London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has been urged to boost the capital’s high streets by helping local people take over empty shop spaces for community projects.
The London Assembly has told the mayor in a new report that residents often do not feel “meaningfully involved in high street regeneration plans” and that improvements to shopping areas are regularly “undermined by poor litter management”.
Marina Ahmad, the Labour chair of the Assembly’s economy culture and skills committee, said: “Retail is now moving online, presenting a tough challenge for independent business and the big chain stores alike.
“High streets remain major shopping destinations, but are also increasingly places where we ‘do something’ rather than ‘buy something’.”
The committee asked Khan to “support local community groups to take advantage of the new powers introduced by High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) to take over the leases of vacant units”.
HSRAs were introduced last year and allow councils to put properties up for auction that have been empty for more than 365 days in a 24-month period, for a lease of up to five years. The rule change aims to deter landlords from leaving premises vacant and to regenerate high streets by renting units out to local businesses and community groups.
In March, it was announced that three London boroughs – Camden, Hillingdon and Westminster – were using the new powers.
The committee said City Hall should play an active role in helping councils to make the most of these powers, such as by raising awareness among local organisations of nearby vacant units.
“We are persuaded that community-led initiatives can have a significant impact on improving high streets,” the report said. “If local communities are involved in regeneration plans, they are more likely to feel a sense of attachment to their local high street and more likely to spend time there.
“Innovative approaches to tackling vacant units, like temporary pop-ups or flexible use of spaces, are practical ways to breathe new life into struggling areas. Initiatives such as High Street Rental Auctions can help empower councils and local communities to bring vacant units back into use more effectively.”
The committee also recommended an “art on the high street” programme to commissions public art installations, murals and interactive artworks,” to “help develop the unique character and heritage of each high street”. City Hall “should work with local schools and artists in commissioning this work,” the committee said. A previous proposal for a “London art trail”, featuring a public art in every borough, was rejected by City Hall on grounds of cost.
A City Hall spokesperson said: “The mayor understands the challenges and opportunities facing London’s high streets, which is why he created the High Streets for All Challenge to help boost local areas, and this year invested £21 million to support businesses and town centre regeneration in boroughs across the capital.
“Sadiq is already convening interested boroughs through the mayor’s High Street Network to explore how new national policy could be applied in London to benefit local communities. This will also inform work in the recently-announced London Growth Plan to explore whether a publicly-owned High Street Estate Agency could help bring empty properties back into use.”
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