Malmesbury wants help from Mary Portas

21st February 2012, 12:24

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Retail guru Mary Portas could be called in to give a Wiltshire town a big boost.

Malmesbury has put in a bid to become one of 12 pilot towns to get some advice from the 'Queen of shops' and £100,000 of Government cash.

Malmesbury Chamber of Commerce say applying for pilot status would not just help them tackle the threats of supermarkets, but also help them come up with a vision and plan for the future.

To be successful the town needs to demonstrate that it is committed with strong local support from all parts of the community.

The Chamber says the town would make a interesting pilot on many fronts for instance:

We are the oldest borough in England, with a history and medieval town centre
We have tremendous tourism opportunities
We have a High Street that is threatened by two supermarket developments
We have a High Street that lacks any 'vision'
We have parking issues
We have a High Street with too many empty shops
We have High Street that needs to evolve and develop, whether or not the supermarkets get their way
Malmesbury is a unique, beautiful town, that the likes of John Betjeman loved, that needs protecting, but assisting to cope with the demands of the 21st century