Author Archives: Iain Nicholson

Day 2 of our #TheVacantShopsAcademy out & about running ‘audit, engage’ in 8 South Gloucestershire #highstreet locations – Kingswood and Hanham this time – and picking up the theme of uses mix in a place. Interesting to see some of … Continue reading →

First of a series of out & about days in South Gloucestershire #highstreet locations. Downend and Staple Hill first and a real strong sense of their #indie #retail and #hospitality group, mixing the new with established, traditional with of today. … Continue reading →

Hugely enjoyable #highstreet #placemaking out & about in Reading town centre this week. It’s a place that mixes history and heritage, #retail, #hospitality & more, national brands and a strong #indie group, some of them very long-established. It also has … Continue reading →

One of the things that makes tackling #highstreet empty shops issues commissions sooooooo interesting and inspiring is the variety. In a single #TheVacantShopsAcademy day out & about this week… New lettings taking shape, the first signs of refurbishment getting underway … Continue reading →

Thrilled to say that 3 more organisations (with 11 #highstreet locations in-scope between them) have signed to run the ‘audit, engage’ elements of #TheVacantShopsAcademy approach to tackling empty shops issues. It’s really good to have new places keen to understand … Continue reading →

Another week, one more list of incoming #highstreet finance sector closures. Another town, and more conversations about the role the place could play in getting ex- #retail bank or building society units back into use. It’s a regular recommendation in … Continue reading →

Really enjoyed being out & about in Henley again. Just so much to see and learn and think about from a #highstreet #placemaking perspective, and always very well worth a visit… Stunning riverside scenes, and a significant draw for rowing, … Continue reading →

Oxford City Council has issued 93 licences to hospitality businesses, an almost ten-fold increase from the previous year.

The number of vacant units in Oxford city centre looks set for a significant fall according to new figures from Oxford City Council.

Business and organisations from across Oxford are working with the City Council on an initiative to bring empty units back into use more quickly.