warminster amt with summary town benchmarking 2011 report · made with bradford on avon, trowbridge...

Market Town Benchmarking

Measuring the performance of town centres

Warminster 2011 Annual Report

January 2012

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2

AMT Town Benchmarking Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This is the first time amt-i benchmarking has been undertaken in Warminster, and the

figures make interesting reading. Data has been collected, businesses and cars counted, the

views of businesses and people who use the town have been recorded and all put together

in one document.

This data shows clearly who uses Warminster, why they come and what they think of the

town. The collective view of businesses is revealed. In addition, some comparison can be

made with Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge and Amesbury, who are the nearest local towns to

participate in the same benchmarking exercise in 2011. Warminster’s results can be

compared with the national average too (one thing to bear in mind – ‘national’ in this case

means comparing ourselves with the other 43 small towns that took part in benchmarking in

2011 (and 14 large towns)).

This is a snapshot of 2011. The exercise will be repeated each year, and the trends will

become more apparent and more valuable as time goes on.

Grateful thanks are extended to all who collected, recorded and collated the data:

Warminster & Villages Community Partnership – Economy & Tourism Group

Warminster & Villages Development Trust

Warminster School – Staff and students

Thanks also go to all the businesses that took the time and trouble to respond to the

questionnaires, and to all those people who contributed their views in the street. Every

piece of data collected contributes to a picture of Warminster’s economic health.

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CONTENTS PAGE

Page Number

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2

INTRODUCTION 4

METHODOLOGY 6

KEY FINDINGS 7

KPI 1: Total Number of Commercial Units 7

KPI 2: Retail by Comparison / Convenience 10

KPI 3: Key attractors / multiple trader representation 11

KPI 4: Number of vacant units 13

KPI 5: Number of markets / traders 13

KPI 6 and 7: Zone A Retail Rents and Prime Retail Property Yields 14

KPI 8: Footfall Counts 15

KPI 9: Car Parking Availability and Usage 16

KPI 10: Business Confidence Survey 18

KPI 11: Visitor Satisfaction Survey 23

KPI 12: Shoppers Origin Survey 30

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INTRODUCTION

The Approach

AMT Town Benchmarking has been developed to address the real issues of how to

understand measure, evaluate and ultimately improve town centres. The approach offers a

simple way of capturing data on 12 Key Performance Indicators selected by those involved

in town centre management. By having the tools to measure performance, strategic

decision making is both encouraged and improved. By considering performance, forward

strategies and action planning can be more focused and effective.

AMT Town Benchmarking licenses allow users to collect data on the 12 Key Performance

Indicators from 1st

January to 31st

December in a systematic manner. All license holders are

provided with a Town Benchmarking Handbook and associated data collection sheets to

ensure standardization. Once the data has been collected it is sent to amt-i, the research

division of national membership organization and registered charity Action for Market

towns for analysis and report production.

The System

The Benchmarking system is divided into two sections:

• Large Towns; consisting of those localities with more than 250 commercial units

• Small Towns; consisting of those localities with less than 250 commercial units

Towns, depending on their size, contribute to either the Large or Small Town analysis

The analysis provides data on each KPI for the Benchmarked town individually and in a

regional, national and typology context where available.

• Regional figures are an amalgamation of the data for all the towns in a specific

region

• The National figure is the average for all the towns which participated in

Benchmarking during 2011.

• The Typology analysis refers to the data for the individual town against all of the

other towns who have been classified in the same typology by the Rural Evidence

Research Centre at Birkbeck College.

Information on towns contributing to Benchmarking in 2011, whether they are part of the

Large or Small Town cohort, Region and Typology can be found within the Appendix.

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The Reports

The Annual AMT Town Benchmarking report provides statistical analysis of each of the KPI’s.

Individual towns are encouraged to add their own commentary to the analysis, noting

specific patterns or trends and using local knowledge to provide specific explanations.

The reports are used by a variety of key stakeholders such as local authorities, town and

parish councils, local partnerships and universities to;

• Benchmark clusters of towns to ascertain high performers / under achievers

• complete PPS4, Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth, which requires the

continued monitoring of the vitality and viability of centres in Policy EC9

• understand their locality in a regional and national context

• measure town centre performance year on year

• identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement

• measure the impact of initiatives and developments within the town centre

• act as an evidence base for funding applications

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METHODOLOGY

Each KPI was collected in a standardized manner as highlighted in the Table below.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGY

KPI 1: Total number of commercial units Visual Survey

KPI 2: Retail by Comparison/Convenience Visual Survey

KPI 3:Key attractors / multiple trader

representation

Visual Survey

KPI 4: Number of vacant units Visual Survey

KPI 5: Number of markets / traders Visual Survey

KPI 6 and 7: Zone A Retail Rents and Prime

Retail Property Yields

Commercial Letting Agents/Valuation

Office Agency

KPI 8: Footfall Footfall Survey on Market and Non

Market Days

KPI 9: Car Parking Availability and Usage Footfall Survey on Market and Non

Market Days

KPI 10: Business Confidence Survey Postal Survey/ Hand Delivered/ Face to

Face/ On Line

KPI 11: Town Centre Users Survey On Line and Face to Face Survey

KPI 12: Shoppers Origin Survey Shoppers Origin Postcode

Before any KPI data was collected the core commercial area of the town centre has been

defined. The town centre area includes the core shopping streets and car parks attached or

adjacent to these streets.

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KEY FINDINGS

KPI 1: Total Number of Commercial Units

It is important to understand the scale and variety of the “commercial offer” throughout the

town. A variety of shops and a wide range of services in a town are important to its ability to

remain competitive and continue to attract customers. Sustaining a balance between the

different aspects of buying and selling goods and services ensures that the local population

(and visitors from outside) can spend time and money there, keeping the generated wealth

of the town within the local economy. Importantly, it forms the employment base for a

substantial proportion of the community too, helping to retain the population rather than

lose it to nearby towns and cities.

The following table provides a detailed breakdown of each of the Use Classes.

Table of Use Classes

Class Type of Use Class Includes:

A1 Shops

Shops, retail warehouses, hairdressers, travel and

ticket agencies, post offices (but not sorting offices),

pet shops, sandwich bars, showrooms, domestic hire

shops, dry cleaners, funeral directors and internet

cafes

A2 Financial and professional

services

Financial services such as banks and building

societies, professional services (other than health and

medical services) including estate and employment

agencies and betting offices

A3 Restaurants and Cafés Food and drink for consumption on the premises-

restaurants, snack bars and cafes

A4 Drinking establishments Public houses, wine bars or other drinking

establishments (but not nightclubs)

A5 Hot food takeaways Sale of hot food for consumption off the premises

SG Sui Generis

("unique" establishments)

Theatres, hostels providing no significant element of

care, scrap yards. Petrol filling stations and shops

selling and/ or displaying motor vehicles. Retail

warehouse clubs, nightclubs, laundrettes, taxi

business, amusement centres, casinos, haulage yards,

transport depots, veterinary clinics, dog parlours,

tanning and beauty salons and tattoo studios.

B1 Business

Offices (other than those that fall within A2) research

and development of products and processes, light

industry appropriate in a residential area

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B2 General Industrial

Use for industrial process other than one falling

within class B1 (excluding incineration purposes,

chemical treatment or landfill or hazardous waste)

B8 Storage and Distribution Warehouses, includes open air storage

C1 Hotels

Hotels, boarding and guest houses where no

significant element of care is provided (excludes

hostels)

C2 Residential Institutions

Residential care homes, hospitals, nursing homes,

boarding schools, residential colleges and training

centres.

C2A Secure Residential

Institution

Use for a provision of secure residential

accommodation, including use as a prison, young

offenders institution, detention centre, secure

training centre, custody centre, short term holding

centre, secure hospital, secure local authority

accommodation or use as a military barracks.

D1 Non residential

institutions

Clinics, health centres, crèches, day centres, schools,

art galleries (other than for sale or hire), museums,

libraries, halls, places of worship, church halls, law

court. Non residential education and training centres.

D2 Assembly and leisure

Cinemas, music and concert halls, bingo and dance

halls (but not nightclubs), swimming baths, skating

rinks, gymnasiums or area for indoor or outdoor

sports and recreations (except for motor sports, or

where firearms are used).

Warminster does not appear significantly different from the makeup of other towns and is

close to the national average. The statistics do not compare the absolute numbers of

different sorts of units in every town, but gives the percentage of different types of

commercial units in each town. Warminster has 220 commercial units in the town centre.

A large town is deemed to have 250 or more commercial units in the same area.

The following table provides a detailed analysis of the commercial offering in the town

centre by Use Class. The figures are presented as a percentage of the total number of units

recorded.

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Warminster

%

South

West

Large

Towns %

South

West

Small

Towns

National

Large

Towns %

National

Small

Towns %

Typology

2 %

A1 56 46 55 53 53 54

A2 15 24 14 15 14 16

A3 7 7 8 9 8 9

A4 3 1 3 3 4 3

A5 5 4 6 4 5 3

B1 1 2 1 4 3 2

B2 0 2 0 1 0 3

B8 0 0 0 0 0 0

C1 1 1 1 0 0 0

C2 0 6 0 0 0 1

C3 0 1 0 0 1 0

D1 6 3 6 5 6 4

D2 2 1 1 1 1 1

SG 5 2 3 4 5 3

Not

Recorded 0 0 0 0 0 0

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KPI 2: Retail by Comparison / Convenience

A1 Retail units selling goods can be split into two different types Comparison and

Convenience.

Convenience retail describes merchandise that is purchased on a very frequent basis, is of

relatively low value, and is often consumable in nature. Examples include:

• Food and non alcoholic beverages

• Tobacco

• Alcoholic beverages (off trade)

• Newspapers and Magazines

• Flowers

• Pharmaceuticals

• Cosmetics

• Toiletries

• Non durable household goods (goods which last fewer than 3 years)

Comparison goods is a term used in retailing to indicate goods purchased for long term use

that are likely to be subject to comparison between suppliers before purchase. Examples

include:

• Clothing

• Shoes and other footwear

• Materials for maintenance & repair of dwellings

• Furniture & furnishings; carpets and other floor coverings

• Household textiles

• Major household appliances, electric or not

• Small electric household appliances

• Tools & miscellaneous accessories

• Glassware, tableware & household utensils

• Medical goods & other pharmaceutical products

• Therapeutic appliances & equipment

• Bicycles

• Recording media

• Games, toys & hobbies; sport & camping equipment, musical instruments

• Garden equipment and goods

• Pets & related products

• Books & stationary

• Audio-visual, photographic and information processing equipment

• Appliances for personal care

• Jewellery, watches & clocks

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The presence of a variety of shops in a town centre is important to its ability to remain

competitive and continue to attract customers. A balance of both comparison and

convenience retail units is therefore ideal in terms of encouraging visitors / potential

customers. Traditionally a two thirds comparison one thirds convenience A1 retail offering

has been the benchmark of a ‘healthy’ town centre.

In Warminster there appears to be the ‘healthy’ good mix of comparison (2/3rds) to

convenience (1/3rd).

Warminster

%

South

West

Large

Towns %

South

West

Small

Towns %

National

Large

Towns %

National

Small

Towns %

Typology

2 %

Comparison 69 n/a 53 72 60 73

Convenience 31 n/a 47 28 40 27

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KPI 3: Key attractors / multiple trader representation

The vitality of a town centre depends highly on the quality and variety of retailers

represented. National retail businesses are considered key attractors and are particularly

important in terms of attracting visitors and shoppers to a town. However, the character

and profile of a town often also depends on the variety and mix of independent shops that

can give a town a “unique selling point” and help distinguish it from other competing

centres. A sustainable balance of key attractors and multiple names alongside local

independent shops is therefore likely to have the greatest positive impact on the vitality and

viability of a town.

The following shops are considered Key attractors by Experian Goad Key Attractors List

2010.

Argos New Look

BHS Next

Boots River Island

Burtons Sainsbury’s

Carphone Warehouse Superdrug

Clarks Tesco

Clintons Topman

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Curry’s Topshop

Debenhams Virgin Megastore

Dorothy Perkins Vodaphone

H &M WH Smith

HMV Waitrose

House of Fraser Waterstones

John Lewis Wilkinson’s

Marks and Spencers

Multiple traders have a countrywide presence and are well known household names.

Regional shops are identified as those with stores / units in several towns throughout one

geographical region only and Independent shops are identified as those that are specific to a

particular town.

Warminster, with Dorothy Perkins, WH Smith, Argos, Superdrug and Boots has five key

attractors. Nationally small towns have an average of 6, and large towns an average of 8 so

that in 2011 we had less key attractors than the average count in small town nationally. The

opening of Waitrose in March 2012 should bring us in line with the average.

Warminster

%

South

West

Large

Towns %

South

West

Small

Towns %

National

Large

Towns %

National

Small

Towns %

Typology 2

%

Key Attractor 4 n/a 2 8 6 6

Multiple 25 n/a 18 30 20 24

Regional 12 n/a 9 6 10 4

Independent 60 n/a 71 55 65 66

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KPI 4: Number of vacant units

Vacant units are an important indicator of the vitality and viability of a town centre. The

presence of vacant units over a period of time can identify potential weaknesses in a town

centre, whether due to locational criteria, high rent levels or strong competition from other

centres.

Warminster appears to have more than the average number of vacant units. This suggests a

potential weakness. The question arises as to whether there are too many retail units in

Warminster? However, a number of vacant units are awaiting significant renovation and

not all empty units are being offered on the market.

Warminster

%

South

West

Large

Towns %

South

West

Small

Towns %

National

Large

Towns %

National

Small

Towns %

Typology

2 %

Vacant Units 17 17 7 9 9 10

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KPI 5: Number of markets / traders

Good quality markets provide competition and choice for consumers. A busy and well-used

street market can therefore be a good indicator of the vitality of a town centre. Conversely,

if a market is in decline (e.g. empty pitches reducing numbers), it can be an indication of

potential weaknesses in the town centre e.g. a lack of footfall customers due to an

inappropriate retail mix or increased competitor activity. Street markets can also generate

substantial benefits for the local economy. Markets can also provide a local mechanism for a

diverse range of local enterprises to start, flourish and grow, adding to the sustainable mix

of shops services on offer throughout the town.

The statistics do not show that the market in Warminster is flourishing when compared with

the national scene. Out of 20 traders recorded on the day of the count (26th

June 2011) 8

traders were indoors in the Country Market in the library. There appears to be a need for

revitalisation of the market.

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Warminster

South

West

Large

Towns

South

West

Small

Towns

National

Large

Towns

National

Small

Towns

Typology

2

Average

number of

market days

during week

1 n/a 1 2 2 2

Average

number of

traders at a

market

20 n/a 11

47 23 47

KPI 6: Zone Retail Rents & KPI 7: Prime retail property yields

The values for prime retail property yield and Zone A rentals are the “industry” benchmarks

for the relative appeal of a location with its users and with the owners or investors in

property. All real estate has a value and this value is based on the return on investment that

can be levered out of the site. As these indicators rise and fall, they provide a barometer of

success or failure and, because the same property dimensions are assessed to determine

them, they can be used as an indicator of improving or declining fortunes for towns. In

particular retail rents can provide a useful indication of a town’s performance and highlight

how attractive it is to businesses. Conversely, where rents are falling it can be an indicator

of decline.

Both KPI 6 and KPI 7 will provide useful information year on year, and will act as a useful

barometer of the health of Warminster town centre. The 2011 data shows that Warminster

rents and % yield are above the average for small towns both regionally and nationally.

Zone A rents are expressed as £ per sq. ft.

Warminster

South

West

Large

Towns

South

West

Small

Towns

National

Large

Towns

National

Small

Towns

Typology

2

Zone A 32.5 65 26 63 31 36

% Yield 8.5 n\a 8 6 7 9

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KPI 8: Footfall Counts

The arrival and movement of people, whether as residents, workers, visitors or a shopper is

vital to the success of the majority of businesses within the town centre. The more people

that are attracted to the town, the better it trades and the more prosperous the businesses

in it become, provided there is ample available disposable income in that population.

Measuring passing people in a consistent manner in the same place, at the same time builds

up a picture of the town, its traders and their relative success over the weeks and months.

The following table is based on the count point within the town centre with the highest

aggregate footfall. The figures for the Busy/ Market Day and Quiet/ Non Market Day time

are an average of the three ten minute counts in that specific location between 10.00am-

11.00am, 11.00am-12.00pm and 12.00pm-13.00pm. Thus, the numbers displayed refer to

the average footfall count over a 10 minute period on a Busy and Quiet day.

The 2011 Warminster footfall counts show that the town is doing extremely well in

comparison with small towns in both the south west and nationally. Somewhat surprisingly

there was a little more activity on a quiet non market day in autumn (Thursday 21st

October)

than a market day in the summer. (Friday 8th

July).

Warminst

er

South

West

Large

Towns

South

West

Small

Towns

National

Large

Towns

National

Small

Towns

Typology 2

Busy 169 n/a 64 462 115 328

Quiet 177 n/a 39 318 83 157

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KPI 9: Car Parking Availability and Usage

These days a large proportion of spending customers in a town centre come by car. In the

rural setting, the car tends to be an essential tool, used by both those who come to spend

and those who come to work. The provision of adequate and convenient car parking

facilities is therefore a key element of town centre vitality. An acceptable number of

available spaces with a regular, quick turn-over for shoppers are the ideal while adequate

longer stay, less convenient spaces for local owners/ workers and visitors must be

considered too.

The following tables provide a summary of the Car Parking offering broken down into the;

• Provision of total number of spaces in designated car parks

• Provision of total number of short stay, long stay and disabled spaces in designated

car parks

• Percentage of vacant spaces in designated car parks on a Busy/ Market Day and on a

Quiet/ Non Market Day.

• Average number of illegally parked cars in designated car parks on a Busy/ Market

Day and on a Quiet/ Non Market Day.

• Provision of total number of on street car parking spaces

• Provision of total number of on street short stay, long stay and disabled spaces

• Percentage of vacant on street spaces on a Busy/ Market Day and on a Quiet/ Non

Market Day.

• Average number of illegally parked cars on street on a Busy/ Market Day and on a


• Overall provision of car parking spaces

• Overall provision of total number of short stay, long stay and disabled spaces

• Overall percentage of vacant spaces on a Busy/ Market Day and on a Quiet/ Non

Market Day.

• Overall average number of illegally parked cars on a Busy/ Market Day and on a


The data collected for Warminster reveals many vacant spaces both on market day and non-

market day. This may be because there is a surfeit of parking or that people are avoiding

using the spaces because of recently introduced increases in car parking charges.

Warminster has a larger proportion of short stay places in comparison with the proportion

in small towns nationally. The town has a slightly larger proportion of disabled spaces than

average.

The car parking counts to be undertaken in 2012 will reveal the extent to which people have

either accepted the higher charges or taken advantage of the Town Council’s refund scheme

operated in co-operation with local retailers.

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Warm.

No Warm.%

South

West

Large

Towns %

South

West

Small

Towns %

National

Large

Towns %

National

Small

Towns %

Typ. 2 %

Car Park:

Total Spaces: 1130 92 97 81 91 88 95

Short Stay Spaces:

(4 hours and under)

562 50 38 34 28 40 35

Long Stay Spaces:

(Over 4 hours)

507 45 60 21 47 51 31

Disabled Spaces: 61 5 2 3 4 4 3

Not Registered n/a n/a n/a 42 22 5 31

Vacant Spaces on a

Market Day:

289 26 15 15 26 18 23

Vacant Spaces on a

Non Market Day:

592 52 42 13 36 37 44

Illegal Spaces on a

Market Day:

11 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a n/a

Illegal Spaces on a

Non Market Day:


On Street:

Total Spaces: 101 8 3 19 9 12 5

Short Stay Spaces:

(4 hours and under)

62 61 82 67 72 71 47

Long Stay Spaces:

(Over 4 hours)

35 35 n/a 2 13 21 12

Disabled Spaces: 4 4 n/a 4 4 2 1

Not Registered n/a n/a 18 27 9 5 40

Vacant Spaces on a

Market Day:

18 18 n/a 11 17 13 19

Vacant Spaces on a

Non Market Day:

14 14 n/a 8 22 18 29

Illegal Spaces on a

Market Day:


Illegal Spaces on a

Non Market Day:


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Overall

Total Spaces: 1231 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Short Stay Spaces:

(4 hours and under)

624 51 40 54 32 44 36

Long Stay Spaces:

(Over 4 hours)

542 44 58 37 44 49 30

Disabled Spaces: 65 5 2 4 4 3 3

Not Registered n/a n/a n/a 5 21 3 32

Vacant Spaces on a

Market Day:

307 25 15 23 25 19 23

Vacant Spaces on a

Non Market Day:

606 49 41 26 35 37 43

Illegal Spaces on a

Market Day:

12 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Illegal Spaces on a

Non Market Day:

8 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

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KPI 10: Business Confidence Survey

The aim of the Business Confidence Survey is to establish an understanding of the economy

of the town. By establishing the trading conditions of the town centre businesses efforts can

be focussed on looking at issues which are of concern and how to improve them.

Amongst the wealth of information from Warminster businesses are views on turnover and

profitability - 46% of businesses think that turnover has decreased compared to last year,

and 56% believe that profitability has decreased compared to last year. There is little

confidence for 2012 as 84% of businesses believe their turnover will stay the same or

decrease. Positive aspects of having a business in town are potential local customers, the

geographical location, the prosperity of the town (this was also cited as a negative aspect),

and the retail offer. Negative aspects of having a business in Warminster are car parking

issues, retail values/property costs, prosperity of the town, and competition from other

places.

The following table is based on the responses from the Business Confidence Survey.

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19


Warm %

South

West

Large

Towns %

South

West

Small

Towns %

National

Large

Towns %

National

Small

Towns %

Typology

2 %

What is the nature of your

business?

Retail 53

n/a 55 66 66 53

Commercial/Professional 19

n/a 18 18 15 19

Public Sector 6

n/a 6 1 2 6

Hospitality 10

n/a 13 6 7 10

Other 12

n/a 8 9 9 12

What type of business are you?

Multiple Trader 10

n/a 8 17 15 10

Regional 5

n/a 4 10 6 5

Independent 85

n/a 88 73 79 85

How long has your business

been in the town?

less than one year 4

n/a 6 7 7 4

one to five years 24

n/a 26 23 25 24

six to ten years 16

n/a 18 17 15 16

more than ten years 56

n/a 50 53 53 56

5. Compared to last year has

your turnover…….?,

increased 18

n/a 22 28 28 18

stayed the same 36

n/a 34 23 29 36

decreased 46

n/a 44 49 43 46

6. Compared to last year has

your profitability…….?

increased 14

n/a 21 23 22 14

stayed the same 31

n/a 42 27 29 31

decreased 56

n/a 36 49 49 56

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20


7. Over the next 12 months do

you think your turnover

will…….?

increase 25

n/a 83 35 32 25

stay the same 39

n/a 54 35 39 39

decrease 35

n/a 31 30 29 35

8. What are the positive

aspects of having a business

located in the town?

(Multiselect)

Prosperity of the town 41

n/a 46 44 38 41

Labour pool 12

n/a 13 12 9 12

Environment 23

n/a 26 23 20 23

Geographical location 52

n/a 53 47 43 52

Mix of retail offer 41

n/a 35 40 32 41

Potential tourist customers 37

n/a 48 28 26 37

Potential local customers 77

n/a 77 72 73 77

Affordable housing 12

n/a 10 7 9 12

Transport links 32

n/a 31 35 30 32

Car parking 26

n/a 24 25 31 26

Rental values/property costs 18

n/a 18 13 18 18

Other 3

n/a 5 7 3 3

9. What are the negative

aspects of having a business

located in the town?

(Multiselect)

Prosperity of the town 36

n/a 26 19 25 36

Labour pool 6

n/a 4 7 6 6

Environment 10

n/a 7 8 8 10

Geographical location 8

n/a 6 7 7 8

Mix of retail offer 21

n/a 23 16 25 21

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21


Potential tourist customers 9

n/a 5 9 11 9

Potential local customers 5

n/a 3 2 4 5

Affordable housing 5

n/a 8 12 8 5

Transport links 5

n/a 10 6 10 5

Car parking 75

n/a 73 64 58 75

Rental values/property costs 40

n/a 37 48 32 40

Local business competition 19

n/a 18 24 20 19

Competition from other places 36

n/a 30 32 34 36

Competition from the Internet 30

n/a 26 38 30 30

Other 0

n/a 4 4 4 0

10a. Has your business suffered

from any crime over the last 12

months?

Yes 30

n/a 23 34 31 30

No 70

n/a 77 66 69 70

10b. What type of crime has

your business suffered over the

last 12 months (Multiselect)

theft 39

n/a 33 80 63 39

abuse 26

n/a 19 16 15 26

criminal damage 52

n/a 40 30 46 52

other 8

n/a 10 2 5 8

What TWO suggestions would you make to improve the town’s economic performance?

• "Stop parking charges and make rents more affordable to encourage owners to open

up businesses"

• "Return to at least 2hrs free parking"

• "free parking"

• "All shop fronts to be kept in a presentable state"

• "free parking council to drop rates"

• "Cut car parking charges don’t have enough shops to warrant it encourage more

businesses to create more jobs and stop letting to charity shops."

• "Encourage a wider variety of independent shops, lower rents for 1st year"

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22


• "Free parking"

• "Encourage shop owners to repair/restore shop fronts and try to smarten up the

town"

• "Free car parking"

• "Free car parking for locals to encourage more business and less empty shops"


• "Free parking and cheaper rent and rates"

• "More affordable business units"

• "Increase free parking and decrease parking restrictions and give some kind of

incentive to fill the empty shops in town"

• "Longer free car parking. Preferences for food shoppers"

• "Community events in shopping areas and replace one hour free parking"

• "Promotional cultural festivals"

• "To bring back free parking options, vital for the town"

• "Parking and no charity shops in the heart of town"

• "Free parking and affordable rent and rates"

• "Lower business rates and realistic parking charges ie £1 for 2-3 hours"

• "As always parking charges continue to be a negative factor"

• "Reduce rent for all new businesses advertise free parking all day"

• "Free car parking and contact landlords of empty property and get them to tidy them

up"

• "Lower rent and rates on all businesses locally to fill the huge amount of empty

premises in the town centre"

• "A more can do approach to promoting Warminster"

• "Free parking and reduce rates"

• "Stop the council wasting money on stupid things like the pavement and road

changes"

• "Improve car parking facilities and bring back free parking"

• "1-2 hrs free parking people will not come in to town for small items if they have to

pay for 1hr parking"

• "Cheaper rates to encourage more businesses and a wider variety of shops for all

ages"

• "Free car parking and lower rates"

• "Scrapping of car parking charges"

• "Scrap car parking charges and are landlords asking for too much rent in town

centre?"

• "Sweep the towns and roads they are a disgrace to the town"

• "Free car parking and lower rents"

• "Some top quality shops e.g. men’s clothes shops and less charity shops"

• "Free car parking and more independent shops a street market close off road for a

few days a year"

• "Bring better shops into the town"

• "Attract more multiples and fill empty shops"

• "Remove car parking fees"

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23


• "Scrap parking charges we are a market town- not alot here Lower rates to

encourage more shops/more variety"

• "Reinstate free parking to promote visits to the town - geerate footfall / new

opportunities and more events to raise the profile of the town in the county/

regional context"


• "A better variety of shops and sort parking out once and for all"

• "Remove car parking charges and give people a reason to come to Warminster

instead of drive through it , a market in the high street"

• "Greater sense of public courtesy, less litter and louting , a culture of confidence and

a city council that understands"

• "Lower business rates and some free parking"

• "More variety of shops and free parking"

• "free parking"

• "Free parking and bigger branded shops i.e. M&S

• "Reduce business rates"

• "Free parking and rates reduction"

• "Get empty shops filled and free parking in all main Car Parks"

• "Cut the car parking charges as there is often many spaces available, clean up the

town hall and reduce business rates"

• "Free parking lower business rates"

• "Free car parking and more choice of shops"

• "Reduce parking charges and reduce rates and fill empty shops"

• "Free parking and rates need to be reduced way too high"

• "Provide parking spaces for shops on the other side of town (not on the high street )

and reduce rates"

_________________________________________________________________________

KPI 11: Town Centre Users Survey

The aim of the Visitor Satisfaction Survey is to establish how your town is seen by those

people who use it. By asking visitors, of all types, a more detailed picture can be obtained as

what matters to regular visitors (i.e. locals who pop in every day or work in town) can be

very different to someone who has never been to the place before. For the first group

signage is not an issue, for example, and the second may not worry about fear of night time

crime.

It is of concern that 58% of Warminster town centre users think that the variety of shops is

poor or very poor. The best aspect is the ease of walking around the town centre.

The following table is based on the responses from the Town Centre Users Survey.

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24


Warm.

%

South

West

Large

Towns

%

South

West

Small

Towns

%

National

Large

Towns

%

National

Small

Towns

%

Typ. 2 %

Gender

Male 39 n/a 37 38 38 40

Female 61 n/a 63 62 62 60

Age

16 - 25 13 n/a 6 12 7 11

26 - 35 6 n/a 9 13 11 11

36 - 45 13 n/a 16 16 17 14

46 - 55 17 n/a 15 16 18 17

56 - 65 17 n/a 19 20 20 16

Over 65 35 n/a 35 22 27 31

2. What is the main purpose of

your visit to the town centre

today?

Work 19 n/a 12 23 14 23

Convenience Shopping - e.g.

food

36 n/a 38 25 42 29

Comparison Shopping - e.g.

clothes

10 n/a 6 14 6 12

Access services - e.g. Bank,

Library

15 n/a 25 17 18 14

Leisure - e.g. eat, drink, go to

the gym

10 n/a 10 14 12 11

Other 10 n/a 8 7 9 11

3. How often do you visit the

town centre?

Daily 31 n/a 23 24 27 28

More than once a week 40 n/a 44 36 42 41

Weekly 15 n/a 17 20 16 15

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25


Fortnightly 3 n/a 4 7 5 3

More than once a Month 2 n/a 4 4 3 3

Once a month or less 6 n/a 5 8 7 8

First Visit 3 n/a 2 2 1 2

4. How did you travel into the

town centre today?

On Foot 33 n/a 39 36 36 31

Bicycle 3 n/a 3 4 3 3

Motorbike 1 n/a 0 1 0 0

Car 49 n/a 50 55 51 55

Bus 9 n/a 6 0 8 7

Train 3 n/a 1 3 1 2

Other 1 n/a 1 1 1 1

5. How do you rate the physical

appearance of the town

centre?

Very Good 9 n/a 15 18 18 28

Good 48 n/a 46 59 56 37

Poor 28 n/a 30 18 21 23

Very Poor 15 n/a 9 5 5 12

6. How do you rate the

cleanliness of the town centre?

Very Good 12 n/a 22 17 19 17

Good 62 n/a 60 64 64 64

Poor 18 n/a 13 17 15 13

Very Poor 8 n/a 5 2 3 5

7. How do you rate the variety

of shops in the town centre?

Very Good 2 n/a 3 13 6 9

Good 39 n/a 43 52 43 45

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26


Poor 48 n/a 44 28 41 40

Very Poor 10 n/a 10 7 11 6

8. How do you rate the leisure

and cultural activities in the

town centre?

Very Good 5 n/a 5 15 7 11

Good 48 n/a 46 36 47 49

Poor 41 n/a 38 23 36 36

Very Poor 6 n/a 11 27 11 5

9. What are the best aspects of

the town centre?

Physical appearance 5 n/a 31 28 30 29

Shopping 23 n/a 30 40 31 32

Restaurants 9 n/a 30 33 29 18

Access to Services - e.g. banks,

Post Office, Library

33 n/a 63 45 54 42

Leisure facilities 3 n/a 17 8 15 8

Cultural activities 2 n/a 13 12 8 9

Pubs/Bars/Nightclubs 14 n/a 27 22 22 19

Transport links 18 n/a 45 25 32 20

Ease of walking around the

town centre

44 n/a 65 51 61 57

Convenience - e.g. near where

you live

32 n/a 61 49 56 43

Safety 11 n/a 34 19 27 29

Other 11 n/a 5 7 6 12

10. How long do you intend to

stay on this visit to the town

centre?

Less than an hour 33 n/a 38 12 34 28

1 - 2 hours 43 n/a 44 40 43 41

2 - 4 hours 10 n/a 9 27 12 14

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27


4 - 6 hours 5 n/a 3 7 3 7

All day 7 n/a 4 14 7 8

Other 2 n/a 1 0 1 1

What TWO suggestions would you make to improve the town centre?

• "1.) Shopping improvements."

• "1.) Reduce car park cost."

• "1.) More cover when it is raining."

• "1.) More footfall in the town. (2.) More private fruit shops."

• "1.) Cleaner and more toilets."

• "1.) Needs smarting up. (2.) Cheaper car parking."

• "1.) Better shops (2.) Happier community."

• "1.) More parking. (2.) Better road networks."

• "1.) Better shops (2.) More seating areas."

• "1.) Improve appearance of mall. (2.) Free car parking."

• "1.) Free car parking."

• "1.) Free parking. (2.) More independent shops."

• "1.) Cleaner pavements. (2.) More open shops."

• "1.)Do something about the old town hall."

• "1.) Improve parking, free parking."

• "1.) Decent shops."

• "1.) More men’s and women’s clothes shops."

• "1.) Car parking too expensive."

• "1.) Free car parking. (2.) More variety of shops."

• "1.) Sort out litter."

• "1.) More pedestrian friendly. (2.) Wider range of shops."

• "1.) Clothes and shoe shop for men. (2.) Decent restaurant."

• "1.) Fruit and veg store/ DIY store (2.) Decent shops."

• "1.) Wider range of shops."

• "1.) Greater variety of shops. (2.) Re-do mall."

• "1.) Too many empty and charity shops."

• "1.) Clean footpaths especially by the pubs."

• "1.) Shorter pavements. (2.) Congestion more room for traffic."

• "1.) More places to sit down."

• "1.) More variety of shops. (2.) Clean up Town Hall."

• "1.) More digital shops."

• "1.) Occupy empty shops. (2.) Crossing green man."

• "1.) Upgrade shops."

• "1.) Upgrade shops (2.) Cinema."

• "1.) Less traffic, traffic lights."

• "1.) Do up town hall (2.) Something for the youngsters."

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28


• "1.) More shops."

• "1.) Need more well known high street shops. (2.) More leisure facilities."

• "1.) Encouraging firms to move to town, particularly in terms of filling empty retail

units."

• "1.) Encourage independents."

• "1.) Better variety of shops."

• "1.) Re-juvination of the town centre."

• "1.) Shops (2.) Clean up town."

• "1.) Traffic lights in better places."

• "1.) Free parking."

• "1.) Rebuild it, better shops."

• "1.) More shops. (2.) Better cleanliness."

• "1.) More shops. (2.) Free parking."

• "1.) More parking."


• "1.) No heavy industry."

• "1.) Clean Town Hall."

• "1.) Fill the empty shops make them look better."

• "1.) Improve the empty shops. (2.) Traffic warden to control illegal parking."

• "1.) Restore and regenerate buildings particularly the old building next to subway it’s

been like that for 12 years."

• "1.) Smaller pathways (2.) Less cafes."

• "1.) Get better fast food shops."

• "1.) More shops."

• "1.) More shops and entertainment."

• "1.) Better shops."

• "1.) More decent shops. (2.) Free parking."

• "1.) Take away pavements for parking."

• "1.) More High Street shops."

• "1.) More variety of shops."

• "1.) Marks and Spencer’s food hall."

• "1.) More shops (2.) Free parking."

• "1.) More local shops."

• "1.) More variety of shops. (2.) More for younger people."

• "1.) More variety of shops. (2.) Free parking."

• "1.) Modern shops."

• "1.) More feasible rent. (2.) Clean more areas."


• "1.) Crossing in the middle taken away."

• "1.) Tidy up."

• "1.) Do up old buildings."

• "1.) Facelift for town centre (2.) Lower rent prices."

• "free parking"

• "good eating places"

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29


• "Town Hall"

• "a water park and a cinema"

• "better shops"

• "better places to shop"

• "free parking"

• "better variety of shops"

• "rid off parking charges more independent shops"

• "lower rent prices for shops, local shops, clothes shops"

• "Consultation with local business and thoughtful parking"

• "Less estate agents"

• "wider range of clothing stores"

• "more fast food restaurants e.g. Dominoes"

• "Closing shops, displaying advertising etc..."

• "Tidying up empty shops"

• "more variety of shops"

• "I would like to see more well known shops possibly a shopping centre"

• "tidy up walking paths between shops, fill empty stores and if not maintain

appearance a bit better"

• "free car parking which is why I take the bus"

• "improve the roundabouts"

• "make the town centre look nicer"

• "free parking"

• "free parking"

• "free parking"

• "upgrading shops"

• "Marks and Spencer’s"

• "No drugs"

• "More range of shops"


• "Variety of shops and more attractions"

• "Tidy it up and better shops"

• "less charity shops more variety of shops"

• "massive slide"

• "variety of shops and more cafes"

• "more shops and free parking"

• "More clothes shops and more kids activities"

• "Smarter shop fronts"

• "Better shops and restaurants , traffic lights"

• "marks and sparks a cinema and Waterstones"

• "more attractions and less charity shops"

• "more shops and smarten up the shops a cinema"

• "parking"

• "Wetherspoons and better/more shops"

• "Cleaning and better shops"

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30


• "A larger variety of shops and general cleanliness"

___________________________________________________________________________

KPI12: Shoppers Origin

The Shoppers Origin Survey tracks the general area that your town centre visitors originate

from. The data can be used to target local marketing or promotional literature. It can also be

used as evidence of the success of such campaigns by gauging the penetration into the

population.

The postcodes have been split into 3 categories to be able to compare with other towns.

The categories are:

• Locals; those who live within a Post Code covering the town

• Visitors; those who live within a Post Code less than a 30 minute drive away

• Tourists; those who live within a Post Code further than a 30 minute drive away

The Warminster shopper origin survey result is problematic, and therefore not as useful as it

could be this year. Wiltshire has an unusual postcode system that cannot distinguish

between those who live in Warminster and those who come from neighbouring villages.

This will be addressed in 2012 by asking participants for their town or village of origin. The

proportion of tourists recorded is not affected.

Warm. %

South

West

Large

Towns %

South

West

Small

Towns %

National

Large

Towns %

National

Small

Towns %

Typology

2 %

Locals 66 n/a 56 66 57 66

Visitors 24 n/a 19 25 28 24

Tourists 10 n/a 26 9 16 10

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31


APPENDIX

Towns contributing to Large Town Benchmarking

Typology

Crewe North West n/a

Macclesfield North West n/a

Nantwich North West 2

Wilmslow North West n/a

Hemel Hempstead South East n/a

Hitchin South East 5

St Albans South East n/a

Melton Mowbray East Midlands 2

Market Harborough East Midlands 8

Beeston East Midlands n/a

Loughborough East Midlands n/a

St. Ives East of England 4

Trowbridge South West 2

Wrexham North Wales n/a

Towns contributing to Town Benchmarking

Typology

Alsager North West 1

Audlem North West n/a

Alderley Edge North West n/a

Bollington North West 5

Congleton North West 8

Disley North West 1

Handforth North West n/a

Knutsford North West 5

Middlewich North West 4

Poynton North West n/a

Holmes Chapel North West 8

Sandbach North West 8

Baldock South East n/a

Hoddesdon South East n/a

Harpenden South East 5

Ware South East n/a

Leatherhead South East n/a

Lutterworth East Midlands 8

Earl Shilton East Midlands 7

Ashby East Midlands 8

Coalville East Midlands 7

South Wigston East Midlands n/a

Newark East Midlands 2

___________________________________________________________________________

32


Kimberley East Midlands n/a

Eastwood East Midlands n/a

Stapleford East Midlands n/a

Hinckley East Midlands n/a

Arnold East Midlands n/a

Huntingdon East of England 4

St Neots East of England 4

Ramsey East of England 4

Amesbury South West 4

Bradford Upon Avon South West 5

Warminster South West 2

Holyhead North Wales n/a

Shotton North Wales n/a

Queensferry North Wales n/a

Saltney North Wales n/a

Buckley North Wales n/a

Connahs Quay North Wales n/a

Flint North Wales n/a

Holywell North Wales n/a

Mold North Wales n/a

Southam West Midlands n/a

Typology Classification

Group 1 : Middle Aged, Managerial Jobs

236 places (14.7%)

This group is characterized by relatively high values on young/middle age

groups (25–44), intermediate and managerial occupations, people working

in public administration, education and defence, detached housing,

households with adult children and a high proportion of carers. It has low

numbers of residents with no qualifications.

Geographically the group is found on the outskirts of the big cities and towns

outside London and along the south coast from Essex and Kent and into

Devon and Cornwall.

Group 2 : Single Persons, Routine Jobs

261 places (16.3%)

Places in this group are particularly characterized by persons living alone

(separated/divorced and pensioners), as well as people in routine and lower

supervisory and managerial occupations and people living in rented

accommodation. Car ownership is low whilst travel to work by public

transport is relatively high.

___________________________________________________________________________

33


Geographically this group is well scattered across the rural areas of the

country but particularly in the East of England (Norfolk and Suffolk), in the

South West (Wiltshire, Cornwall and Devon). There are few examples of this

type of place around the main population centres.

Group 3 : Older Persons, Leisure Jobs

123 places (7.7%)

This group is characterized by older persons, single pensioners, workers

in hotels and restaurants, and part time workers, especially among men. It

Also has high numbers of people working from home and of second

homes.

This group of places is found overwhelmingly in coastal areas (for example,

on the Isle of Wight and in Devon and Norfolk) and in attractive rural areas

(e.g. Hampshire, Gloucestershire and North Yorkshire).

Group 4 : Young Families, Administrative Jobs

129 places (8%)

The group is typified by high proportions of people in the 25 – 44 age groups

and women looking after the home. Occupations tend to be in the higher

managerial and professional groups and in public administration

(including defence, teaching and social security).

Most places in this group are located in what geographers have called the

‘Golden Belt’ a stretch of country going from north Wiltshire, through

Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire to Cambridgeshire with an

‘offshoot’ in Berkshire. This area grew rapidly in the period 1981-2001 and

continues to do so. There are few places of this type outside this area but

where they do exist they are in the rural areas around sizeable towns.

Group 5 : Professionals, Commuting

188 places (11.7%)

This group is characterized by high proportions of professional and higher

managerial workers and by people employed in intermediate managerial

occupations. There are high proportions of people in financial service

occupations and people who commute over 20 kilometers to work. Use of

public transport is also proportionately high. There comparatively high

proportions of Asian/British Asian households relative to the other groups of

settlements.

As might be expected from its social and occupational description, this group

of rural places is predominantly located within commuting belt around Great

London and particularly along the major rail routes into London. There are,

however, examples of these types of places around other cities, especially

Leeds/Bradford and Greater Manchester.

___________________________________________________________________________

34


Group 6 : Disadvantages, Routine Employment

181 places (11.2%)

This group includes high proportions of census measures that have been used

to identify social and economic disadvantages of various kinds. These include:

routine and low skill occupations, lack of qualifications, unemployment,

long term illness, lone parents, lack of a car and the presence of social

housing.

The geography of most of the members of this group is overwhelmingly that of

the former coalfield areas, namely, Notts/Derby, South and West Yorkshire

and Northumberland/Durham. Other, smaller, geographical clusters of places

in this group are the Cumbrian coast, Teesside and east Lancashire. Places

not in such clusters include Hayle (Cornwall), New Addington (Greater

London) and Withernsea (East Riding of Yorkshire).

Group 7 : Routine Jobs, Agriculture/Manufacturing

209 places (13%)

This group is similar to Group 6 in that it is characterized by routine and low

skill occupations and lack of qualifications. However, this also typified by

high percentages of people working in agricultural and manufacturing

occupations and in the wholesale trades. Unemployment (in April 2001) was

low.

As might be expected this group maps onto two main types of area: rural

areas and generally those with labour intensive agricultural production of

various kinds (e.g. Norfolk, the Fens, mid Somerset and Lincolnshire/North

Lincolnshire) and around the major manufacturing centres of the West and

East Midlands, West Yorkshire and Humberside.

Group 8 : Age Mix, Professional Jobs

290 places (18%)

This, the largest single group in the typology, is also typified by professional

and managerial workers and high levels of educational qualifications but is

distinguished from Group 1 by a broader age range (relatively high numbers

of young people, but also of middle aged and older people) and from Group

6 by lower levels of longer distance commuting. Also unlike either of these

groups there are high proportions of households in detached houses and

very low levels of public transport use.

The geography of this group is similar to Group 4 in that it is mostly

concentrated within the ‘Golden Belt’ of Middle England. However, it is

nationally more widespread than Group 4 and includes locations on the

outskirts of all the major urban centres outside London with the notable

exception of Tyneside where only Castle Morpeth and Coxhoe (both

somewhat distant from the conurbation), are of this type.

warminster amt with summary town benchmarking 2011 report · made with bradford on avon, trowbridge...

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