Struggling street 'needs to attract niche shops'

A struggling shopping street in Guernsey's capital needs to attract niche retailers in order to revive its fortunes, one of town's constables has said.

Diane Mitchell, senior constable for St Peter Port, said politicians and the public needed to "think globally" in order to "come up with some ideas" for regenerating Mill St.

She said she favoured using the street for retail, cafes and restaurants, as well as housing, similar to European capitals such as Amsterdam or Paris.

Mitchell said: "We've got to attract back the sort of niche shops that are going to make a difference to islanders and get them back into town."

The street recently had its iconic sign refitted after a two-month restoration.

David Ummels founded fine art gallery Art for Guernsey on Mill St in 2022.

He said: "Originally, we felt it was the wrong place to be - and that's exactly why we came."

Mr Ummels said it was a "well documented fact that culture and art bring footfall" - adding that gallery brought 30,000 people a year to the street.

He said he wanted more engagement from public authorities as they had not been "very present".

However, he felt there were some "quick wins", which would help make the street more attractive, including "anchor tenants" to act as a catalyst for the street's success.

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