Local authorities should be made to draw up detailed strategic plans for managing town centres to prevent them falling into decay, a conference was told today.
Speaking at the Association of Town Centre Management’s autumn conference, NatWest Group chairman Lord Alexander of Weedon said that while PPG6 gave town centre management a higher profile, it was still optional rather than mandatory.
“It is incumbent on the Government to reinforce with local authorities the vital importance of having such strategic plans,” he said. “Only with proper business plans in place can a meaningful framework of public and private sector financing be implemented.”
Kenneth Dytor, president of British Council for Offices and a director of British Land, called on local authorities and the private sector to work together to breathe life into urban centres.
He said more thought should be given to empty offices. “They should be full of people one way or another. We should be working on ways of bringing buildings back to life,” he added.
Dytor listed four issues which are key to town centre management: mixed use environments, security, public art and social challenges such as dealing with increasing pollution and high emissions from buildings.
EGi News 14/11/96
