Many shopping areas are facing long term decline as consumers’ preferences change, spending is squeezed and competition intensifies. These include some city centres, market towns, local high streets and neighbourhood parades: all face difficulties, and they also share some common challenges.
High streets and town centres that are fit for the 21st century need to be multifunctional social centres, not simply competitors for stretched consumers. They must offer irresistible opportunities and experiences that do not exist elsewhere, are rooted in the interests and needs of local people, and will meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.
Earlier this year, David Cameron appointed Mary Portas to lead an independent review into the future of the High Street within the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS). The purpose of the review is to elucidate ideas on what government, local authorities and businesses can do to foster a more prosperous and diverse high street.
In collaboration with a range of organisations at the cutting edge of reimagining town centres and high streets, ResPublica has submitted a report to BIS offering our views on how these spaces can once again become enjoyable, exciting places to live. We argue that putting the heart back into our local centres cannot be accomplished simply by making shops more competitive or adjusting the planning system in favour of town centres and independent retailers, important as these measures are. We argue that we must begin by engaging the people who use (or could use) these places and considering the unique assets each place has to offer. Town centres then can seize the opportunity to innovate that the current crisis presents, and make this innovation sustainable.
This area will remain topical throughout the autumn as Mary Portas prepares her report and retail continues to be hit by falling incomes and economic difficulties. ResPublica is keen to contribute to further work and debate in this area in response to the findings of the review, and to influence the government response.
The project will be a flagship output of our 'New Economies, Innovative Markets' workstream, one of the three core workstreams of the ResPublica Trust, the not-for-profit organisation established in July 2011 which undertakes all of ResPublica's domestic policy work. The project is still open to external engagement from third party organisations and ResPublica would like to establish a consortium of partners from the public, private and third sectors, who will feed in to our further research and debate in this area and benefit from co-branding on publications and events.
If you would like further information, or to discuss partnering opportunities, please contact Caroline Macfarland, caroline.macfarland@respublica.org.uk