Wellington thriving

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Did anyone see this load of old garbage in the Sloppy? http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/04/21/thriving-market-town-one-of-best/Buzzing, thriving and house prices UP by 21 per cent in the last year! Even Rent-a-Quote Miles Hosken gets in on the act as usual by saying the news is "wonderful and exciting". Yet only three weeks ago he told me he despaired for the town and that trade was plummeting because "legitimate" traders could not compete with the abundance of charity shops which had an "unfair" advantage due to their charity status.And Wellington mayor Denis Allen forecasts increased "footfall" from the massive investment in the town over the next two years. I think that's civic speak for more customers. Yet as I walk through the town I regularly see more closing-down sales and more empty shops. And if the report is to be believed the average price of a property in Wellington is now £295,769. That means that for every £200,000 property sold a £400,000 one has also to be sold just to maintain the average. And I don't think there are many £400,000 properties in Wellington. There may be some, but certainly not enough to maintain the claimed average. If you check the Journal's property pages you'll find the average price is about £190,000, and I'm being generous with that figure.If you don't believe me, take a look at this site http://www.nethouseprices.com/index.php?con=sold_prices That will give you a more accurate reflection.I'm all for talking-up the town but please let's have a Reality Cheque first. That also applies to the Sloppy's newsdesk which would offer its readers a better service if it adopted a little bit more cynicism instead of glib acceptance of a public relations exercise.Edited by - Moonraker on 22/04/2008 08:39:23