Landowners must put locals at the centre of high street decision-making

This is not an easy year for the UK’s high streets and town centres. Three national lockdowns and their knock-on effect on income and jobs have driven down retail spending, especially in destination town and city centres. There is also a risk of business failures throughout summer and autumn as rental holidays come to an end and government support is wound down. The underlying issues are not new: the move towards out-of-town retail parks and more recently to online shopping have been pulling shoppers away from high streets for several years. Many of the issues raised in Mary Portas’s high street review 10 years ago still seem relevant today. But the pandemic has also shown the vast potential of local communities supporting each other – including their well-loved local businesses and institutions. Mutual aid groups have flourished. Small businesses have found themselves as hubs for neighbourhood support, often working together in new ways. Enforced time at home has deepened many people’s connections to their local area, and their interest in keeping it happy, clean and safe. Commercial sense Now is the time for landowners, their tenants, and local authorities to put local people at the centre of decision making about their high streets. This makes sense morally – people should have a say in the decisions that affect them – but it also makes sense commercially. People know what shops and services, and in what combination, they are likely to use. If a shop needs to be empty for a while, community groups will often be able to fill it with something useful and energising, reducing the risk that empty storefronts will trigger a wider decline. There are different models for how communities can be involved in governing their local high street – one which has been popularised over the past few years is the Community Improvement District, much like a Business Improvement District but with a formal role for communities as well as businesses. Centre for London’s research has found the values underpinning how communities are involved are more important than the governance structure. It matters that people who use the high street are genuinely equal partners to the local authority and local businesses, rather than just being asked for their opinion and told what will happen. How conversations take place can make a real difference to this – talking ideas over a shared meal is more equal and informal than having an official committee meeting, which can be intimidating. Sharing power isn’t always easy for organisations which are used to making big decisions for themselves, but it pays real dividends over time. Shared vision So where to start? We recommend that local groups start by developing a shared vision: thinking about how the high street could work and how it should look. Property owners can, of course, decide to work with the community in their local area themselves, but it’s often easiest to find out what your local authority is already planning. Many local authorities are thinking about pandemic recovery so it’s likely they will already be making connections there with local community groups. If you’re part of a BID, you could make a start with them. Sorting out longer-term arrangements may take time, but this doesn’t matter at the start – the most important thing is to begin the conversation. Claire Harding is research director at Centre for London