Business Forum Update

Welcome to the latest Sandgate Business Forum update.

The Parish Council would like to congratulate you all on some fantastic and very creative window displays over the festive period. As we know, pulling in customers comes in many forms and a creative window display not only helps attract customers but also makes Sandgate a much nicer place to visit.  Let’s see what we can create in our windows for Spring or Valentine’s Day and build a reputation that shopping in Sandgate is the place to be! If you have any pictures of your displays we would love to see them.

Please Ensure You’re Legal

On the last business forum update (you can find a copy here), we made mention of Shepway District Council’s rules on “A” Boards and Business Waste.  Since that update we have had at least one business approached by SDC regarding Business Waste; a different business approached regarding an “A” Board on the pavement; and a third business has had action taken against it as they were playing music whilst not holding a PPL & PRS licence.  The action consisted of a rather large fine which worked out much more expensive than a licence would have been.  Details of PPL / PRS licences can be found here on the Government’s website.

We would also like to reiterate that it is your responsibility to ensure that you are operating legally as a business and should you fail to do so it is very difficult to plead that you were unaware of your responsibilities.  Should you need guidance then pretty much everything you need to know is available here on the Government’s website.

Sandgate Businesses In The Press

Just lately, Sandgate has been featured in the Folkestone Herald and a number of on-line news websites.  This is so encouraging for the area and we need to make the most of the free advertising.  An example can be found here and we would like to congratulate every business mentioned – you’re REALLY making a difference, well done!

 New Businesses Opening

53 Sandgate High Street – Former Harrison’s Hairdressers -‘The Hoard Gallery’ will be opening later this year at 53 Sandgate High Street.  Nick and Tracy are keen to join us  and we wish them every success.

Sandgate East Parking Restrictions

Following the implementation of the CPZ in Sandgate, Shepway District Council will be consulting with residents and businesses in a number of other roads including the High Street which has been identified as a priority.  The Parish Council were due to carry out its own survey but SDC are keen to do this themselves.  They will carry out an informal consultation with you in April and this will be followed by a formal consultation in May.  After this there will be inevitable changes to parking in the High Street.

We suggest that you register your concerns and preferences to frederick.miller@shepway.gov.uk prior to this process so that the transport team is fully aware of your needs and preferences.  As some of you are also residents of the High Street might we suggest that you give your views for both groups. You will all appreciate that High Streets have a business priority and that creating churn during the working day will enable you all to flourish.

And Finally…

As we move in to the new year it’s time to think about how we can advertise our businesses to attract more customers.  Advertising doesn’t always have to cost a lot of money and there are always ways to advertise for free if you’re creative.  Think about getting a “shout out” on a local radio station to your staff at “such and such” business who are all working hard and valued – one such “shout out” this week on KMFM was for a business on Sandgate High Street.  Twitter, Facebook, Streetlife, NextDoor, and OLIO are all social networking sites that can get your name out there for free.  You could carry out a stunt for charity which will get media coverage if promoted accordingly and of course there are always lots of events happening in Sandgate that you can get involved in. The Music festival and Sea festival are two examples.  Contact the Parish Council on 01303 248563 or e-mail clerk@sandgatepc.org for details of these events.

In closing, remember that these updates are for you and if there is anything that you would like to let us know then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Very best regards,

Councillor Kurt Stephens

For/on behalf of Sandgate Parish Council

Welcome to the latest Sandgate Business Forum update.

Firstly, I would like to apologise for the lack of an update since September but, to be honest, there hasn’t really been a massive amount of information that I have been able to pass around.  Having said that, if you ever have any specific information requests or would like me to publish anything that you feel is relevant to yourselves and Sandgate Businesses, then please do not hesitate to contact me or the Parish Council – contact details are shown at the bottom of this update.  One thing that I would like to mention is that we have a new business forum website with an interactive map and free business listing.  Check yours out and let us know if you require any updates.  Details can be found here – www.sandgatebusiness.org.uk

New Businesses Open / Opening / Christmas

Sandgate High Street just goes from strength to strength.  We have had two new businesses open, one new business going through shop fitting and another going through planning.  As I write, there are only two empty shop businesses available on the High Street and I have been advised that both have been looked at with interest from new companies.  One is the old Chinese Restaurant / Takeaway and the other is the old computer repair store at number 17.

The new businesses that have recently opened and those that are due to open are starting to put a different face to Sandgate.  Yes we still have the antique shops for which we are famed but we now also have a diverse range of other businesses to bring in a wider audience to what we have to offer.  Sandgate is fast becoming the place to be and that is great news.  Our new additions to the High Street are:

Comemos – 104 Sandgate High Street – Spanish Café / Deli.

Since my last update, Comemos is now fully up and running and offers a wide range of local goods such as bread, preserves and eggs as well as artisan teas, Spanish meats and cheeses.  There is a café menu for both breakfast and lunch and a variety of hot and cold drinks.

Acula Creations Limited – 95 Sandgate High Street – Seamstress and Tailoring.

Acula have operated as a mobile / appointment only business for almost four years and have built a solid reputation allowing them to open up their first high street studio.  They offer all kinds of services from a simple trouser hem take up to designing and creating completely bespoke garments including suits and wedding dresses.

The Dog House – 92 Sandgate High Street – services to be confirmed.

The Dog House have recently applied for planning permission to turn number 92 into an artisan upcycling café / craft shop.  At the time of writing, I am yet to meet the new owners so unfortunately I do not have full details of when they may open or exactly what they will be doing but I will, of course, keep you updated.

The Orchard Lane Coffee House – 80 Sandgate High Street – Coffee House

Orchard Lane Coffee House is owned and run by husband and wife team Jon and Joanna. They have a young family who live in Sandgate and grew up in Folkestone. They are a family-run business devoted to serving exclusive, specialty coffee, coffee beans and coffee products.  The proposed new coffee house will have a simple and seasonal menu and will be selling locally made luxury chocolates and handcrafted homemade cakes. They will be offering a takeaway food and drink menu suitable for everyone including vegans and vegetarians. The vision is to have a comfortable space for people to enjoy great-tasting coffee and food dishes if on the go to take away or eat in. Free Wi-Fi will be available and unique loyalty cards for the regular ‘Sangatarian’. Opening hours will be 7am-3pm weekdays and 7am-4pm weekends. Opening in February/March 2017.

The Sandgate Clinic – Is Back!

It’s a pleasure to welcome Julian and the team back to Sandgate.  The Sandgate Clinic is now based in the former H.G. Wells exhibition premises at Sandgate Passage – 82 Sandgate High Street.  Julian and his team can help with all types of osteopathy although I am not best to say what he does!  Here’s a link to his website; http://www.sandgateclinic.co.uk/

Christmas Shopping In the High Street
A number of retailers including Sandgate Trading, Albane Photography / Artisan Jewellery and Acula Creations are all planning to open until 9pm on each Friday throughout December.  If your business is also taking part in this then please let me know and we’ll see what we can do to advertise this.

Christmas Windows

Since the Christmas Lights switch on at Saga on the 25^th November, many shops have started to decorate their windows and they look fantastic.  The Sunny Sandgate Business Facebook page team are happy to share your festive shop fronts so please send them a picture – let’s get everyone seeing Sandgate for what it is – a great place to shop and eat. You can find the Sunny Sandgate Business Page here: www.facebook.com/SunnySandgateKent/

Other News

Sandgate East CPZ

I’m sure you’re all aware by now that, despite massive objections from residents and businesses alike, Shepway District Council has gone ahead with its plans to restrict parking in a number of places in Sandgate village.  For businesses there are positives – remember that your visitors can park within the CPZ for two hours and that the charges in the Castle Road car park have been reduced.  One business did ask if it was possible to have the ticket machine in the car park updated to issue a “counter foil” pay and display ticket so that they could refund their customers but the cost for the ticket machine to be altered would be in the region of £3000 which just isn’t viable unfortunately.  However, if you are interested in refunding your customers’ parking then please let me know and we can always try and appeal to Shepway to see what we can achieve.

A Boards / Tables & Chairs on the pavement

Please could you ensure that if you are placing A-Boards, tables & chairs or anything else on the pavement that you read KCC’s guidance which can be found on the link below to ensure that you are not causing an obstruction.  It may be worth noting that KCC can enforce removal if they believe that you are not operating within the guidelines.  If you have tables and chairs outside your business, you may also require planning permission or a licence although, when checking out the link and downloadable form ,nothing is available.  This does not mean that you can ignore this, you really do need to check.

www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/8969/A-Board-requirements.pdf

Business Waste

Please note that as a business you have a legal duty to dispose of business waste in a responsible manner and you must make your own arrangements for the collection of any waste you produce and that it is illegal (fly-tipping in fact) to put commercial waste out as domestic waste or take it to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.  KCC’s policy states:

“As a business, you have a legal responsibility to make sure:

• That your waste is kept secure until it’s collected.
• You choose a licensed waste carrier to collect your waste
• You keep records to prove you have been operating legally.

If you fail to meet these responsibilities, you could face a fine or court appearance”

For further details please see www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/59998/Waste-management-guidance-for-businesses.pdf

That’s about it from me and the Parish Council and, as I mentioned earlier, if there is anything you would like us to promote / give advice on then please let us know – this forum is for Sandgate businesses so please let’s make the most of it.

Should I not hear from you, then I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very merry Christmas and an extremely profitable new year.

Very best regards,

Councillor Kurt Stephens

For/on behalf of Sandgate Parish Council