What has happened to Truro’s night time economy? Visit Cornwall’s capital city on any night of the week or weekend and you’re likely to find yourself wondering where all the people have gone. It’s a question we put to several business owners in the town this week and the response was the same everywhere – Truro is becoming a ghost town after dark. One bar owner said the city was not far off crisis point – a far cry from a few years ago when 1,000 people would pack into L2 nightclub on a Monday night.
We published the story yesterday lunchtime1 and in the first 24 hours, thousands of people have read, shared and commented on the story across our websites and social media platforms. Last night, Truro was trending on Facebook. We’ve been through the reaction, checked out your ideas and looked at what – or who – you hold responsible for the parlous state of Truro’s nightlife. And here’s what you’re blaming…
The price of drinks
Holly Taylor: “The reason Truro is dead is the price of drinks!
It’s ridiculous. Add on the extortionate price for a taxi home and you’re left with people preferring to stay in then go out. Along with the overpriced drinks equals a real waste of money. Why is Truro the only city in this country that has no drinks promotions or happy hours. Putting prices up isn’t the best way to get people through the door. Places like Zafiros and Vanilla need to start catering to the local market and stop trying to pretend they’re some funky London bar. And to try and blame it on homeless people is shameful.”
LOOKING FOR ENTERTAINMENT? Here’s our day-by-day guide to stuff that’s happening in Cornwall in September2
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Jordan Beresford: “Holly you’ve hit the nail bang on the head. Greed destroyed the place plain and simple.”
Jimmy Tiltman: “You’ve also got to point out that when L2 was at its height of popularity pubs charged reasonable prices for a drink. These days are Ridiculous, you can go to a shop and enjoy your choice of drink at home for 2/3 of the price, this includes the comfort of your own home and a respectable hangover at your own prevail.”
Julia Wildfire-Roberts: “It’s just too expensive to go out of an evening.
My husband and I can invite people round, feed them and water them for the same price as it would cost for us to go out for a couple or three hours in Truro, and we live right in Truro.
16 for a bottle of wine when the same one is 5 in sainsburys is ridiculous. The same for pints. If we do go out then it’s usually to Bunters which is cheap and cheerful although not necessarily the place we would choose to go. People have less disposable income, there are too many similar food outlets selling over priced food and drinks. This means that staying in is the new going out. It certainly is for us, and we love to go out but who wants to spend 100 for a couple when you can stay in and spend 30?”
The bars themselves
This chap just wants to drink in the Rising Sun. Or at home.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
David Craig: “I used to go into town for a pint but then I found customer service was poor in many of the pubs. I think the staff in tesco are friendlier!! So its often just a pint or two in the rising sun for me – quality community pub with a good atmosphere :)”
Tracey Platt: “You are right.
All bar owners have a terrible attitude. They couldn’t give a toss if you’re there or not. Their only concern is getting the bouncer on the door to throw you out if you start enjoying yourself too much.”
Steven Nicoll: “Not trainers, you ain’t coming in. T-Shirt mate, your not coming in, jeans? Your not coming in. Christ it’s not a wonder, jumped up establishments trying to be what they most defiantly are not.”
The stuff that’s missing
We just need a Mexican. That’ll sort it.
Hugh Jones: “Three things Truro needs….
1) a decent live music venue (200+ capacity), get all the bands on the circuit down here.
2) Mexican restaurant.
3) a late night bar/ club that’s for the 25+ age group which is not full of drunken late teens ready to rumble!!“
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Brogan Dorgan: “Truro is boring and all the building are just grey and sad looking! It’s not like a “normal city” we need a venue for gigs instead of having to go Plymouth! It needs a regeneration.”
Lisa Church: “It needs an early hours / v.
late train to make it easier to get home, a banging club venue, live band venue and something like a Chicago’s….but that’s just me :)”
Kay Williams Cresswell: “Truro needs some good bars with a disco and cheaper beer for the young , I moved from the Midlands to Cornwall we had loads of bars with some where with a disco and cheap beer as us girls like a dance , they’d be open till 2pm and if you went into Birmingham open till 3 , get a taxi home for 15 not bad if there was 4 of us , Cornwall deffo needs more going on for the young in a lot of areas.” .
The atmosphere (or lack of it )
Drunks, homeless, bars with no dance floors, music’s too loud, lack of policing.
Emily Mears: “I’d also like to add that what atmosphere there is left is absolutely terrible. A group of friends and I went out a while ago, and I would definitely class us as civilised, even after a drink or two. However, another group of people (slightly older) caused problems before we had even got out of the taxi. They were so drunk that they didn’t realise that we were trying to get out, as opposed to take the taxi from them. This caused one member of our group to end up with a split lip and my husband (who tried to break up the fight) be punched in the face by a very unsavoury woman. After this, we saw fight after fight and also, a young lady look us straight in the eye, squat on the floor and have a wee. Absolutely disgusting. A distinct lack of policing and a culture of violence and repulsive behaviour has turned a once thriving nightlife into a disaster zone best avoided.“
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Bev Wright: “Unfortunately the bars are no good if you want to go for a dance. Just lots of standing around because there isn’t enough seats, shouting to be heard over the music that you can’t dance to because there’s no dancefloor! :(“
Diana Pearson: “Full of drunks and homeless.
Felt very uncomfortable last week when we went out for dinner and walked home. No Police!”
READ MORE: Is music promoter Liam Jolly the coolest man in Cornwall?3
The summer
It’s too sunny for people to go out in Truro – really?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view..png "Why Are Truro's Bars And Restaurants So Dead At Night?</p>
<p>This Is What You’re Blaming” alt=”Why Are Truro’s Bars And Restaurants So Dead At Night?</p>
<p>This Is What You’re Blaming” width=”200″ height””></p>
<p><strong data-redactor-tag=")
Dave Post: “This reporter has based his findings in the summer months and probably on a bank holiday weekend. Yes Falmouth and Newquay does fair better than Truro with the night life during summer bank holidays and the summer months as this is where visitors and locals flock too, the same when I was younger. Before Truro’s only night club “Secrets” was up and running most of the night life was centred around a burger van “snoopys”after closing time and if you was lucky you could grab a lift out to the Tregye night club out Carnon Downs way. I agree that a night club like the old Chicago Rock for us oldies and possibly another L2 for the younger generation is needed. A lot of good pubs have gone in the town over the years but the places I frequent are usually packed out some with a “one in one out” system. So when a reporter goes round searching for Truro’s night life next time pick the right season and evening and you’ll find it buzzing!!”
It’s a Friday thing
So Truro’s OK on Saturdays then? What about Sunday to Thursday?
Martin Easter: “As a local Truro has always been quieter on a Friday night. This is nothing new and probably reflects the change in drinking culture with people being more health conscious and not deciding to spurge money on alcohol.
This is not limited to Truro. Newquay and Falmouth both have a homeless population with one town being dead in the winter once the tourists leave and the other when the students leave for the summer break.”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Falmouth, Newquay – Cornwall in general. They’re all struggling.
Lucy Robinson: “From Fal and work in the busiest and best pub in town. It can still be quiet though. Recent discussions have come out with the conclusion – Tony Blair wanted a cafe culture in the UK and now that is what we have in reality. the fashion for big noisy pub chains filled with boisterous twits is no longer what most of us want to get up to combined with the cost of going out. Sad times but this is the state of smaller towns now.”
Amy Lindsay: “Falmouth definitely isn’t thriving on weekends. It also has been it hard. Main clubs/pubs are shutting down on a regular basis.”
Charlotte May Bell: “Can safely say they are not coming to newquay!!!
Were the same over here and it IS crisis point!!!”
Richard Connell: “It’s the same everywhere not just Truro. Younger people can’t afford the huge cost of drinking in pubs anymore.”
The council
Most things end up being blamed on Cornwall Council. Or Truro City Council. Or any council. Surely they can do something?
Harriet Salzman: “Most of the comments here contain many of the solutions – cheaper prices, cheaper taxis, a couple of clubs for different age groups, more policing, cheaper parking in the evening or night buses. People know what the solutions are if you ask them. Perhaps the council should listen to them??
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
“I’m guessing many council members don’t go out in Truro in the evening or can afford to pay the high prices? They are so out of touch…Lemon Quay could be brilliant if the council made it affordable for local hospitality businesses to operate there rather than just national companies like Wetherspoons. Also, if the council wants to support Truro nightlife, why has it scrapped the City of Lights parade4?
It’s appalling that the one night of the year where Truro can be seen as the lovely town it is at night has been stopped because the council has no imagination and can’t work out how to manage the congestion. We’ve got 2 park and rides now…surely it can be sorted out? Seems hypocritical to me. Do they want Truro to be busy and full of people having a good time in the evenings or not?”
The West Briton
Standard, that someone always wants to blame us… Is it Lee’s fault?
Luke Wills: Good job by the West Briton and other local rags to put people off going out in Truro and damaging the night time economy even more. Also, there’s no night spots in the area of the photo so what was expected? Great reporting once again.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view..png "Why Are Truro's Bars And Restaurants So Dead At Night?</p>
<p>This Is What You’re Blaming” alt=”Why Are Truro’s Bars And Restaurants So Dead At Night?</p>
<p>This Is What You’re Blaming” width=”200″ height””></p>
<p><strong data-redactor-tag=")
Vaughan Pickhaver: “Just come out of Bunters Bar5 tonight having gone into watch Even Nine6. The place was packed and alive with a good atmosphere. The photo you have used here freezes but a moment of a night, which could be any night of the week but this photograph was happening tonight.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
“Maybe you should get Lee Trewhela in the venues reviewing them rather than photographing the streets.
If I was out at the weekend, I would be in a venue and not loitering on the streets myself.”
Just everything
Loads of love for L2 nightclub. Did it all go downhill when L2 closed?
Tracey Platt: “There are various factors why this is happening. Firstly, all the great traditional pubs that once were have either closed or turned into souless bars or become family friendly. There is nowhere in Pydar Street and beyond so why would you be in that part of the city? There is no ‘centre’; any more, bars and restaurants are scattered all over the place. so you have to walk quite a distance between places. The decent restaurants are very expensive and getting a taxi home is also expensive so if you go out for the evening, you will get rid of 100 easily, unless you don’t drink or go to a cheap place to eat. Not forgetting the average Cornish wage which is way lower than anywhere in the UK, yet parking and everything else is the same price (in fact, London is a lot lot cheaper to eat out) Cornwall is full of retired folk, who don’t go out in the evenings. Also, drinking establishments are heavily guarded and get funny with you when you have had (in their opinoin) too much to drink and then refuse to serve you!
When you spend 7 on a glass of wine, you do not want or expect to be treated in this way and they wonder why they are struggling?”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clare O’Shea: “Too expensive, no decent club now L2 gone, office is full of teenagers. vanilla is too small and really expensive, we need a Chicago rock/shout back in Truro, was lovely and big, various age ranges and loads of entertainment during the week. nothing opens during the week now.
plus the clubs shut too early, most places are 4am around the country, but 2.30am is too early, and the police making the kebab places shut before the clubs is ridiculous and has put places out of business, as their trade was after the clubs shut!
sort it out Truro!”
References
- ^ published the story yesterday lunchtime (www.westbriton.co.uk)
- ^ Here’s our day-by-day guide to stuff that’s happening in Cornwall in September (www.westbriton.co.uk)
- ^ Is music promoter Liam Jolly the coolest man in Cornwall? (www.westbriton.co.uk)
- ^ scrapped the City of Lights parade (www.westbriton.co.uk)
- ^ Bunters Bar (www.facebook.com)
- ^ Even Nine (www.facebook.com)
- ^ Return to homepage (www.westbriton.co.uk)