The Vacant Shops Academy

It was just one of those special town centres days…

An insightful, enjoyable and encouraging trip to meet the team behind the Dewsbury Arcade regen story and some of those who’ll be a crucial part of its next chapter as “the UK’s very first community-run shopping centre”.

So I was invited to talk about tackling #highstreet vacancy generally, the crucial role of a ‘place partnership’ and the opportunities that looking to arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health and health & wellbeing, as go-to options for empty units, can bring.

Being able to do that in a previously empty shopping centre unit which the Arcade group have turned into a combination of pop up shop, history & heritage exhibition, art gallery, community engagement hub, workshops & event host and more, was great…

…especially since also there on the night were the talented owners and support teams of four businesses that are among those considering taking on space when the Arcade opens.

It was energising to see so many people in the room interested in their town centre, how it moves forward and the part they can play, to see the wonderful heritage buildings they have, hear about the Dewsbury Market regen project alongside and take a quick walk-see of some of the positives re-uses already underway.

I finished the presentation with a question for them. We believe that by running with our ‘audit, engage, encourage, promote’ approach and getting a ‘place partnership’ on the case, town and city centres can halve their headline vacancy rate in 18 months.

“Can you…?”, I asked Team Dewsbury. I reckon they can.

If you could bring one empty unit in your town or city centre back into use, which would it be…

and why…? Might it be because it’s a prominent, landmark maybe heritage building, it’s very long time empty, it looks worse than any of the others, it has the most potential to transform the fortunes of the street it’s on or your place as a whole…?

It’d be great to hear and, if you have them, to see images of the one you’d choose.

I’d also be interested to hear how you’re going about it.

• Are you in conversation with the agent or landlord;
• Have you taken a ‘place partnership’ team including council planners, conservation officers, building control with private sector architects and developers inside to assess the options, the barriers to getting it back in play and potential roles in that for each partner;
• Is splitting the ground floor into smaller units or separating off the uppers if it has them an option;
• Could you use the new High Street Rental Auction power to help make progress;
• Did you explore pop up or meanwhile use opportunities;
• Might alternative uses – arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health, health & wellbeing – be a go-to rather than #retail, #hospitality or services.

We’ve just been talking through this whole process with one of the locations we’re supporting on tackling #highstreet vacancy as part of their work on a priority ‘target units’ list.

Do let us know what’s on yours and how you’re going about turning them round…

“They’re not making this up. This is really what they see and are finding. Their day-to-day experience on and about the #highstreet.”

It’s a line I was inspired to use while co-hosting the latest in a series of launch events for the brilliant HighStreetPositives campaign, this time in Darlington.

From a hugely encouraging agent update on enquiries, requirements and new openings to a very upbeat ‘local voices’ panel featuring three business owners here talking about their story, perspective and plans, there was so much that’s positive throughout.

Yes there are challenges and we reflected many of those too but in the spirit of community, collaboration and collective effort that’s at the heart of what Laura Harris, the founding members and supporters are building.

It feels like a crucial time. One where, if you believe strongly in our town and city centres, what they are and can be, then it’d be great to have you join the ‘positives’, adding your voice and energy to those of the growing number we have.

Great too to be able to take the conversation to Darlington – a place, from our walk-see before and after the event that looks and seems so well.

Work to do as ever but a dedicated, thoughtful, practical team on that too.

So thank you to everyone who played a part in the event. We’re looking forward to the next wherever that takes us, and to seeing Laura’s inbox and DM folder pinging with new additions to the #HighStreetPositives community, especially if you’re a #retail, #hospitality or services business or organisation that would like to invest in helping take this important place initiative to its next level.

It’d be great to hear from you…

A city that was home during my first run of radio days (who knew…?).

A place I’ve returned to often down the years.

Chance to see what’s changed and changing and catch up with some of the things that have stayed the same, at least outwardly, even if they’ve adjusted with the times to still be part of the story today.

And so on this short break, back again to Norwich city centre.

Awesome heritage buildings, a colourful historic city market, long-established independents, remaining and recently arrived #retail and #hospitality brands, interesting innovations from our ‘alternative’ uses list including community, leisure, health & wellbeing, and more.

As with Cromer the days before, it’s not a place we’re working on tackling #highstreet vacancy and so just on a walk-see here without being across all of the back stories that make such a difference to perceptions, but an intriguing visit anyways.

So thank you Norwich (again) and – also like Cromer – I’d say, if you’re in this part of the world 100% do stop by…!

Hugely cheering to see a town centre I’ve been visiting since the mid-1980’s and which means a lot to me, looking and seeming so well…

As always when you’re somewhere to walk-see rather than work, it’s important to emphasise that you may be missing something and that local residents or #highstreet businesses could have a different perspective…

…and to recognise that being there on a bright, blue, sunny day makes a difference.

But all that said it was really encouraging to spend a few days in Cromer.

If you don’t know it. Seaside town, with a pier that has its own show entertainment venue; famous for its fishing industry (“Cromer Crab”) and an important RNLI post with its own history plus, a short walk from the front, a town centre that mixes a resident and visitor #retail, #hospitality and services offer with one or two more recent additions alongside the long-established. In addition, the scenery here has sparked a creative community whose art & crafts talent is on display in many of the shops and venues.

So if you’re in that part of the world, 100% give Cromer a look…!

“Get the keys. Go take a look inside, as a team.”

It’s an answer I gave when asked this week by a group of place leaders and managers about two large, long-time empty units in their town centre.

The idea that tackling #highstreet vacancy is much more than “just an agent-landlord thing” is a crucial part of our approach.

Getting a ‘place partnership’ on the case to bring together agents and landlords with businesses, community, cultural organisations, council(s), chamber, BID where there is one and others identified locally is an important first step.

It means you have a much wider range of skills, experience, connections, resources and powers in play which can be invaluable, especially when it comes to the trickier units.

By taking a look inside with council planners, conservation officers, building control / standards and private sector architects, developers, commercial #property agents, it’s easier to see the options, assess barriers then work out how they can be overcome, and which partners need step up to make that happen.

It works for any kind of empty unit but particularly for the landmark, sometimes #heritage former department or large #retail brand stores and ex-banks.

If – as very many of the 39 places we’re working with and those we visit do – that’s an issue for your town or city centre, we’d be very happy to talk through the approach in more detail.

Do let us know…

Castle walls, heritage buildings, historic figures remembered, striking views.

How much do any or all of those play a part in your tackling #highstreet vacancy project…?

It’d be great to hear examples from your town or city centre.

Those four may not seem obvious candidates. But if they attract visitors in (footfall), become a reason for staying longer (dwell time) and inspire you to recommend a visit to others (‘promote’) then…

It’s a conversation sparked out & about in the second of the latest three towns we’ve added to those we’re working with – Carmarthen.

It – as the image set shows – has all of the above as well as a sizeable brand and indie #retail offer with recent and imminent additions; a 60-stall, long-established indoor market, a cinema and theatre, varied hotel options, a number of pedestrianised sections offering chance to sit a-while; a set of community uses taking space with innovative uses; and underway, a major former store redevelopment that will soon add much to the mix including health, wellbeing and leisure (of which more in a future post).

Lots to like. Very well worth a visit and opportunities to be part of it for businesses and organisations interested in taking on one of the vacants it does have now.

It’s one of a number of towns among the 39 we’re involved with at this stage of a #placemaking journey.

So back to the question. Castle walls, heritage buildings, historic figures remembered, striking views. Who has one or more of those prominent in your tackling vacancy strategy…?

Let’s not allow any empty units we have in our town or city centres to dominate the narrative.

Places where vacancy is an issue often find that’s the talk of local social media rather than the great businesses and organisations you do have.

For sure have a tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ getting to grips with the issue but – as Laura Harris emphasises in her brilliant campaign – be sure to shout about your #HighStreetPositives 

After all, even if your vacancy rate is in the high teens or over 20%. Three quarters or more of the total are still occupied.

It’s one of the reasons ‘promote’ is the fourth element of our #TheVacantShopsAcademy approach along with ‘audit, engage, encourage’, and why existing town and city centre businesses have a big part to play in your tackling #highstreet vacancy project…

+ While shops and venues will sometimes close for understandable / unavoidable reasons, when you’re working to attract new occupiers into empty units, doing what you can to minimise departures helps;

+ Your existing businesses may well also be a great source of insights on possible new occupiers, maybe they’d like to take a second unit themselves to expand or do something different;

+ they may have contacts in other places who’d add to the mix in yours;

+ they’ll be an important part of the conversation about what’s missing and what types of uses to go for;

and they can be a good sounding board for potential other measures like a popup / ‘meanwhile… use’ project, tackling vacancy / shop front grant scheme or business support initiative.

It’d be great to hear from #placemaking colleagues who are already engaging existing businesses in this aspect of your work.

If your town or city centre is changing significantly and quickly, it makes a big difference to your approach to tackling vacancy.

It’s one of a range of reasons we ought to be very cautious about publishing league tables of empty shops rates.

The change you’re seeing might be a variety of development and repurposing projects or infrastructure / public realm initiatives or a combination of the two…

…but it for sure is going to mean the ‘next steps’ your ‘place partnership’ takes to reduce the number of empty units and improve the mix of uses will need adjusting.

Why…?

Firstly you might need to see how any development shakes out before getting a clear picture of the types of businesses and organisations you’d best attract;

Also you’ll likely find that property owners prefer to wait before committing to longer lease agreements, same with would-be occupiers who may also be keen to avoid opening if there’ll be disruption during any works programme.

This suggests, for example, that you might have to prioritise a short term let / #popupshop / ‘meanwhile… use’ approach to getting units back in play for a year or two or more.

One thing that is key though is to be doing what you can to support existing valued businesses through the change period, especially if it’ll have an impact on the look, feel, access to and operation of your #highstreet for weeks or months or longer.

It’s a scenario we see in different places on our travels – Sunderland, Grimsby, Bradford might be recent #Evolving examples…

…and it felt like an important part of the conversation in Llanelli this week. It’s a town centre with lots to like – as the image set shows – including an impressive set of buildings, some tied to its history and heritage, a strong and attractive group of independent businesses and, crucially for this thread of thinking, much happening with more in the pipeline.

We’re really looking forward to working with the Carmarthenshire County Council town centres team here and in Carmarthen and Ammanford which we’ll visit next.

It’d be really interesting to hear from #placemaking colleagues in other locations that are at a similar stage in their journey…