Should we pause the knocking down thing in town and city centres…?
Just to allow a moment to review, take a tackling #highstreet vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ team inside the empty units, explore the barriers and options to occupy and, importantly, see whether together we can find a way to get them back into use…?
I get that in some cases the buildings are in too poor a way, cannot (at least cost effectively) be repurposed to current standards or are best replaced by a larger more impactful development.
But I think there’s concern that in some cases the driver isn’t that. It’s the (mistaken I’d say) belief in ‘death of…’ and the too-carelessly bandied about ‘over supply of shops’ mantra, the (supposedly) unrelenting rise of online and out-of-town shopping and the demise of well-known #retail brands.
Crucially tho, it’s also missing something: the huge potential for arts & crafts, creative, cultural, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health and health & wellbeing uses to take on empty spaces. We’ve more and more examples like this we can share.
And that’s not just meanwhile… or for rates mitigation. These uses can stay, long term, make a contribution to the finances of a building and be positive for the place on variety, sustainability and resilience.
If we carry on as we are, is there a danger that some places will take out too much stock, bypass these opportunities and worse, leave themselves with too few units, so ending up with rising rents that drive out long-established businesses you value as part of the mix.
So if your place is planning town or city centre demolitions, are you still confident that it’s right for 2025 and the years ahead, not based on how things have gone in the last five…?
