A SLEEPY village just outside of St Albans is the perfect place to set up shop, a local business group has claimed. The Wheathampstead Enterprising Business group (WEB), comprising local traders, surveyed the village s 6,000 or so residents earlier this

A SLEEPY village just outside of St Albans is the perfect place to set up shop, a local business group has claimed.

The Wheathampstead Enterprising Business group (WEB), comprising local traders, surveyed the village's 6,000 or so residents earlier this summer and the results showed that most were dissatisfied with the range of shops in the High Street.

According to the thousands of residents who responded to the survey, the main concern was a lack of necessary retail outlets such as a hardware store and a greengrocers, both of which Wheathampstead has had in past years.

Retail property owners in the High Street have invested heavily in refurbishments and there are now a few empty white-painted and oak-beamed shops available, one of which was recently snapped up by florist Kirsty O'Neil.

Kirsty, proprietor of Fuchsia Pink, said that business was blooming: "I made the move at just the right time when the village high street and shops were being upgraded. The word about Wheathampstead has spread and I'm attracting customers from neighbouring villages and towns."

Chairman of WEB Norman Whitwood said that he would recommend Wheathampstead for go-ahead retailers: "With the new Heartwood Forest being planted at Sandridge, we'll be the next village for the guaranteed flow of tourists and walkers. There's never been a better time to set up shop in Wheathampstead.