Repurposing a third of the vacant commercial space across the UK’s town centres could deliver a minimum of 45,000 new homes, a new report from planning and development consultant Turley claims.
The report, which cites Experian Goad’s findings from last year that there is more than 86.1m sq ft of vacant commercial space in town centres, says that this would not only help in solving the housing crisis but also help save local high streets.
Turley argues in Making Sense of Mixed-Use Town Centres that an increase in housing in town centres would increase footfall and support the centres’ commercial uses, adding that a further 38.2m sq ft of this vacant space could be divided up equally between leisure, employment and A1 retail uses.
Town centres have to become more mixed-use if they are to remain viable, the report says.
However, Turley still believes retail has a key role in regenerating failing town centres despite larger occupiers of bricks-and-mortar retail space undergoing fundamental changes or disappearing altogether. The report points to REVO’s forecast that in-store non-food spending will hit £227bn by 2026, a 27% increase on the £178bn spent in 2017.
Densification
Turley also predicts that in future town centres will not only include a greater variety of uses, but there will be more emphasis on the densification of development around transport hubs.
But each town centre is unique and blanket top-down national measures should be resisted, Turley adds, arguing that in the context of the National Planning Policy Framework there is little to guide the creation of successful mixed-use places, so gathering data is crucial in ensuring a successful outcome.
Reforms to the planning system do create opportunities for life to be breathed back into town centres, but can have other unintended consequences, such as piecemeal development, fragmentation of the remaining retail cores and the removal of shops in favour of higher-value uses, which could leave dead frontages on high streets. An increase in housing also needs to consider if the centre is to remain liveable and desirable.
Turley advocates that local authorities should quickly establish principles to encourage investment and regeneration of their town centres, including redefining the retail core and the physical footprint required to support demand for in-store spending. They should also identify areas which would be suitable for mixed-use development without compromising the retail core, and provision for community and social infrastructure to accommodate more housing.
To achieve the correct mix of uses for each town centre, Turley recommends viability studies be conducted, including vacancy analysis, reviews of land ownership and public sector assets and the potential for land assembly. These are key steps to understanding property interests in each centre, as well as how transport and infrastructure links affect the centre’s ability to perform.
Richard Laming, senior director, head of economics, at Turley says: “Securing the future of our town centres is a critical national issue – and one that is rightly getting a lot of attention. These centres are vital to residents, communities and businesses alike and are engines of economic growth. It is vital that these areas are allowed to evolve and that the planning system is match fit to support this.
“Our report is an attempt to put forward a positive vision for the future amidst the negativity that currently dominates the conversation. This starts with debunking the myth that the high street is dead.”
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