A 21st Century Vision for High Streets

Co-founder of Whole Nation Conservatives Miranda Jupp is a longstanding North East Conservative activist and former council candidate. Prior to the 2024 General Election she was Chief of Staff to Sir Simon Clarke.

At the weekend, I came across an X post from an MP which provided a fairly comprehensive list of steps the Government could take (in terms of tax and regulatory changes, alongside some practical steps which would require additional public spending), to support high street businesses and hence revitalise town centres. Restoring the hearts of communities across the country is undoubtedly a priority shared by millions of Britons, and recent research by Onward (1) shows many town dwellers do not currently feel their area is doing well. This is very much a Whole Nation Conservative goal, but attempting to turn back the clock on retail isn’t the only way to approach this, and is probably unrealistic: how many of us don’t value the convenience of online retail?

Empty units and low footfall are the key factors at the root of our high streets feeling dead: unoccupied spaces tend to go unmaintained, leading to an increasing sense of dilapidation over time and low footfall often leaves people feeling more vulnerable, with loitering youngsters being much more unsettling in an environment with few passers-by. For businesses that remain on the high street, this atmosphere makes their struggle for survival ever harder, with shoppers reluctant to spend time in town centres which feel unwelcoming.

But there is more than one way to fill empty spaces in our town centres and bring more people into the high street. Whilst it is undoubtedly necessary to conduct a long overdue review of the business rates system, doing so won’t take us back to a pre-internet age. Increasing flexibility on class of use for business premises is often highlighted as a way to reduce barriers to new businesses taking up tenancies - many town centres have seen their leisure offer increase in recent years, whether in the form of eateries, fitness studios or customised spaces for activities such as gaming.

Town centres can also be great places to live: with comparatively good public transport connections, access to amenities, and employment opportunities within walking distance, they are convenient for those who do not have access to a car.

As well as often being attractive for students and young professionals, these characteristics also make town centres suitable locations for social housing: people who are currently reliant on the welfare state would benefit more than most from easy access to employment and public transport connections. The current approach to affordable housing requirements (which favours on site affordable housing provision through Section 106 agreements) is in many cases acting as a barrier to housing delivery due to registered providers (housing associations) not always being in a position to take up affordable units stipulated as part of the planning process: moving towards a more flexible credit based model (similar to that recently proposed for developers to meet their environmental obligations through contributing to the Nature Restoration Fund) could increase the pace of housing delivery and provide a source of funding for small scale urban living projects which could play a role in shaping sustainable 21st century high streets, as well as increasing the chance of social tenants to reduce their reliance on the state.

Easy access to amenities is also often a priority for older people. Where the nature of available space allows, high quality sheltered accommodation or retirement living in close proximity to shops and community facilities may also be a viable option as part of mixed use town centres.

High streets in the 2050s will not look the same as they did in the 1950s. Understanding how they can continue to be at the heart of communities in an age of online retail is an important challenge, with particular relevance for less affluent areas, where the finances of reshaping tend to be more challenging (2). In the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, significant political consideration was given to finding solutions to building back better high streets (3), but this seems to have slipped down the agenda. Given the scale of the housing crisis, well designed urban living which reflects local requirements is likely to be at least part of the answer (and will also reduce pressure on contentious green field sites), as is reducing the burden of tax and regulation on all types of small businesses wanting to maintain a physical presence.

As Conservatives seek to articulate a compelling offer for all parts of the country, some further thought on how our policy offer can enable communities to thrive across the UK is vital. Solutions which equip high streets to adapt to the modern world are a part of that offer which matters, particularly if we are to regain the trust of the 2019 Conservative coalition. Let’s invest time and thought into a forward looking offer for these communities as the best way to counter the challenge from those who propose using taxpayers’ money to turn back the clock.

References

1. https://www.ukonward.com/reports/love-thy-neighbour/

2. https://www.schroderscapital.com/en/global/professional/insights/life-after-death-how-to-reinvigorate-uk-high-streets/

3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/build-back-better-high-streets/build-back-better-high-streets#innovative-delivery-models-and-development-corporations