The Vacant Shops Academy

Heard a brilliant story this week…

…one that could be repeated in every town and city centre where tackling #highstreet vacancy is an issue.

Thing is. It was a story about a farm. 

So how – you may be asking – does that translate to a ‘high street’ setting…?

The story was shared by at an insightful Good 2 Great, Meeting of Minds event in Shropshire, and featured Fordhall Community Land Initiative:

“Registered as a charitable Community Benefit Society, the Fordhall Community Land Initiative Ltd. (FCLI) is run by over 8,000 non-profit making community shareholders. Put another way: 1 farmer, 8,000 landlords!”

…and that last bit is where I believe this plays to our tackling vacancy work because in every location we’re supporting with #TheVacantShopsAcademy there is at least one empty unit where, for whatever reason, the landlord isn’t on the same page as residents and existing businesses about the best way forward.

What works for the landlord commercially, financially, may not be what the place would choose, and the building stays empty, often for years.

So could community ownership be the solution…? Imagine that long-empty unit in your place, bought by local people, open and operating again for community benefit. For sure it’s challenging, but colleagues who know much more about this than me are doing a lot of work on the ‘how’.

It’d be great to get your thoughts…

+ With thanks to Shropshire Live for the image, coverage and positive headline…!

How is your town or city centre faring so far in the new #highstreet lettings season.

What #retail, #hospitality or services businesses or organisations have taken on empty units…

…and importantly are you driving it as a place, working together, or do you see tackling vacancy as just “an agent-landlord thing.”

It feels an important question. Not just so that you can start to see empty unit numbers reducing but because residents and existing businesses will be keen to see the mix of use types you have improving too.

It’s why we’re so keen to see every town or city centre that has vacancy as a challenge, set up a ‘place partnership’ with agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, councils, chamber and BID where you have one working together on this…

…identifying what’s missing, what empty units you have, what’s stopping them letting and what they could be, a

then going out, together, to recruit what you need.

That way – as others have – you can aim to half your vacancy rate in 18 months. Some places will go further, faster.

So how is your place doing so far in 2025…? It’d be great to hear what’s new and in the pipeline…

“Go take a look inside those empty units in your town or city centre, and do it as a team.”

It’s something that’s part of our ‘next steps’ for every ‘place partnership’ we’re working with on tackling #highstreet vacancy.

Why…?

That way you get to see for yourselves why it’s empty, what the barriers are to getting it back in play, which of the traditional or maybe ‘alternative’ use types would work here, and really importantly, whether there’s a role for any of the partners in making that happen.

Seriously you can learn sooooo much more from being inside the unit than you might by looking from the outside or even checking lettings details, especially if you draw on perspective of all the place partners.

That might involve agent, landlord, existing businesses, community groups, cultural organisations as well as council colleagues (including planning, conservation, building control / standards, maybe housing), chamber or BID if you have one, plus others identified locally.

It emphasises a key message of our work down the years, that reducing the number of empty units and improving the mix of uses is not just ‘an agent-landlord thing’.

So do get those keys and go take a look. It’d be great to hear if it changes your perception.

We’d be equally keen to hear from #placemaking colleagues who’ve tried this approach already…

Who has new education uses taking up vacant space on your #highstreet…?

It’s on our list of ‘alternative’ or maybe better, ‘additional’ go-to uses, alongside #retail, #hospitality & services: arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health and health & wellbeing, but we talk about it less, perhaps seeing the first and last of those as more promising, potentially easier to imagine how they might take on a town or city centre space.

But our sense is that education as a sector does have much more it could contribute to tackling vacancy…

Taking on empty units for extra classrooms or as a base for skills-based teaching and live briefs;

Siting a community hub or adult learning centre in a town or city centre where it’s more easily accessible because of the range of transport options already in place;

Do we have more scope to host nurseries or soft play, art classes and workshops;

Could empty units, un- and under-used upper floors or even existing businesses making use of down time host homework clubs, reading groups & more.

Those are just a few of the options. I’m sure #placemaking colleagues and those in the sector will be able to add others.

The question was sparked by seeing a chef academy and cookery school open up in a vacant unit in Poole town centre on a recent visit there.

It’d be great to hear your examples and suggestions…

It’s just lovely to sit and watch #streetart or art installations do their work for a town centre…!

Seeing people having their photo taken in front – often, hopefully, for onward use on their social media;

Hearing parents explain to accompanying children that it’s part of a trail they’ll go on and see the next of;

Clicking on a link or QR code to find out more of the story behind the art or the place itself.

It explains why making more of arts & crafts, creative, culture, community are always part of our ‘next steps’ for places we’re working with on tackling #highstreet vacancy…

…because they can attract in new or different audiences, extend dwell time and encourage visitors to parts of the town or city centre they might otherwise not get to.

And of course, in a cheeringly increasing number of cases, directly help to reduce the number of empties too by taking on a unit themselves, maybe popup to start with, going on to longer term.

The images examples are all from an enjoyable and insightful visit to Poole town centre, to catch up on the tackling vacancy and wider #placemaking work they’re doing.

As ever it’d be great to hear how these kinds of projects and initiatives are making a difference in your place…

Is your place keeping across the target new shop or venue location requirements posted here by agents and brand property directors…?

It’s a really important part of the role of a tackling #highstreet vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’, and I’d say agent colleagues will tell you it makes a difference to them to hear quickly from a local team in one of the locations, especially if they share with it a set of details for ‘empty and available’ units that fit the bill.

That’s partly because it’s typically a competitive business. The lists usually feature more places than they’ll actually end up with a new opening, so there’s a sense of “first come, first…”.

Rarely if ever a week goes by without at least one requirements post appearing with a description of ideal location and unit types and size, and most of them list town and city centres they’d like to be in too.

We share these lists with local teams in places #TheVacantShopsAcademy is working and encourage them to be in touch.

The fact that there are so many out there is one of the (many) causes we have for optimism that the long-stuck national vacancy rate can be brought down.

Another is that more places are adopting our ‘audit, engage, encourage, promote’ approach which we know can reduce empty unit numbers and improve the mix of use types. That’s because town and city centres using it have halved their vacancy rates in 18 months, some of them further and faster, and others are on that journey now.

If your place has a mid / high teens or over 20% vacancy rate or your residents and existing businesses are keen on a particular use type or brand to fill empty units, do connect with agents and property directors on here and you’ll see…

“You should aim to halve your #highstreet vacancy rate in 18 months.”

I’m never sure whether to actually say this out loud when talking with place leaders about our ‘audit, engage, encourage, promote’ approach to reducing the number of empty units in your town or city centre, and improve the mix of uses.

I 100% believe you can. We’ve seen very different places, from different starting points, ten years apart, do just that. Others are on track to do it too.

What’s more, now we’re working on the 36th location we’ve taken the approach with #TheVacantShopsAcademy, we can see half way through the process why you might not, what’s missing from your project.

At the heart of it is two things…

• Having a tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ involving agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, council(s), chamber, BID if you have one plus others identified locally, working together on this.
• Looking beyond #retail, #hospitality and services (though they all continue to have a big part to play) to other uses: arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health, health & wellbeing, as go-to options for taking on units.

If you do both, we’re confident you’ll hit the target. Some places – like Wantage in Oxfordshire, which was our first – do it quicker.

Halve your vacancy rate in 18 months. Maybe further, faster.

Why wouldn’t you go for it…?

Shout about the good stuff in your town or city centre…

…and please don’t let empty shops dominate the narrative.

The message is the same whether you have significant vacancy numbers in the mid / high teens or over 20 per cent, or lower rates with some tricky long-term empty, landmark buildings and concern among residents and businesses about the changing mix of uses.

For sure have a tackling #highstreet vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ in play to get agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, councils, chamber and BID if you have one working together on identifying barriers and solutions, but take time too to highlight the positives.

‘Promote’ is a very important 4th element of our approach which also runs through ‘audit, engage, encourage’. It means the place and its businesses promoting what you have already, independents, nationals, in #retail, #hospitality, services, other uses, and features of your place that will attract people in.

Do include in that the vacants, but as an opportunity, with lettings details easily accessible if you have them.

How often do you look at local social media platforms or your traditional press and find all the talk and regular stories picturing boarded-up empties, is focused on the negative.

Like our friend Laura Harris who’s working with a growing network “to challenge the national media’s doom-and-gloom narrative”, it’s a crucial part of improving your own town and city centre too.

If your place is struggling with this issue and we can help, do please let us know…

How exciting is this…!

“We’re opening up conversations about how culture can help revitalise the #highstreet, drawing communities back— especially those underrepresented in traditional theatre spaces.”

Just thrilled to be working with the team at Northern Soul Productions and three local BID teams ‘Keep On Keepin’ On: Revitalising the High Street with Northern Soul’.

As they say: “Keep On Keepin’ On isn’t just an incredible night of theatre — it’s a catalyst for change. 

“In partnership with The Vacant Shops Academy, we’re working with local BIDs and independent retailers in each of our tour locations – Crewe, Blackburn and Blackpool – to explore how they can adapt to post-pandemic consumer behaviours, strengthening their personal resilience to positively impact their businesses and high streets. 

“At the same time, we’re engaging cross-sector partners in a deeper exploration of the role of culture in town centre development, reinforcing the vital connections between culture, commerce, and community.”

‘Keep On Keepin’ On’ is supported by Arts Council England and 14 partner organisations. 

Do connect with Northern Soul Productions for performance and ticket details…