Plans for another barbershop in a Welsh town with 13 already open have sparked concerns among locals. A planning application to open a 14th establishment in a shop in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, has raised fears the town centre will be overrun by barbershops.
Porth’s chamber of trade says the existing 13 barbers or hairdresser’s in the town centre are all within about 500 yards of each other. The Porth and District Chamber of Trade has submitted a formal objection to the planning application, explaining it would be “detrimental” if it were to get a thumbs up from planners, according to Wales Online. The same publication reports the Chamber’s Vice-Chairman, Dan Parry, as saying businesses are worried there isn’t enough custom for so many businesses offering barber services in such a small town.
Some businesses are also concerned if the planning application is granted, there will be fewer shoppers because the town would gain a reputation for being oversaturated with barbershops.
A survey carried out by the Chamber last year found locals thought there were already too many fast-food takeaways, beauty parlours and barbershops.
Mr Parry said that reputation would only worsen if another barbershop opened, undermining new small businesses as well as those which have traded in the town for years.
He said: “A lot of our members are hairdressers and barbers and they have come to us with their concerns about this application.
“We’ve been told there’s not enough clientele for them to compete with each other and another shop, especially because you might only see one shop, but there are multiple barbers or hairdressers in them.
“It’s simply not sustainable for the businesses in Porth to expand because there are now 13 businesses offering men’s haircuts in a town of 6,000 people.”
In a letter opposing the proposed change of use, the Chamber said: “This application is detrimental to Porth town centre and should be refused.”
It added that approving yet another barbershop in a town already “saturated” with similar businesses would offer no tangible benefits and pose a number of harms.
These were that it would strain existing barbershops and hair salons, erode the diversity of the high street, contradict the local council’s own development plans and go against “clear” public sentiment.
Locals told WalesOnline that Porth is overrun with barbershops and the situation is “getting beyond a joke”.
The number of barbershops on Britain’s high streets has risen in recent years, as shoppers shift to buying online. Banks and building societies have also closed branches, with more Brits banking on the internet.
A rise in male grooming has also fuelled demand for barbershops.
