The Grimsey high street review has called for a realistic look at town centre first planning.
In the latest monthly Market Update report from Estates Gazette, Matthew Hopkinson, director at the Local Data Company, has called for a “realistic look at what is economically possible” for in town retail development.
Hopkinson, who last month joined forces with Bill Grimsey to launch an alternative high street review to Mary Portas, said “we need to look at what consumers want.….we need to look at what is possible and if there isn’t the money to sustain it then we have got no legacy, no matter what the government.”
Hopkinson warned that a changing environment meant that increasingly retailers were squeezed by their supply chains, being forced to pay cash on delivery for goods.
The review is due to report a list of concrete findings to all three major political parties this September which Hopkinson promises will list concrete business recommendations based on data and evidence, “not pilots”.
He dismissed reporting that pitted the Grimsey review against Mary Portas’. “We are not here to fight each other,” he said, adding: “We are looking to add on top of what Mary Portas did but coming from an evidence based, top down approach.”
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nadia.elghamry@estatesgazette.com
