North East and Cumbria: Cloned towns

Darren Taylor
Politics Show, BBC North East and Cumbria

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Chain stores are driving out small shops in towns across the North East and Cumbria, a survey has suggested. Politics Show North East and Cumbria investigates.

Imagine sitting down in your favourite arm chair, sipping tea, watching Look North and all of a sudden an alien life force fixes a transporter beam on to you.

Before you can say "Carol Malia" you are unceremoniously whisked away and plonked down in one of our high streets.

The key question is: Would you know where you were?

By promoting local shops we can enhance diversity and increase the vitality and stability of local economies Andrew Simms New Economics Foundation

According to the think tank, the New Economics Foundation (NEF), almost a half of UK towns have become what they call "Clone Towns".

Towns stripped of their local identity and replaced with global and national chain stores.

In fact they become somewhere that could be anywhere else.

The NEF says that one of the worst culprits is Middlesbrough which has comparatively few Teesside grown stores in its main shopping area.

Is yours a clone town or a home town?
divides towns into three groups: clone, border town, and home town - one which 'retains its individual character and is instantly recognisable and distinctive'
Town	Score	Status
Middlesbrough	8.5	clone
Darlington	16.5	clone
Kendal	20.9	clone
Bowness	46.7	home
Source: New Economics Foundation

It came fourth from the top (or bottom depending on your point of view) of Clone Towns.

"Clone towns have a triple whammy on communities," said Andrew Simms from NEF.

"They bleed the local economy of money, destroy the social glue provided by real local shops and steal the identity of our towns and cities."

Turn off?

Les Southerton from Middlesbrough's Town Centre Company says he can understand where some of the report comes from but denies the chain stores they have are a "turn off".

"We are a top 40 shopping destination. People want High Street brands.

"In Middlesbrough we are trying to build a second, specialist shopping area around Linthorpe Road which will have these local shops."

Darlington, Kendal and Scarborough also make the report's chart as being Clone Towns while Whitley Bay is held up as an example of a town which has fewer chain stores and more independent retailers.

Politics Show

Some towns are more distinctive that others

Politics Show is live from Morpeth which, although not featured in the current study, appears to be closer to what the report classes as a "Home Town" with plenty of small, local shops.

But there is some concern in Morpeth that the situation could change with ambitious plans for a new £35m shopping complex adjacent to the main streets.

Dave Pope from the town's Chamber of Trade says he does not think it is a cause for concern though.

"We support the idea in principal but we must be sensitive,'' he said.

As you prepare for your weekly shop (assuming you are not trekking to some mammoth out-of-town hypermarket), cast a glance around your local town centre.

Is it a Clone? ... or a Home? You decide.

That is the Politics Show, Sunday, 12 June 2005 at 12.00pm with Richard Moss and Mary Askew.

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