Seven towns have been rewarded for the innovative ways in which they have transformed the fortunes of their high streets. In recognition of their accomplishments, each will receive a share of the £1 million High Street Renewal Fund which was established by the government as part of its strategy to reverse the trend of town centre decline.
Ipswich town centre is among the winners
According to Local Growth Minister Mark Prisk, there were applications from locations across the UK, but the seven were chosen because the plans they have instigated provide “a shining example of what can be achieved.”
“It is in everyone’s interests to see our town centres thrive, and I want people across the country to take inspiration from these towns and look at what can be done when communities work together,” he said.
The winners were chosen by a panel of experts who visited all the towns bidding for a share of the fund. They based their decision on levels of innovation, effectiveness and good practice. Another consideration was how easy it would be to replicate the ideas on high streets elsewhere.
The seven locations benefiting from the High Street Renewal Fund are:
The Altringham Forward scheme involves landlords and retailers working together to bring empty properties back to life. The council has also contributed by reducing parking charges, resulting in a 58 per cent increase in car park use.
Ipswich’s achievements include linking the retail area to a new waterfront development and introducing events to boost town centre footfall. The panel also praised the conversion of a large vacant retail property into a leisure complex featuring a cinema, a gym, cafés and small shops.
The Lincolnshire town has been recognised for ‘putting the market back into Market Rasen.’ This scheme has rejuvenated the traditional market to the extent that that it has been awarded the title of Britain’s best small speciality market. In addition they have set up community shops selling local produce and have plans to create a community café and visitor centre.
Gloucester has improved its high street by introducing a night market, encouraging independent retailers to set up shop and by providing support to start-up businesses. These measures have led to a record number of new company registrations and provided a boost to local trade.
Rotherham is another town basing its plan on attracting independent retailers. The project resulted in an 8 per cent increase in town centre footfall during 2012 and, in a recent survey, consumer satisfaction with the local retail offer rose from 42 per cent to 92 per cent.
The south London district has cut red tape to allow a community group to manage shop frontage and the public realm. Together they have set up a market from scratch and created a thriving pedestrian zone where regular events are staged to attract greater footfall.
Here a public/private partnership has reduced the number of empty commercial properties, bringing the nineteenth-century street back to life. Future plans revolve around building on this heritage to promote the area as a specialist antiques centre.
Other government schemes to revive town centres include the Future High Street Forum which is intended to drive new ideas and policies which will assist community efforts. The government is also supporting the Love Your Local Market campaign which is staging Love Your Local Market fortnight between May 15 and 29.
