Empty shops still plaguing Chippenham

More than 10 per cent of Chippenham’s shops are empty, according to a new report.

Terminal Illness or Gradual Decline? is a review of British shop vacancy rates by the Local Data Company and shows that 10.3 percent of shops in Chippenham are empty.

The number of empty shops in the UK has trebled since the start of the credit crunch, according to the report, with an average of 14.5 percent of retail premises empty across the UK, compared to just four percent in the summer of 2007.

And although Chippenham might seem to be recovering, with Woolworth's now filled and several other retailers springing up, the statistics show there’s still a long way to go.

The effects of the recession, out of town shopping centres, new supermarkets and the rise of online shopping have all contributed to the rise in town centre vacancies, says the report.

I commented recently that I thought the high street was looking better. But the evidence seems to show we’ve still got a lot of work to do to get the town back in shape.

We’re not the only ones suffering the after affects either. The report showed that a few other Wiltshire towns have plenty of empty shops.

Almost a quarter of shops in Frome are empty, giving the town the highest vacancy rate in the West and Trowbridge came out with a 16.7 percent vacancy rate. Chippenham was ninth, Warminster 13th with 8.6 percent, Marlborough 15th with 8.0 percent and Devizes at 16th with 7.9 percent.

Matthew Hopkinson, a director of the Local Data Company, which compiled the figures, said: "The sad reality is that the number of vacant shops is increasing, with certain areas of the country severely impacted and unlikely to recover."

What do you think? Is Chippenham’s retail offering better or worse than pre-recession?