Category Archives: News Centre

Do you still have a large former-department store sitting empty in your #highstreet place…? 🤔 Are the discussions rolling on about re-purposing, future uses, splitting up, conversion…? Meanwhile you’ve a big, deteriorating, wasted space creating negativity, when instead…? Meanwhile…! ✨ … Continue reading →

Here’s a first, I think 🤔 🤳🏽 Out & about in a #highstreet location and got back with just one picture of a vacant unit in my phone library. …and it’s not that there weren’t any others. 🎨 It was … Continue reading →

Should a #highstreet place, a town or city centre, have its own commercial agent…? …like an individual empty unit has but for all the vacants in that location. 🤔 It’d be interesting to hear what #property and #placemaking colleagues think…? … Continue reading →

“What reasons are there for optimism about our high streets…?” 🎤 It’s a question I was asked at a panel event this week, and every day since we’ve seen examples from different places that well illustrate my answer. You could … Continue reading →

Two brilliant #placemaking case studies. The Oxford Road Stories. Hat District. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Thank you Reading, Luton. Often on these threads we talk about arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history, heritage as part of the ‘next steps’ narrative for town … Continue reading →

🤔 What do you think…? Rarely a week goes by it seems without some ‘analyst’ or other trying to secure themselves media coverage with a cheap ‘death of the…’ shot at the #highstreet. This week was no exception…and the ‘study’ … Continue reading →

…to have the opportunity to be starting work with two special towns. 🤳🏽 Running the ‘audit, engage’ phase of our #TheVacantShopsAcademy approach in Abertillery and Tredegar for Blaenau Gwent Council, but reflections on a first visit were about the strengths … Continue reading →

This brings back memories. 🪜Just 10 years ago when our sign went up over the #popupshop which was to play a significant part in the revival of a street and with it the whole town centre. 📉 Flashop Wantage, the … Continue reading →

“Together, as a community, we can…” “…we want to brighten the street, fill the units, use the space, tell the stories which lie behind our famous granite walls, and fully engage the people of Aberdeen in this urban revival. And … Continue reading →

It’s happened again. 📉 Third time in recent weeks we’ve shared the ‘audit, engage’ data for one of our #TheVacantShopsAcademy locations and shown a different picture emerging than the one from our first walk-see there. The number of #highstreet units … Continue reading →