Liskeard traders call town centre meeting

Liskeard Chamber of Commerce is urging all traders in the town to attend a special meeting they are calling on Monday night (May 24) to discuss the Parade Scheme, traffic problems and parking.

Chairman Roger Terry says he has received many complaints about the current state of the town from fellow shop keepers, many of whom have lost almost half of their trade since the Parade works began, and are very concerned that once the work is completed people will not come back to Liskeard to shop.

'We took a knock two years ago when the first scheme was done' said Mr Terry, ' and many found it hard to recover then. If we don't get together and start thinking about what we can do in the future to get the people back into our local shops soon, there will be no traders left' he warned.

Mr Terry said the meeting at the Lord Eliot Hotel at 7.30pm was open to all traders, whether members of the Chamber or not. He says a more active Chamber would give traders a stronger voice on the Town Forum before more work, such as the Baytree Hill scheme was started.

Some town councillors are hoping to attend the meeting, concerns being raised at the last council about the lack of parking spaces in the streets, and the increase in fees being charged by Caradon in the town's main car parks. The issue was raised by Councillors Pat Ambler and Roger Holmes, who said Liskeard was suffering more than the other towns in Caradon because of the Parade works on top of the price rises. Councillor Rees was concerned that the parking hours had also been altered. Councillor Graham Sandercock proposed, supported by Councillor Holmes that a letter should be sent to Caradon complaining about the parking charges, and that the five towns should get together to work out a parking strategy.

Also at the Chamber meeting will be trader and Forum community representative Mrs Jane Pascoe. 'The traders need to have a constructive agenda to promote Liskeard and take it forward with the new town and district councillors' she said. 'Negative attitudes are not the answer. Now is the time to get together to find solutions to the trading problems in the town. People will have to be encouraged and co-erced into using the town again. The town and parking must be more user friendly in order for it to survive and able to discourage customers from using more convenient outside shopping centres'.