £10,000 will go towards reducing start up and operating costs to attract new businesses.
Despite the fact that these are rotten ideas, they might be expected to achieve some sort of result.
But the reason we ask whether it is too little, too late comes after a worrying glimpse to the property pages in the local papers.
This week, just one local estate agency is offering no fewer than ten shops for sale or rent.
Nor are they hole and corner operations.
The former T Mobile shop in the Market Place next to Millets, the Italian take-away in Wide Bargate, the former beauty salon in Fountains Lane and the framing shop in Wide Bargate are all to let.
Still in Wide Bargate, the bakery is for sale, as is the tanning salon in Wormgate, the Polish restaurant in West Street, Beijing Buffet in the Market Place, the restaurant in South Street and another shop in the High Street.
Presumably so many premises are on the market because of the decline in the local economy.
Several of them are listed as available immediately, which means that they are either empty - or shortly to become so.
This is potentially a huge problem, and like so many things in these days of BBI rule, is going apparently unnoticed and unaddressed.
The best they can come up with is a few stickers and another charity shop.
As we said when last we wrote on this vexing subject charity shops in a town centre thrive because the town is declining, and to encourage more just makes matters worse.
Unless someone gives the future of Boston's town centre some urgent thought, it is in danger of becoming a ghost town, and all the stickers and do-gooders in the world will be unable to change it.

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