The Mary Portas Report on the future of town centres is published today.
As the Guardian explains:
“Retail expert Mary Portas has set out her vision for Britain’s high streets, warning that “after many years of erosion, neglect and mismanagement” they will “disappear forever” unless urgent action is taken.
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She has recommended a range of planning policy incentives along with free parking in town centres to lure shoppers back to the high street and a parking league table that ranks car parks by how much they charge.
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The long-awaited review from Portas, known for her TV series Mary Queen of Shops and Mary Queen of Frocks, sets out 28 recommendations to breathe new life into Britain’s ailing high streets. She wants to get town centres running like businesses, by strengthening the management of high streets through new “town teams” and encouraging new markets. She proposes an annual national market day where budding entrepreneurs can try their hand at running a retail business. “Why not rent out tables for a tenner and get everyone involved?”
One of the shops due to close in Rayleigh is “Toys n’ Tuck” , which would be very significant loss to the High Street because it’s really the only remaining toy shop. However we understand the decision is not 100% definite – if they have a really good Christmas things might change. So if you want to help the High Street, a good way would be to buy some toys or chocolate there.
Anyway, here are her key recommendations:
1. Put in place a “Town Team”: a visionary, strategic and strong operational management team for high streets
2. Empower successful Business Improvement Districts to take on more responsibilities and powers and become “Super-BIDs”
3. Legislate to allow landlords to become high street investors by contributing to their Business Improvement District
4. Establish a new “National Market Day” where budding shopkeepers can try their hand at operating a low-cost retail business
5. Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations so that anyone can trade on the high street unless there is a valid reason why not
6. Government should consider whether business rates can better support small businesses and independent retailers
7. Local authorities should use their new discretionary powers to give business rate concessions to new local businesses
8. Make business rates work for business by reviewing the use of the RPI with a view to changing the calculation to CPI
9. Local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes that work for their town centres and we should have a new parking league table
10. Town Teams should focus on making high streets accessible, attractive and safe
11. Government should include high street deregulation as part of their ongoing work on freeing up red tape
12. Address the restrictive aspects of the ‘Use Class’ system to make it easier to change the uses of key properties on the high street
13. Put betting shops into a separate ‘Use Class’ of their own
14. Make explicit a presumption in favour of town centre development in the wording of the National Planning Policy Framework
15. Introduce Secretary of State “exceptional sign off” for all new out-of-town developments and require all large new developments to have an “affordable shops” quota 16. Large retailers should support and mentor local businesses and independent retailers 17. Retailers should report on their support of local high streets in their annual report
18. Encourage a contract of care between landlords and their commercial tenants by promoting the leasing code and supporting the use of lease structures other than upward only rent reviews, especially for small businesses
19. Explore further disincentives to prevent landlords from leaving units vacant
20. Banks who own empty property on the high street should either administer these assets well or be required to sell them
21. Local authorities should make more proactive use of Compulsory Purchase Order powers to encourage the redevelopment of key high street retail space
22. Empower local authorities to step in when landlords are negligent with new “Empty Shop Management Orders”
23. Introduce a public register of high street landlords
24. Run a high profile campaign to get people involved in Neighbourhood Plans
25. Promote the inclusion of the High Street in Neighbourhood Plans
26. Developers should make a financial contribution to ensure that the local community has a strong voice in the planning system
27. Support imaginative community use of empty properties through Community Right to Buy, Meanwhile Use and a new “Community Right to Try”
28. Run a number of High Street Pilots to test proof of concept
How likely is it that high street shops will support point 5:
Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations so that anyone can trade on the high street unless there is a valid reason why not.
What about a special category for hairdressers/ barbers. I think that to keep all these going in Rayleigh all residents will need to be bald through constant cutting. At present there is no restriction on the number of any given type of shop. The market decids which ones do or so not succeed. We need greater diversity.
That would be a good idea Bruce
Although not a High Street shop, I was disappointed to see that the hardware shop G.B.Domestics of London Road has closed down. I often used this very handy shop and always found the staff friendly and helpful. Does anyone know if the shop has relocated or has it gone forever like many of our useful shops in Rayleigh?
I think the owner has retired and the shop and flat about was up for sale for quite sometime. Not sure if it has a new owner or not.
EG