Peterlee empty shops

Katie Stones looks out her window and onto an empty high street surrounded by shuttered shops, boarded up windows and multiple ‘to let’ signs, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.

Independent businesses are increasingly finding it hard to stay afloat and face an ongoing battle to pay the bills as visitor numbers decrease. 

But the recent closure of national banks and discount retailers has left her store isolated in an almost forgotten part of Peterlee town centre. 

“It’s such a bad spiral because one shop closing is one less reason for someone to come to town, and that has an effect on other shops,” she said. 

“Some days I don’t see a single person and I go home and think, ‘what’s the point, why do I bother?’”

Peterlee has again recorded the highest number of empty shops in County Durham, with a vacancy rate of 40.8 per cent. 

The stark figures come as no surprise to the town’s traders, however, who have endured years of declining footfall and sales. 

Mrs Stones opened her Fizzy Lou’s Fizz Factory store three years ago, following a successful run selling bath bombs and cosmetic products at markets around the North East. But what started as a promising proposition soon became a struggle. 

The mother-of-two initially employed four people to work out of the Yoden Way store but had to let them go. She said: “When I opened, Poundland, Wilko and the banks were open but they have all closed now. It’s so sad. 

“The only people that come in are customers who know I’m here; we don’t get much passing trade. 

“I’m so deep into it now and want to restore my pride. I don’t want to close.”

Paul Cummings, 56, and Rachael Cummings, 37, from Easington Colliery, say independent stores like Fizzy Lou’s boost the town’s community spirit and should be given incentives, such as cheaper rates, to open. 

But, they admitted, larger national retailers are needed to maintain visitor numbers. “A shop like Primark would bring a lot more people to Peterlee,” said Rachael, “If you want to go, you have to travel out of the town.”

It is a major change from an area previously marketed as ‘the place to be’ on the side of London buses. 

David Chambers has been at the helm of his Sweet Dreams store for 16 years, giving him a front row seat to the town centre’s gradual decline. 

He said: “The stairs to the upper floors have been broken for weeks. We need public toilets, a bank and a big-name retailer to replace Wilko and Poundland.

“If we had a baker, a butcher or a grocery it would be a great boost to the town centre.”

However, like many others, he fears that the online convenience of internet shopping is contributing to the high street’s demise. 

But he hasn’t given up yet. He added: “We have to be optimistic and hope it will turn around sooner rather than later. We’re still here; how much longer we will have to see.”

A previous auction for the town’s Castle Dene Shopping Centre, priced at £4 million, was pulled at the last minute in February. The future of the site is still unknown. 

In a boost to regeneration hopes, East Peterlee has been selected as part of the government’s Pride in Place programme that will see up to £20 million of investment and support over the next 10 years. 

But Grahame Morris MP criticised Praxis, the company managing the town centre, and called for it to be sold to “restore it as a vibrant retail and leisure destination that local people are proud to visit.”

He said: “Peterlee Town Centre continues to be mismanaged by Praxis, who effectively operate as an absentee landlord, failing to invest and showing little interest in the long-term future of our community.”

But Praxis hit back at the Labour MP’s damning assessment and said it highlighted his “disingenuity and fundamental misunderstanding of basic economics.”

The developer added: “To characterise Praxis as the cause of Peterlee’s challenges is simply incorrect. The causes are structural and policy‑driven. They originate from decisions that redirected investment, activity, and retail gravity away from the town’s core.”

If she controlled the town centre, Irene Gilroy would immediately reduce the rates to make trading in Peterlee more accessible for local traders. The 83-year-old regularly visits from Horden, but over the years, the time she spends in the town centre has gotten shorter.

“The big shops can hold their own but the independents struggle,” she said. “The number of shops that have closed is unbelievable. It’s such a shame for local people.” 

Inside a Breath of Fresh Air, which sells a variety of products, Wendy Sayers warns that she is contemplating whether to close in September. “We don’t get any football around here,” she said. “The town just looks a mess.”

Despite a “die-hard” regular customer base, she said Peterlee has followed the trend of other town centres around the country. She added: “Trade is very quiet but it’s not just here, it’s everywhere. 

“The recent closure of shops like Poundland has a massive affect on the town centre.”

Graham Wood, Durham County Council’s economic development manager, said the local authority is working with Praxis to redevelop the town centre. 

He added: “We have a range of targeted support for businesses in Peterlee and have invested heavily in the town centre with further investment on the way. 

“Peterlee, much like other town centres across the country, is facing many challenges due to the changing shopping habits of residents and continued pressure from online retail. Despite this, there is a lot of hard work taking place to regenerate high streets across our council area and bring retail units back into use.”