Brooks needs help, but isn’t critical (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Brooks needs help, but isn’t critical

10:45am Friday 29th January 2010

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SIR — Let’s not make a crisis out of the drama of Bhs leaving The Brooks, Winchester.

The shopping centre needs help, but its condition is far from critical.

If you go on square footage, I doubt whether there is more than 10 per cent empty space.

Only five units inside The Brooks are empty (assuming Primark does replace Bhs).

Of those, three are only suitable for small businesses that probably can’t afford the rent.

There are many excellent shops to be found in The Brooks: Argos, Waterstones, New Look, Hawkins Bazaar, H2OMudnSnow, Costa and more.

In Beales and Bhs/Primark, it offers something extremely rare in Winchester — large scale-stores.

The problem is, The Brooks is one of Winchester’s best kept secrets.

It’s badly signposted off the High Street and the building itself is anonymous and uninviting.

The landlord London & Henley should put up unmissable signage on the exterior, spelling out what The Brooks has to offer.

The council should erect bigger more informative directional signs around the city.

Also, rents and rates seem to be based on a busier shopping centre than we actually have.

A temporary reduction would help attract new shops and retain existing ones.

Paul Lewis, Your Life Your Style, The Brooks, Winchester.

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