COLCHESTER’S Eld Lane and Sir Isaac’s Walk have undergone a mini-revival.

Three shops have opened, with two saying a drop in business rates and landlords reducing rent were the reasons for moving in.

The streets, traditionally full of independent stores, have seen a number of shops close in recent years.

But the good times could be on the way back.

Clothes shop Dress Again and gift shop Strawberry Lane have opened in Sir Isaac’s Walk, and baby store Roo’s has opened in Eld Lane.

Faye Rhodes and sister Paula, who jointly own Dress Again, snapped up the premises after the landlord dropped the rent.

Faye said: “The response has been unbelieveable.

“There’s a really good feeling from shoppers. It’s difficult to describe, but people actually want to buy.”

Donna Savill, 41, has opened Roo’s.She wanted to open a shop in Colchester, despite living nearer to Braintree, in Ridgewell. She said: “The vibe is fantastic – it’s just buzzing. It’s so positive here at the moment, which is why I wanted to open in Colchester.

“Business rate relief has really helped us to open up and reduced what we pay out.

“We were nervous about opening, but it’s been so busy.”

The Government’s rate relief scheme, introduced in 2005, allows owners of small businesses to claim up to half of their business rate bill back.

Jo Orsi, manager of Strawberry Lane, said she had noticed there were many shoppers in the area.

Jo, from Little Baddow, said: “So far I’ve had very positive feedback from customers. People have said Colchester needed something like this.

“I think there is a glimmer of hope for independent shops.

“We have got a lot of bigger high street chains and maybe they have over-expanded.”

Traders reported sales have rocketed in March and business owners are predicting a good summer.

Iain Horbury, owner of Horbury’s Bathroom Accessories, in Sir Isaac’s Walk, and a member of Colchester Retail and Business Association, said: “We were up 9 per cent, year on year, in March and last week we were up 26 per cent. We are quite optimistic.

“There are still too many vacant shops here, but it’s nowhere near as bad as other towns.

“I think we have had a rough ride and it’s about time we came out of it.”

l Handmade High Street, selling candles and gifts, will open in Sir Isaac’s Walk on April 2.