“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…
