Mental Health & Wellbeing Hubs. On the #highstreet…?

“I am doing MY best”.

“I can have my limitations.”

🏥 We often talk on here about the potential for #health and health & wellbeing services as one of the really promising ‘alternative’ or rather ‘additional use’ options for vacant units in our town and city centres.

It’s part of a list that also features arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, leisure, education as potential go-to occupiers now alongside the more regular #retail, #hospitality and services.

Interesting then to see examples on recent out & about trips with #TheVacantShopsAcademy of one of our NHS health trusts opening a series of #highstreet units as a ‘Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub’.

Even more striking in Banbury is that as well as taking on a unit they’ve worked with the owners / asset managers / local team to post messages on a number of the centre walls.

📸 You can see examples in the image set along with two Oxfordshire ‘shopfronts’.

Early days to know if this particular service will be well supported, but here’s hoping.

📈 Initial feedback from community diagnostic and other health service types taking shopping centre spaces to increase their accessibility, is that the footfall impact can be very positive for its neighbour businesses and organisations.

It’d be good to hear from #property and #placemaking colleagues with experience in this field on whether they see this as a developing strength other places should draw on…?