A new report published by Power to Change provides valuable insights in to the potential of community-owned businesses to take a widespread leadership role in the multi-purpose revitalisation of town and city centres. The-new-high-street-playbook gives a detailed account of “community-led regeneration in action” through sharing analysis of the many successes -and some shortcomings- of five community…
What to do if your struggling town centre has the highest business vacancy rate in England, your historic Market Hall is failing to attract new because of the perceived low quality and poor variety of the food offer, and your town has been listed as the 12th worst place to live in the U.K. by…
What should we read into signs of the government’s place-based approach increasingly focusing policy on neighbourhood renewal? This March saw the publication of two key pointers to such a government focus on addressing decline at the ‘neighbourhood’ level. The rebranding of the Long Term Plan for Towns to the Plan for Neighbourhoods, was accompanied by…
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’…
This guidance note on governance for long-term stewardship was recently recently published by tbe Town and Country Planning Association. Although aimed at the development of new communities, this guidance note on “governance for long-term stewardship” provides good practice that is useful in retrofitting the stewardship of exising communities. The guidance note defines long-term stewardship as…
We love this review by the Institute of Place Management of the findings from High Streets Task Force engagement with partners working to improve 140 town and city centres. We love that this report about “making the most of high street investment” offers empirical evidence about the ‘how’ of town centre revitalisation and most specifically…
Community ownership alone will not reverse the fortunes of our town centres though with the right support it can have a significant role. A new Report on Unleashing Community Ownership sets-out how this is a role that can include re-using iconic buildings and creating new key attractors as part of the town centre mix. …
Building Thriving Neighbourhoods, the recently published Locality Manifesto sets out a positive vision of where it proposes we can get to in 10 years’ time if communities are put in charge. Practical and achievable As we approach a general election, the manifesto seeks to showcase this potential to politicians so that the next government can…
This policy report from University of Cambridge’s Bennett Institute offers insights about the meaning, measurement and relevance of townscapes and pride in place as a focus for boosting the economic and social wellbeing of our towns and cities. This townscapes and pride in place report is a recommended read for anyone grappling with the Levelling…
In summer 2020, the then Selby District Council faced the challenge of charting Selby’s route to recovery and revitalisation. In a case study on reopening and revitalising Selby, prepared for the Local Government Association (LGA), the People & Places Partnership summarises how this is being achieved in a safe and welcoming way while adding to…