Gatley gains a bollard, loses a bank
May 27, 2010 Iain Roberts 7 Comments

I was very pleased to see that the new bollard on the corner of Gatley Road and Old Hall Road was installed on Tuesday.  This was something I worked with the Council on after a lorry clipping the kerb shot a fragment of concrete that hit our crossing lady in the throat (luckily, she wasn’t injured).

Sadly, though, the Nat West bank on the opposite side of Gatley Road will be closing in August.  Wasn’t it Nat West who ran a big advertising campaign about how important their branch network was?

business, streets

7 Comments

1
jean skitt
Friday 28 May 2010 - 10:00 am

Hi Iain

On the subject of bollards, as you know there is a bollard at the corner of Carrs Passage( our back entrance) to stop cars driving up the pavement on Pendlebury Rd which is a big problem because of the parked cars on the shops side, we campaigned for this a few years ago and obviously were successful – but now we are seeing cars still driving up the pavement as they turn into Pendlebury and then reverting to the road just before ” our” bollard – so we are wondering if another bollard( or even two) could be placed along
the pavement towards Pendlebury corner to stop this , it really is a nightmare just because impatient motorists cannot wait for cars to come down the hill!!!!!! Thanks in advance and for all that you are doing Jean

2
Phil Johnson
Friday 28 May 2010 - 10:26 am

Can we expect the exodus of more businesses from Gatley for as long as we have reactionary campaigns against proposed developments on such as the Tatton site?
If I were a potential buyer looking at the history of the Tatton site, it would not be long before I was looking for a more progressive community in which to invest.

3
John Hartley
Friday 28 May 2010 - 11:20 am

Phil may have the wider point here. Certainly Gatley has a number of empty shop premises with no signs of new businesses moving in. Sad to say, it’s starting to look like an area in decline.

4
Paula Isherwood
Friday 28 May 2010 - 1:15 pm

I agree with Phil and John. Whilst the campaign started to try to keep the “tatton block” looking as it does now it soon deteriorated into rabble rowsing the public into thinking they could have whatever they wanted.

Some people in high places have a lot to answer for!

5
iainroberts
Saturday 29 May 2010 - 8:59 am

To be fair, whatever anyone’s views of the Tatton site, I don’t think it has anything to do with the decision of Nat West to close our branch.

We do keep an eye on the number of empty premises in Gatley, and it compares reasonably well to other similar places in these hard times.

6
Phil Johnson
Monday 31 May 2010 - 11:02 am

Maybe not, Iain, but surely as the number of businesses reduce, the less banks will be needed. When Natwest closes there will be FIVE empty businesses (4 in Tatton Buildings) visible from the clock tower.
A further three empty (Red Lion 2 shops opposite) at the other end of Church Road.
What we DO have is a ridiculous number of fast food oulets(including 4 out of 7 units between Barclays & No 20), and no competition for the grocer.
In my opinion, the Dickens proposal for Tesco, Costa Coffee etc could have kick-started regeneration, but looking at the boarding-up and fly-posting it seems that we’re in for a lingering demise.
The vociferous protests by a small minority have done a great diservice to the residents of Gatley

7
John Hartley
Monday 31 May 2010 - 1:17 pm

I’ve made the comparision between Gatley & Heald Green on the Gatley discussion board but it’s worth raising again here in view of the figures that Phil Johnson mentions.

I was in Heald Green the other day and, as far as I recall, there’s only one retail premises that’s empty on the “main drag” (and that, a kitchen firm that’s relocated to one of the industrial estates). There’s a heck of a contast between what looks like a vibrant retail centre in HG and what looks like a declining one in Gatley.



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