The challenges faced by high streets are surmountable if change is embraced, believes Lord Moylan, chair of the House of Lords’ Built Environment Committee, as he publishes the findings of a committee inquiry on the subject
High streets have been at the heart of our local communities for hundreds of years and they are changing.
As retail has become less dominant and left behind empty premises, there have been many reports mourning the death of the high street. The rise of online retail, the dominance of out-of-town retail parks, and a string of high-profile brands closing have suggested a grey future for the high street.
But the Built Environment Committee, which I chair, is more optimistic. We see these challenges as surmountable, and we are hopeful that, if we embrace the change, our high streets can flourish in the future.
During this inquiry, there was a general election and change of government. I hope that these themes and our conclusions and recommendations will help to provide a blueprint for the new government’s policy on high streets.
“Ensuring that high streets are multifunctional places and have a mix of retail, leisure, the public sector, and cafes and restaurants, will help to ensure resilience”
So, what is the ideal high street? It is clear that there is no single answer to this question. Local character and variety are necessary and if a high street is not a reflection of the community’s wants and needs then it is likely to struggle in the future.
But, through the course of our inquiry, we identified several key issues that should be considered as part of this transition process.
Firstly, more public services, especially NHS services, should be located on the high street. They can drive footfall, which has a positive impact on neighbouring businesses, and can usefully take over empty former department stores and other large units which are harder to repurpose.
This is not new, as dentists and opticians have long been key parts of the high street, but introducing a town-centre-first policy for services such as diagnostic centres and libraries could build on this success.
Ensuring that high streets are multifunctional places and have a mix of retail, leisure, the public sector, and cafes and restaurants, will help to ensure resilience and hopefully mean that future changes can be more successfully managed.
High streets need to be accessible. Good public transport connections are often crucial, but convenient parking is also a real necessity in many cases, especially for those with reduced mobility.
Local character is also key. Incorporating historic buildings, local green spaces and local markets all help to ensure that no two high streets are the same. Markets don’t just boost footfall on high streets; they also act as catalysts for the high street brands of tomorrow, with many of our retail giants starting as local market stalls.
Finally, we turned to the role of local authorities and the government. They will always be involved in, at a minimum, setting the frameworks for high streets through funding, taxation and planning policies.
We welcome the government’s commitment to reviewing business rates and look forward to hearing more about their local growth funding plans in the new year. We heard that the previous approach to funding projects was confusing, and the bidding processes led to substantial costs for local authorities. Any future programmes should have a proportionate and transparent assessment process and ensure there is support to build the skills needed.
Nonetheless, what underpinned all our findings was the need for local leadership. Importantly, the imagination and drive for change do not have to come from the local authority or government.
Anyone from our towns and cities can be agents for change: local business leaders, the voluntary sector, councillors or other members of the community. Perhaps it could be you?
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