When the House of Lords Built Environment Committee published the results of its 9-month inquiry into high streets in towns and small cities at the end of November, my immediate reaction was, “What difference will it make at street level?”.
Local leadership and empowered partnerships
This is not stated as a criticism of the Lords’ work, who have done a worthy job and captured suitable solutions in the report quizzically titled “High Streets: Life beyond retail?”. It is more a reflection that much of the thinking and many of the recommendations have been long-considered and available for local authorities and other partners to act on. The reality is that amongst competing needs and with limited capacity, local authorities can struggle to make the necessary, long-term commitments to see things through.
That said, it is great that an increased focus on the role of local leadership and empowered partnerships in delivering multi-purpose town and city centres, as advocated by the High Streets Task Force, amongst others. It’s intriguing also to read that, alongside support for the core roles of Business Improvement District, the report calls on the Government to explore the nebulous concept of Community Improvement Districts, as part of a potential wider model.
Policy proposals for central government
The recommendations in the report to watch most closely are the policy proposals for central government to consider, and the response they will receive over the coming weeks. These focus mainly on the levers that government can pull to influence the management of town centre planning and property, including:
- Explore expanding the scope of Use Class E, or expanding another Use Class, to support the renewal of large shopping centres for other leisure purposes.
- Review the impact that the expansion of permitted development rights to convert Use Class E properties is having on the vitality of high streets and reduced local control over design and development.
- Set-out whether they intend to encourage moving more NHS health services to the high street, including the new mental health crisis centres announced in the Autumn 2024 Budget.
- Amend the National Planning Policy Framework to enable new public services including libraries, diagnostic centres and local government buildings should be located on the high street in the first instance, with the same sequential test applied to retail being applied to these services.
- Consider and simplify the range of business rates relief schemes available to ensure that they are effectively supporting successful high streets.
- Seek to legislate to allow markets operated by local authorities outside London access to the same level of business rates relief available to those markets operated by local authorities within London.
- Provide funding to local authorities to maintain an ownership and occupier database for commercial properties within areas designated a high street or major retail centre in their local plan.
Insights awaited into government’s approach
This begs the next question about the priority central government will give to developing necessary legislation or guidance for directing delegated spend through the newly proposed Strategic Authorities mechanisms. Normally, the government is committed to reply to House of Lords’ Inquiries within two months of the publication of a report. The response will offer extra insights into the government’s approach to town and city centres, as well as determining what difference the Lords’ inquiry will make.
Further reading
You can read our review, “How local, is local?” into the recently published English Devolution White Paper that explains government proposals for devolving decision-making and the probable impacts on managing town and city centres.
Read our autumnal predictions of high street policy that show cases how revitalisation in Stevenage may be the shape of things to come.
Read our places for people, manifesto for towns, that outlines actions local communities can already be developing for revialising their town and city centres.
People & Places are authors of the the Local Government Association’s revitalising town centres toolkit. This toolkit includes practical guidance on the locally-led revitalisation of town centres based on local stakeholder engagement. It includes a case study on People & Places’ support for reopening & revitalising Selby town centre and reopening East Suffolk’s towns.
