The Kintyre Forum

I am in town quite a bit throughout the year working and I must say the Main Street/Town centre is not looking it's best ATM...

Infact for about the last year at least.... I see quite a few empty shops ATM, (Wallpaper shop, McKellars shop next to the Jeweller's, Woolworths (Well not for long I suppose which is good) The old phone shop, Old PO building (I think up by Victoria Wine) Royal Hotel, the two Tradewinds shops and the building painted blue across from the Bank of Scotland looks a real liability) I suppose I will have missed some out....

I must say the vinyl Scotbet sign thats tied up above the shop (or is it just hanging there) for over a year now looks great (You can build a Motorway in a year) (Better than the spell for a few months it was just brickwork) and the brickwork above McKellars is a good advert (when you drive into town) Why has this never been painted in all this time ?

What I cannot understand either in this day and age, when I was in Campbeltown for a Monday to Thursday spell (a few weeks back) is when I arrived on Monday afternoon there were so many shops closed ! On the Tuesday I noticed a lot dont open until 10am then they close for lunch, then close at 5pm.... Then on the Wednesday there is a half day !

Are most of the shops just part time now because of the recession or has it always been this way ? I cant say I have noticed too much in the past, but that Monday to Wednesday spell was a joke....

One good thing is I suppose, there is a Fish & Chip shop open now 7 days, I did not have any trouble getting food at night.... (Thank goodness) Best of luck to the new/current owner...

I also have read with interest about the proposed new Tesco, (I have browsed the forum here and there for quite a while now etc) well all I can say is maybe it will get the rest of the town working agian, traders should provide a better dedicated service and better opening hours, to stay in the game although it will be tougher....

At least some decent jobs for quite a bit of the population should come from Tesco and Skycon, maybe the future will be brighter, but this is a long way away ATM....

Hopefully the next time I am in town I will see some improvement somewhere, instead of the town looking like a 'dead loss'
after all this is 2009 not 1959....

JS

JackS wrote:I must say the vinyl Scotbet sign thats tied up above the shop (or is it just hanging there) for over a year now looks great (You can build a Motorway in a year)

Nothing against the proprietors but this is a joke. Now 18 months it has been like this.

Ship called Dignity wrote:

JackS wrote:I must say the vinyl Scotbet sign thats tied up above the shop (or is it just hanging there) for over a year now looks great (You can build a Motorway in a year)

Nothing against the proprietors but this is a joke. Now 18 months it has been like this.

I blame the Council, who have a lot to answer for in the town, holding back everything, apart from the Tesco (Wait and see)

But there again, the Council would blame the Architect..... Over a year for a sign to brighten the building is a disgrace and it does not matter what the excuse is/was.... Planning is a joke in the town.... I think it is down to they dont want to see any progress in th town centre at all....

@Jack.... I think you have summed up quite a bit with your post.... and welcome to the forum....

maxmix

Hopefully the next time I am in town I will see some improvement somewhere, instead of the town looking like a 'dead loss'
after all this is 2009 not 1959....

Jacks dont think that will ever happen... I am really ticked off about the town right now. For the second time this year no answer from ANY B&B hotel etc on rooms, no answer from any car rental places. SO off to Skye to spend my money and time there.
I was born and grew up in the town and I think I can say time has let it go by, it just sits there and no one on the council or otherwise really gives a rats ass!

No JackS, not due to the recession I'm afraid. Some shops have always kept those hours - particularly frustrating with a 9-5 job What really annoys me is when new ones open and keep to the old way of doing things.

westport321 wrote:SO off to Skye to spend my money and time there.
I was born and grew up in the town and I think I can say time has let it go by, it just sits there and no one on the council or otherwise really gives a rats ass!

That sums it up 100%, which is a shame.... I suppose there is not much now to attract a family here on holiday, for a week or 2... I reckon a family of 4 or 5 would struggle to get a weekend of enjoyment anymore....

@Jack.... You have posted a lot of good points above..... it will be good to see some more comments on this....

I dont have the answers BTW and obviously the Council dont either.... Just as well they dont get involved with these discussions lol

maxmix

maxmix wrote:

westport321 wrote:SO off to Skye to spend my money and time there.
I was born and grew up in the town and I think I can say time has let it go by, it just sits there and no one on the council or otherwise really gives a rats ass!

That sums it up 100%, which is a shame.... I suppose there is not much now to attract a family here on holiday, for a week or 2... I reckon a family of 4 or 5 would struggle to get a weekend of enjoyment anymore....

maxmix

Maxmix, you really should work for the area, you promote it so well!!!! There is plenty to do if you want to. If however you want to sit on your bum and say there is nothing to do then that is very easy to do too!!

I don't really understand what all the gloom is about.
I think the town is looking far, far better than it was 6 years ago when I first moved down. There has been a vast improvement in appearance on Longrow, which has received much needed work. The aqualibrium, new police station, Parliment Place & Broad St, the demolition of Park Square, Cadenheads whisky shop & tasting Room of Bolgam St, Glengyle Distillery, Glen Scotia & Argyll FM getting a lick of paint, Breaks Surf Shop, The Bike Shop, The Treehouse, Argyll Signs & Newgrove furniture, the diner & chippy, the two independent children's cloths shops, Macmillans, The exterior of the Burnside, Com and Feathers all look tidy, a new golf course & work is starting on the Royal & Ugadale, and these are just the businesses I can name off the top of my head. A new Tesco and creamery will only add to this.
I think the town has every reason to feel optimistic. Obviously businesses come and go, but as a whole things appear to be moving in the right direction, yet from reading this forum you would never know it.

Yea Yea --Spot on Pete !!!!!! An Ah kin mind frae late 50's oanwards !!!!! the last few years great

Still trying to work out which ATM is looking rough just now. Is it the Royal, Bank of Scotland or Clydesdale?

SBpete wrote:I don't really understand what all the gloom is about.
I think the town is looking far, far better than it was 6 years ago when I first moved down. There has been a vast improvement in appearance on Longrow, which has received much needed work. The aqualibrium, new police station, Parliment Place & Broad St, the demolition of Park Square, Cadenheads whisky shop & tasting Room of Bolgam St, Glengyle Distillery, Glen Scotia & Argyll FM getting a lick of paint, Breaks Surf Shop, The Bike Shop, The Treehouse, Argyll Signs & Newgrove furniture, the diner & chippy, the two independent children's cloths shops, Macmillans, The exterior of the Burnside, Com and Feathers all look tidy, a new golf course & work is starting on the Royal & Ugadale, and these are just the businesses I can name off the top of my head. A new Tesco and creamery will only add to this.
I think the town has every reason to feel optimistic. Obviously businesses come and go, but as a whole things appear to be moving in the right direction, yet from reading this forum you would never know it.

Peter, I can completely agreee with your posting. I was going to say something similar but had the feeling people may think some of us are being over defensive! The town is looking far better in the last couple of years than it ever has and will continue to look better through the work of the CARS and THI scheme. Some of the shops like Numero Dix, Rolland Butter, Boots, Courier Centre, The Tree House etc all look great since they were done up.

Of course no-one is silly enough to ignore there are closed shops etc but on the whole things are looking up for the town. Especially if the Royal is done up too. Campbeltown by its very nature will always struggle to fill all the shops but the same thing is happening in Dunoon, Helensburgh, Dumbarton, Paisley which are all larger places. Granted there are valid improvements that could be done and I am sure when you look out your shop window every day you must shake your head in disbelief at the state of the shops opposite you! On the whole, like you, I'm optimistic about the furture.

SBpete wrote:I think the town has every reason to feel optimistic. Obviously businesses come and go, but as a whole things appear to be moving in the right direction, yet from reading this forum you would never know it.

I would say this thread not the forum. (defensive again! )

i think one of the main problems is woolies and the royal being closed. is there any word on what is happening with the royal. seems like it has been closed forever and im too young to remember what it was like

Really glad see the response from SBPete and Ship called Dignity. Unfortunately we so often focus on the negative rahter than the positive. Every town and city in the UK has empty shops at the moment and we ought to be celebrating the new ones which are opening, not mourning those which are closed.

I've heard that work on the Royal is imminent, so fingers crossed and we've heard about Wollies now which is great so hopefully that part of the town will start to look better soon. The problems are not restricted to Campbeltown. In Lochgilphead (always thought of as a more prosperous, if less attractive town) has a pretty dire looking main street just now - several shops shut and the two hotels - Stag and Vic boarded up.

As a regular visitor to the Toon i think there has been a decline over the past few years. Probabaly since the ferry was stopped. I feel now there may be some improvement, new Tesco, (i'm for it) new police station, aqualibrium, the woolies factory shop and maybe even the Royal Hotel.

Just another point. I was in Crieff for a day or two last week and the place seemed busy and well maintained. First time there and played their lovely nine hole golf course which was busy too. Don't think i saw one empty shop.

I agree that Campbeltown main street has went downhill over the last few years but I think we need to remember that there is more to Campbeltown than just the main street, which is why we keep coming back every year.....