Dead, a disgrace, and a bit of a mess. Those are some of the words shop staff at the bottom of Lynn’s High Street used to describe the area.
Several empty premises line the street, including the former Debenhams department store – which has been vacant for more than five years.
The short stretch’s struggles are a far cry from the top end of the street, which is full of bustling businesses and enthusiastic shoppers.
When, if ever, will we start to see a positive change at the dead end of the High Street?
West Norfolk Council and the Lynn Business Improvement District say that change is coming, but it is far from an overnight fix.
Business owners report that footfall has dramatically dropped in the area since Debenhams’ closure, while others have complained about the general outlook of the street.
However, some stores are bucking the trend – take the much-loved card shop, The Deck of Cards, and the bustling food and cocktail venue, the Tipsy Teapot.
Tony and Annie Winter, who own the popular greeting cards store and have been trading in the town centre for more than 30 years, expressed their frustrations with the outlook of the street to the Lynn News.
“I think it is an absolute disgrace,” Mr Winter says.
“The area has been neglected. It is a state. There are weeds coming up in the planters, and the phone box needs to be removed.
“The Saturday Market Place is not used, and nothing is being done around here. We only have one light down here at Christmas time.
“We have had a lot of tourists come to see us this year. They have said how much of a mess this end of town is.”
When asked what he would like to see in the former Debenhams building, Mr Winter said: “I do not care as long as something is done with it.
“Divide it up, turn the upstairs into flats. The ground floor needs to be retail.”
Lisa Staples owns the Tipsy Teapot alongside her husband Neil, offering something truly unique to not only Lynn, but the surrounding area.
She would like to see a hotel housed in the former Debenhams.
“Smaller businesses could use the empty shops around the area instead of an indoor market in Debenhams,” she says.
“The units are quite small. It would be a win-win situation because with a hotel, you have business and footfall constantly. You would have a constant turnover of people coming to the town centre.
“Currently, when it gets past 9pm, this area is dead.”
Mrs Staples puts the Tipsy Teapot’s success down to people booking to visit in advance.
“People know they are coming to us. They have either found us online or they know of us already, so they book in advance,” she added.
“People are not wandering around here. They have a definite idea of what they are doing and where they are going.”
WHAT SHOPS HAVE DISAPPEARED OVER THE YEARS?
A few years ago, the High Street scene looked different to what it does today.
Back in 2018, almost every shop front was full.
Shops to disappear since then include the RH Fayers & Sons funeral directors and Lynn Cafe Bar and Restaurant, which then turned into The Street – which is also now closed.
Artertons’ furniture shop, which was next to The Deck of Cards, is also gone, as well as Style Kitchens, which was next to Debenhams.
The Money Shop, which still lies empty with the ghost of its sign looming over passers-by, and charity shop Sue Ryder have also disappeared from the High Street.
Caroline Palmer, who works at Jaine’s Gift Box, agrees with Mr Winter about the outlook of the street.
“I think the Debenhams building looks like a mess,” she says.
“It seems that down this end of town, there is not much since Debenhams has been gone.
“I never really go down here, apart from when I go to work. It is a shame, because it is pretty with the Saturday Market Place and the Minster.”
Sven Diecs, who works in the men’s clothing store Gios, which has been in town for 20 years, said he has noticed a decline in footfall in the area since Debenhams closed.
“I think they should get something in the old Debenhams building. When that closed, it became quite quiet down this end of town,” he adds.
“A similar large store selling clothing would be good.
“There is not much around this end of town. There is Cash Converters, and that is it.”
Anthony Goldsmith, assistant manager of Cash Converters, does not hold back when describing the bottom of the High Street.
“This end of town is just dead,” he exclaims.
“When Debenhams closed, it was just the death of it, really. As soon as it went, that was the end of this high street.”
Mr Goldsmith, who has been working at the store for almost 20 years, thinks the large department store building would have made the perfect indoor market venue.
There was once hope that the premises could have been used for a range of shopping and leisure attractions.
At the end of 2023, Kelly Ranger told the Lynn News of her plans to convert the building into an exciting venue, which would have included an array of self-contained units housing small business owners.
However, it was later revealed that her plans had fallen through, due to the London-based agent which owns the building quoting her prices that were too high.
“The market was a great idea. It is a big building – the bills would be astronomical,” Mr Goldsmith adds.
“The council could do with repairing the streets down here. It is a regular occurrence that they get damaged.
“People say that the high street is dying off – this is proof that they are correct.”
HAS THE STREET BEEN LEFT TO DIE?
West Norfolk Council and other groups have moved to reassure residents that they are putting in the work to improve the area, which links the Tuesday and Saturday Market Places.
Cllr Simon Ring, deputy leader of the borough council and cabinet member for business, said the authority is “actively exploring options” for a short-term solution to regenerating the area.
He told the Lynn News that a public consultation will launch shortly, giving members of the public the chance to have their say on how the area could be improved.
“In the longer-term, the council and King’s Lynn Neighbourhood Board are driving forward a significant Town Deal regeneration programme focused on supporting investment in and around the town centre,” Cllr Ring said.
“This includes the new, larger library and community hub currently taking shape on Baxter’s Plain in partnership with Norfolk County Council, West Norfolk Council’s sensitive revitalisation of the Custom House, the restoration of St George’s Guildhall as a major centre for arts, creativity and theatre, plus walking and cycling improvements in Lynn.
“We are, of course, well aware that the bottom end of the High Street currently has some empty commercial space.
“We are actively exploring options and opportunities for what we could do in the shorter term, including the possibility of using new government powers under the High Street Rental Auctions where appropriate, while the upcoming master-planning process for Lynn will consider the High Street as part of updating the wider vision for the town, including regeneration opportunities at key vacant sites.
“The high street as we once knew it may be changing, but that does not mean it has no future.
“It’s up to all of us – businesses, councils and communities – to work together and find new ways to give it fresh life and purpose.
“With imagination and collaboration, we can ensure our town centres remain places where people want to gather, shop and spend time. To that end, I urge everyone to respond to the King’s Lynn masterplan engagement, so please look out for that in the coming weeks and get involved.”
Vicky Etheridge, manager of the Lynn Business Improvement District (BID), told the Lynn News there is “movement” happening around the bottom area of the High Street, and more shop fronts could soon be filled.
“Given a bit of time, some smaller units in town tend not to stand empty for too long,” she said.
“Somewhere as big as Debenhams is really hard to fill for all sorts of reasons.
“It is not still empty because no one here cares about it. There are some great ideas for what can go inside it. That is why the council are forming a master plan.
“The masterplan is an opportunity for people to be positive and creative. It is a massive store, and there are so many options for what it could be used for.”
Ms Etheridge, whose role is to increase footfall in Lynn and boost the attractiveness of the town centre while saving on business costs, suggests the Debenhams building should be used in a range of ways to attract more people to the area of town.
“I think for both the town and people, a mixture of use in the building would be good. It would attract more people, and it supports the sustainability of the site,” she added.
“I really feel for the businesses down there. These things are beyond their control. It has a big impact on footfall on that part of the high street.”
Of course, the retail scene is changing across the country, with more people choosing to shop online for convenience and a wider range of options.
Cllr Ring stressed that footfall and occupancy of town centre shops in Lynn come out better than many other places across the country.
“Overall, town centre footfall and occupancy in Lynn has fared better than the national average, against a national backdrop of significant societal change affecting retail and town centres in recent years, such as online shopping, Covid and home-working,” he said.
“We work closely with Discover King’s Lynn, the town centre Business Improvement District, to deliver an annual programme of projects, events and services to support a vibrant town centre and local economy, including collaborative working to deliver the free film nights and monthly merchants’ markets.
“As a council, we have directly staged many other events supporting footfall, including Mods and Rockers, Folk in the Town, Music in the Market Place, Soulful Sunday, the Hanse Festival and Ukraine Independence Day, with the Classic Car Day, 40s/50s Day and much more to look forward to, leading up to our Christmas lights switch-on.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We asked residents on social media what they would like to see done to the former Debenhams building.
Almost 300 comments were posted by readers by the time we went to press, suggesting an array of ideas ranging from a maternity clothes shop to an indoor go-karting venue.
However, it was clear that the most popular idea was for an indoor market to come to the venue.
Others proposed that Swedish furniture store Ikea to come to town, while many said ‘no more’ to additional vape stores and charity shops.
