There has been a bit of a show recently with the Government piloting various schemes to reinvigorate the main shopping streets.
Blaming the supermarkets is an obvious start, but not helpful; they are here now, so we can’t do much about them. Besides we all use them because of their slick marketing, smart retail spaces, free car parking, easy access and perceived value.
And there we have the solution to the High Streets!
- Free parking for shoppers, redeemed at tills by shopkeepers but reimbursed by Councils.
- Tidy up the streets and shops.
- Use the collective might of the local businesses to pool resources and creativity to create a decent marketing campaign.
Local authorities also need to allow High Streets to develop; we recently had two applications for A2 use turned down- not very helpful when shops are vacant.
One of the curious results of supermarkets being given planning consent for large stores is not that they usually come with dowries of transport improvements etc., it is that they can bring an enormous Business Rates windfall of several million pounds every year.
Why not use this windfall to reduce Business Rates for independent occupiers on the High Street rather than some ill thought out scheme such as the Velodrome in Derby?
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