Locals fear their town is dying with shops closing doors and customers “too scared” to visit. St Austell in Cornwall will see its New Look shut next month as the high street fashion brand reveals over 360 of its UK stores are at risk of closure. A New Look spokesperson said they have to close stores “on occasion”, either due to the landlord's request or because the site becomes unviable.
But residents are worried this is the writing on the wall for their small town with only a few shops left to visit in the centre. There are several pubs but few large retailers - with only TK Maxx, Superdrug, Trespass, CEX, Poundland and HM Samuel in the centre. And within the last couple of years, Boots and Wilko have also shut their doors.
Tourism is important to the local economy with visitors drawn to nearby beaches and tourist attractions such as the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, and the China Clay Country Park. One CornwallLive reader said St Austell is going “the same way as so many high streets”. They added: “We need free parking in all high streets for at least two hours.
It used to be that way in Callington until they charged, then the town simply died from lack of shoppers.” Another agreed, saying people are now “too scared” to go into the town centre: “It’s actually quite sad to see the sorry state of St Austell over the last 20 years or so, its decline is quite alarming - the town is dying. “I remember growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s whe.
