Tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’…

Never go back, they say…

But I guess it’s okay to walk-see a town centre and catch up with #property and #placemaking friends.

So return to Banbury, a place we got to know really well as part of its #townteam, a town centre with lots to like…

🏛️ An attractive collection of heritage buildings;

• No shortage of history to recall with a museum in the heart of the town telling those stories;

🛍️ A strong group of #indie #retail, #hospitality and services business with some recent additions very much in line with the arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, leisure, education, health & wellbeing themes of current thinking;

• The award-winning Lock 29 innovating in a former department store space;

⚓️ Canal with an historic and still active boatyard;

• New waterside development with cinema, hotel and eateries;

☀️ A stunning hanging basket display and some neat touches created by its BID;

…and much more.

What it doesn’t seem to have – and friends locally will correct me if I’m wrong – is a tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ to bring agents, landlords, businesses, community, councils, cultural organisations, chamber & BID together to work on that issue, rather than in isolation.

They are of course not alone among town and city centres with this as a challenge.

📉 Is a way forward to set yourselves a target of halving #highstreet vacancy in 18 months and see how you go…?

Impossible…? Setting yourself up to fail…? Or very much worth trying to see where it gets you in reducing the number of empty units and improving the mix of uses.

🎯 For sure you wouldn’t be the first place to hit that target…!