Revamp for town centres
TOWN centres are to be revamped with derelict shops turned into homes and continental café culture on the streets.
The move is to be announced during the Queen’s Speech when a new Parliament begins on Tuesday.
New laws will mean greater council powers to force landlords to rent boarded-up shops that are empty for more than a year so new businesses or homeseekers can occupy them. One in seven shops on Britain’s high streets is empty – rising to one in five in the North East. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove added: “We will end the scourge of boarded-up shops that have blighted great towns for far too long.”
Compulsory purchase orders will also allow councils to take over unused land or buildings for social housing.
Councils will be able to grant pavement licences for outdoor dining and drinking as similar measures introduced during Covid are made permanent. UK Hospitality boss Kate Nicholls said: “It’s a huge step forward.”
Other measures to be unveiled include more nuclear power stations and scrapping the Human Rights Act.
There will also be a shake-up of how parole is handled, a clampdown on money laundering and a Bill to privatise Channel 4.