Hot Seat South Wales West MS o importanc regen ou to c
Altaf Hussain on the importance of regenerating our town centres
ANYONE who takes a walk around Bridgend town centre can see the devastation wrought on our high streets. Wyndham Street is a sea of empty shops with others dotted around the town.
Bridgend is not alone in this. Lockdown was the last straw for many struggling businesses and for those still open, trade has not returned to its pre-Covid levels.
The switch to online shopping is being blamed. This had been taking place long before but accelerated massively during the lockdown.
There are serious social consequences from the decline of our town centres.
Traditionally, they have been places where people meet each other – in the shops, the cafes and the pubs.
This interaction is the lifeblood of communities stretching back through history.
Without it, people become detached from their neighbours as everyone leads separate lives within their own small bubbles.
People will stay away from our towns unless there are shops and services on offer to attract them in.
Shop closures start a vicious downward spiral as other businesses that rely on footfall close as well.
The UK Government has just unveiled a scheme to breathe new life into town centres in England.
They will enact laws to force landlords to let out retail units which have been vacant for longer than six months.
Local authorities will have the power to stage rental auctions where new businesses or community groups can bid for the right to lease premises.
Large commercial landlords own much of the property in our town centres.
Many still act as if the thriving high streets of yesteryear are still with us by asking for rents that are ludicrously high.
This move will force them to reduce rents to affordable levels giving new businesses a fighting chance of success,
I will be urging First
Minister Mark Drakeford to consider implementing such a scheme in Wales where one in seven shops lie vacant, although in some areas it is much higher.