Keswick, where an outdoor retailer filled the space left when Woolworths closed

Keswick, where an outdoor retailer filled the space left when Woolworths closed

Shopping for knickers in the Lake District is pants, according to a study being commissioned by the national park authority.

Not surprisingly, the area is a retail delight for those wanting outdoor gear and other tourist-oriented goods and services, but residents are poorly served for basic, non-food needs. Honeypot towns and villages in the national park will now come under the spotlight as the district is compared with national averages.

Bowness, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Coniston and Keswick are being surveyed to determine whether there is enough shopping space. Early results show there is no lack of cafes, gift shops and outdoor clothing stores, but everyday commodities are in short supply.

Lake District National Park policy planner Carissa Lough explained it was a well known fact that retail in the Lake District was not normal. She said: “It simply doesn’t follow usual patterns and is different from what’s on offer in other rural locations, or even larger settlements.

“As well as trying to gauge the levels of retail provision, we need to know the issues for local people. For instance, how far do they need to travel to buy basic merchandise?

“There are plenty of grocery stores and supermarkets, but very few shops sell day to day non-food essentials. There’s nowhere to buy ordinary, reasonably priced clothes – and very few places selling knickers.

“Although it’s too early to talk about study findings, it’s clear that trade in the national park is skewed towards visitor goods and cafes.”

James Shorten, from consultants C4G and Ms Lough will be interviewing business owners and residents this week, asking for views on opening hours, availability of goods and also how many empty shops there are.

Ms Lough added: “Although we have done town centre ‘health checks’ in the past, they have not been as comprehensive as this. On the plus side, we have already found a very low number of vacant units, which contrasts with many other centres across the UK.”

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