Alternative or better still, ‘additional uses’…

Arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health, health & wellbeing.

🧶 How much of a role are these playing in your town and city centre. Does one of them have the potential to be a new #highstreet anchor. Could they help lead a revival in places where #retail and #hospitality are not so keen right now…?

🤔 It’d be great to hear from #property and #placemaking colleagues who are seeing impactful innovations from these use types.

This in mind, it’s back to Crewe town centre with #TheVacantShopsAcademy again this week, hugely cheered by the response to some initial meetings and exchanges, and a full diary for future trips to explore the role #popup or ‘meanwhile… use’ can play in its ‘next steps’, especially with a focus on those alternative or maybe better described as additional use types.

🧩 Early days but we’ve had some really positive feedback particularly around arts & crafts, creative, community, history & heritage.

Experience makes it clear that there’s a big gap between interest and taking the step into a vacant unit, not least as we’ve yet to get a sense from agents and landlords whether they’re up for being supportive of the approach, but still…

🙏 Thank you to all those who’ve been in touch and taken time to meet already or suggested other connections. Exciting times…!