Our ambition is to create a friendly place full of prosperous local independent shops and businesses “where everyone knows your name”. We want to bring the needs of business owners and local people together to deliver an offer that bridge these two groups and create a resilient high street.

Our proposal will:

Bring together the local residents’ forum and local businesses, and create a ‘hub’ for the community – for shopping and for social interaction.

Identify residents' needs for local shopping, leisure and social activity.

Create a ‘look and feel’ that residents and businesses can relate to - achieving loyalty and pride in the local area.

Use the new 'identity' to communicate more effectively with the local community and promote the high street offer.

Enhance the ‘look and feel’ through small upgrades to the high street appearance.

Kick-start a programme of high street events and activities through a celebration of Colliers Wood.

What we'll deliver:

• Enhance the space through small upgrades and a programme of window display and visual merchandising.
• Understand the demographics and needs of local residents so the offer on the High Street can change to meet the needs.
• Create a 'look and feel' for the High Street that businesses and residents/ customers can relate to.
• Establish a High Street team for Colliers Wood - a 'hub' for the community for shopping and social interaction.
• Improve communications between businesses and local residents.

Why it's a great idea:

In the medium term, our model for engagement could create a resilient high street that is well placed to respond quickly and appropriately to future commercial and residential developments.

Colliers Wood is a densely populated area and a well connected local centre with good public transport access. There is significant private and public sector investment already planned for parts of Colliers Wood. However, these improvements stop short of the high street – leaving the independent businesses along the high street currently without investment to make improvements and vulnerable to being further isolated from developments nearby.

Our proposal aims to create a vibrant High Street that will complement the offer of the area - enabling the High Street to connect to and benefit from the planned improvement and investment.

Steps to get it done:

• Hold regular business forum meetings and face to face discussions with businesses to find out their needs and ambitions.
• Undertake MOSAIC research and a residents survey to establish needs and willingness to engage in their High Street.
• Window display support/ training and upgrades to shop fronts to improve the look of the High Street.
• Create a local 'identiity' where local residents are happy to buy local and socialise.
• Develop a joint activity that both residents and businesses commit to that takes place on the High Street.
• Develop a simple website and social media where businesses and resdients can engage.

Working collaboratively will improve the businesses’ ability to understand the opportunities presented by the planned improvements to the local area.

The high street consists mainly of small independent businesses that include retailers (bike shop, convenience stores, hobby specialists) sitting alongside services (consultants, estate agents, lawyers), larger white goods retailers (bathroom and kitchen shops, carpenters) and a range of food and drink units (pubs, coffee shop, cafes, hot food takeaways, restaurants).

An initial meeting with businesses to discuss this proposal resulted in their full support and willingness to participate. One business owner (Coffee in the Wood) is also the Chair of the local residents forum which will help to bring the two groups together to discuss a common agenda for the future of the high street.