Revitalising our High Streets
Reporter Charlie Bullough looks at a plan to convert empty shops in our towns into spaces for community use
bold scheme is hoping to transform thousands of empty high street shops into community hubs.
The Open Doors Project aims to open up some of the 27,000 premises lying vacant in England’s town centres to charities and community groups helping vulnerable people.
The idea was launched by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire at the Locality Conference in Bristol in November. He said: “The aim is to reduce loneliness whilst increasing footfall on our high streets and town centres.
“We’re calling for landlords, public and private, to come forward and play their part in this exciting initiative and help truly transform their communities. We need to be bold and imaginative in tackling the challenges we face and ensure that no communities are left behind.”
Landlords have until December 31 to bid to be part of the pilot scheme, which will operate in five areas yet to be determined. After the landlords have been signed up their properties will be matched up with charities or groups.
In the ministerial foreword to the Open Doors pilot, Mr Brokenshire expands on his theme of regenerating the high street. He says: “Our high streets are where commerce and community meet.
They are the barometers of prosperity and the heartbeats of the places we call home. For our communities, there are few things more dispiriting than the sight of boarded up shops. As habits change and consumer spending moves online, this is undoubtedly a worrying time for our high streets. We want to work with our landlords to respond and adapt. Ultimately, by taking on temporary tenants, landlords can give back to their communities and support the regeneration of our high streets.”
Open Doors is part of a wider regeneration scheme, like the £675 million Future High Streets Fund to make them fit for the future. There are also plans to cut business rates by up to a third for 90 per cent of retail properties for two years and a consultation on planning reform to make it simpler to create more homes, jobs and choice. Mr Brokenshire added: “So I urge landlords to come forward to be a part of this pilot, and I
will be issuing a similar call to community groups once the five pilot areas have been confirmed. Because we are committed to creating stronger communities – both socially and economically – and celebrating the places we work and live in for years to come.”
The Open Doors pilot scheme will be operated by the Meanwhile Foundation, an independent charity which helps transform vacant properties.
It grew out of social enterprise Meanwhile Space, which was set up nearly ten years ago.
Jessica Tsang, a project director at Meanwhile Space and a trustee of the foundation, said: “Meanwhile Space has been going since 2009. It was a business born during the recession. We were frustrated there was so much bureaucracy and red tape around accessing empty space.”
There will not be a cost to landlords to take part, as the pilot will fund remediation and set-up costs as well as business rates for the occupier.
The Meanwhile Foundation now hopes to help steer landlords and charities into how to get the best out of the empty space. Jessica added: “It could be a charity that uses it, or a community group or a community project to tackle loneliness.” She said the scale of retail emptiness was “so vast” that it needed multiple models to make use of it.