08/03/2015 - Nearly one in every ten shops in East Grinstead is empty
A recent study revealed that of 208 town centre shops checked, 19 are currently unoccupied – a 9.1 per cent vacancy rate.
The study was carried out in response to Mid Sussex District Council's claims that less than six per cent of shops in each of its three towns – East Grinstead, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath – are empty.
Greg Mountain, Labour Party candidate for Mid Sussex at the General Election, scoured the lengths of the High Street, Middle Row, Railway Approach, Queens Walk and London Road as far as the fire station in his study.
He said: "One of the main reasons we did this is the district council allows free parking in certain areas at Christmas to boost trade. My argument is they should be looking to boost trade all year round. I'm not saying the figures are as bad as the rest of the country, but we want opportunities for people to shop and we want local jobs for local people."
In comparison to Mr Mountain's study, the district council recorded just 138 shops in East Grinstead, of which it said seven were unoccupied as of mid-December.
Read the full article in the East Grinstead Courier