Lines are being drawn in what will be a defining battle of 2012. Emotions are running high, as issues around heritage, protectionism and even sovereignty are dissected and disputed. At stake is nothing less than the future of the retail sector.
On both sides sit loose, and somewhat surprising alliances, held together by common, but far from overlapping, interests. As is so often the case in battles of this nature, both sides want change. But while one group wants reform, the other is advocating revolution.
In the reformist camp are the likes of Mary Portas and the government. The revolutionaries are led by landlords like Nick Leslau and occupiers such as Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King and former New Look chief executive Phil Wrigley (p56).
Leslau first. Previously he has warned of the “seismic shift” of consumers to supermarkets.
Speaking at the latest EG/Profile Network Face to Face event this week, he was more expansive.
To paraphrase his views: “I don’t blame the supermarkets for expanding. I don’t blame the public for making purchasing decisions based on price and convenience. I do blame planners for failing to protect the high street.”
Meanwhile, King has called for empty shops to be converted into classrooms. Wrigley has called for them to be redeveloped as homes to help tackle the housing crisis too.
Portas, whose proposals for town centre teams, a national market day and relaxation of rules to stem shop closures are more modest, took to Twitter (doesn’t everyone these days?) to demand Wrigley “hang his head in shame”.
The prime minister has already indicated support for Portas’s proposals, describing them as a clear vision. A formal response will follow in the spring. It’s safe to assume they won’t prescribe radical change. But government should be unafraid to go further than Portas suggests. Revolution has to be an option.
Perhaps Wrigley nails it. “What I am proposing is surgery,” he tells EG. “What Mary Portas is proposing is medication.
“Sometimes you need both.”
That surely is a banner both sides can march behind.
Not for the first time, the North West is leading the way in public sector innovation. The £11bn Greater Manchester Pension Fund is strengthening its credentials as the North West’s most active developer, with £400m set aside for property investment in the region (p60). Already it is working with Manchester city council on a scheme that could deliver thousands of new homes.
At a time when active developers are thin on the ground – especially outside of London – it’s a heartening and enterprising move.
Estates Gazette’s Building a Better Britain campaign has already won support from Eric Pickles. This week, Berkeley’s Tony Pidgley, a member of the Regeneration Commission set up by EG and UK Regeneration, explains how he is putting principles into practice (p55).
We are also putting our support behind another initiative, led by London Borough of Ealing property and regeneration director Brendon Walsh.
Walsh has launched a website, Sitematchlondon.com, that offers more than 130 development opportunities from 25 of 33 London local authorities. It leads into a speed-dating event for developers and councils to be held at City Hall on 1 March.
Using innovative ways to marry public sector assets with private sector capital is at the heart of our campaign. The Greater Manchester Pension Fund, Pidgeley and Walsh have each found their own ways of delivering on that ambition.
Others will follow.
damian.wild@estatesgazette.com
