Nick Clegg is urging northern cities to copy Berlin by making empty buildings and unused land available to artists and entrepreneurs.
Start-up businesses, pop-up shops and charities should all be allowed to temporarily take over vacant buildings as a way of revitalising neglected or run down areas, the Deputy Prime Minister announced during a visit to the German capital.
Hard-to-let offices and empty shops, old schools and market halls, and disused cinemas and post offices would be matched to short-term users by councils or land owners to halt the blight of city streets and suburbs.
The Liberal Democrat leader was speaking during a visit to Berlin’s Betahaus project that offers derelict land and commercial property as retail and work space, saying he wanted to see northern Britain mirror the prize winning initiative.
“Leaving useful land in the north to languish is not only bad for business, it can hamper the success of an area in so many ways,” he said. “Which is why I want to see empty buildings brought back to life and back in business.”
“We need to understand exactly what stands in the way of some of the most incredible space in the country being used, and make things more flexible so that we can fill these buildings with artists, start-ups and other entrepreneurs to restore the buildings’ purpose and appeal.”
The North has nearly twice as many hectares of previously developed vacant land and buildings than the south, with 10,130 hectares in the north compared to just 5,580 hectares in the south.
To press ahead with his plan Clegg has already started work on the formation a working group pooling experts from local government, the business sector and national charities. It will explore sites with potential across Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool and Newcastle and present its findings to the Deputy Prime Minister in January.
Through his Northern Futures initiative — launched in July to stimulate northern growth by harnessing ideas from professionals and public alike — several buildings and sites have already been identified.
In Liverpool, for example, the former ABC cinema on Lime Street, the Lyceum post office on Bold Street, The Oratory in the ground of the city’s Anglican Cathedral and the Seaman’s Orphanage in Newsham Park could all be used for short-term enterprises.
“I’m not going to pretend that I think every disused building is suddenly going to be transformed into some kind of Silicon Valley hub,” added the Deputy Prime Minister, “It is simply about making progress bit by bit.”
One potential hurdle to the plan is that many listed and historic buildings are purposely left empty for years, with their owners exempt from rates, until values rise.
On Merseyside the idea has already attracted one supporter. “For too long, derelict land, gap sites and unused buildings located at the heart of Northern city centres have been a wasted resource,” said landscape architect, Elaine Cresswell. “They create a poor image to visitors, investors, businesses and potential residents and reducing the potential for future development.
“There are so many properties that can be used on a temporary basis for business, community or arts uses, whilst renewing the appeal of a neighbourhood and making it viable again.”
Previous Post
Redevelopment Plans for Durham Shopping Centre Unveiled
