Dear Jeremy

As you are aware, I recently conducted a survey of local people focusing on Dartford town centre, asking for their thoughts on the area and potential improvements that could be made to the visitor experience.

Sadly, the council’s decision not to allow this survey to be presented means you may not be familiar with the results of the survey, from which emerged two key themes.  Firstly, people no longer identify with Dartford.  Many people said they didn’t visit Dartford as they no longer believed it provided anything for them.  Older people said it catered to the young, whilst the young felt that it offered little for them.  The town centre was not for them.  Secondly, people repeatedly told me they found the town dirty and visually unappealing.  Repeated mentions were made about the amount of litter present, dirty pavements, street furniture that was graffitied and dishevelled, and the number of empty shop fronts dotted across the centre.

The Future

For me, the council needs to focus its efforts on the physical regeneration of Dartford town centre and the streetscape in particular.   The existing pedestrianised zone’s pavement is in an appalling state of repair, being both dirty and crisscrossed with ugly tarmac gashes.  Furthermore, the street furniture that currently litter’s the High Street at an assortment of angles, and in various states of disrepair, does little to improve the veil of tiredness which appears to hang over Dartford at the moment.

A key factor in how a town is perceived is its appearance.  The Department for Communities and Local Government’s town centre guide, Looking After Our Town Centre’s states that “people do not want to visit town centres that are run down, difficult to get to or move around…  It is important that town centres are places that look and feel safe for people and businesses alike.”  Councils across the country have noted the importance of appearance in the battle to attract shoppers and Dartford needs to join them.  To use an example, Cheltenham Borough Council has recently committed itself to the replacement of its town centre pavements, recognising the eyesore that had been created by infilling with tarmac and the importance that visitors place in the perception of the area they are visiting.

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