Author Archives: Iain Nicholson

There was a valuable insight this week in a longer agent’s post about new #highstreet lettings which again illustrates that the picture can change significantly if you drill down beyond the headline vacancy numbers and how things appear if you … Continue reading →

Very enjoyable first full #placemaking day out & about in the city of Sunderland for #TheVacantShopsAcademy. As ever focusing on current #highstreet #retail, #hospitality and services mix, and opportunities to add to that, but taking time too to see how … Continue reading →

What does #placemaking mean for you…? Signage…? A reflection and appreciation of your history and heritage, greenery (or whatever the purple version of that is…?), arts & crafts, creativity, activation, innovation…? All of these and more…? Intriguing to capture some … Continue reading →

Time spent in the park on a tackling #highstreet empty shops commission ‘audit’ day is just sitting down on the job, right…? Well, we did that, but it’s thought-provoking also. Tho on this out & about with #TheVacantShopsAcademy the time … Continue reading →

So what’s your town or city centre’s real vacancy rate…? It’s a question sparked this week by finalising Initial Data Reports listing the units that look empty for 3 #highstreet locations after running #TheVacantShopsAcademy ‘audit’ there. Next step is to … Continue reading →

There’s much conversation in #placemaking about the role of #markets and especially indoor versions in #highstreet regeneration, and it’s been a feature of a number of recent out & about visits and ‘audit, engage’ work with #TheVacantShopsAcademy. What are the … Continue reading →

Third town centre out & about in ten days took me for the first time to the attractive place that is Abergavenny, just for a look-see in this case rather than a #TheVacantShopsAcademy ‘audit’. Reflecting on these recent three, and … Continue reading →

History & heritage. #highstreet. Out & about in Monmouth with #TheVacantShopsAcademy and thinking – not for the first time in a place – about how those two elements work together. There’s sometimes a perspective that the first is for visitors, … Continue reading →

Really enjoyable #highstreet #placemaking out & about in Chepstow. A town with awesome visitor attractions, a mix of #indie and national brand #retail, #hospitality and services, encouraging evidence of new investment, and signs all around the town centre that it … Continue reading →

Really enjoyable time at the Warwickshire Towns Network #placemaking conference in Warwick, with chance to be out & about in an attractive, largely #indie, heritage town centre. An opportunity also to share #TheVacantShopsAcademy ‘audit, engage, encourage, promote’ approach to tackling … Continue reading →