Walking along Alfreton High Street, it’s hard to ignore just how many of its shops are empty.

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I counted at least seven empty units on the High Street – some in close proximity to each other – in my brief walk around the town centre last week. And that number is set to increase next month when Barclays closes on August 26.

I suppose seven empty shops in a town centre isn’t that many but I found it startling to see so many on such a short stretch of road, especially the main thoroughfare through Alfreton

It’s such a shame to see, especially as Alfreton, as a whole, has a good retail offer with an array of brands and independent businesses dotted around the town centre.

And the High Street itself is home to some wonderful independent businesses, Couture @ 24 and BooBoo Desserts for example.

But I wonder what it is that’s affecting the High Street so much? Is it a lack of footfall, high business rates – a combination of the two – or something else entirely?

I’m sure it’s not a problem confined to only Alfreton and I’m afraid I only have questions – no answers – but I would be really interested to hear from business owners and people who shop in Alfreton about this.

What can we do as a community to help encourage businesses to the town and make Alfreton High Street a bustling location once again? What kind of businesses would you like to see move onto the High Street?

There may not be a simple solution to this – if there is one at all – but I am really interested to know what you think.

Part of our aim here at The Spirit of Alfreton is raise the profile of local issues and campaign where needs be.

So, please feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments below or by emailing editor.spiritofalfreton@gmail.com.