Shoppers and locals voiced their views at the Farmers’ Market on Saturday 6th April, by completing the ‘We Love Hatfield’ local survey carried out by Grant Shapps MP and the local Conservative Team. Dozens of people stopped by to chat to our quizzers, who asked them about the Town Centre following the recent good-news that investment is coming to Hatfield. Indeed, work has already started, and is currently in phase one of three. Local Conservatives thought it would be a great opportunity to ask shoppers about what kind of Town Centre they would like to see and listen to their views.
Our findings-
Unanimously, the feeling is that the Town Centre should be a traditional High-Street style shopping experience. Most shoppers wanted to see small independent traders come to the town, and in particular, butchers were mentioned several times. The large brands, such as M&S are also wanted by shoppers, as well as some of the larger well-known fashion brands. The common answer was all about choice!
In terms of facilities, one thing everyone seemed to want is police presence in the town centre. Citizens’ Advice was also a popular answer, along with decent restaurants.
Do Hatfield shoppers want to connect the town to the Galleria? This was a 50/50 response. This question divided opinion, but those that answered yes, wanted to see an electric bus connect the two shopping experiences.
We thank the shoppers that carried out the survey and will be passing the comments to Hatfield Borough Council for consideration.