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"A relaxation of planning rules could see town centre shops converted into homes, as ministers accept that the thriving high streets of the past are unlikely to return.
"Rather than seeking to revive every street of boarded-up shops, planning minister Nick Boles suggested that councils should concentrate retail outlets in 'prime' locations and allow other areas to become residential.
"Following a report by retail guru Mary Portas, who was hired by David Cameron to find a way of reviving dying town centres, some £1.2million of taxpayer money was shared out between 12 towns for initiatives to inject new life into their traditional shopping high streets.
"But her key recommendations, which included cutting business rates and putting a brake on new shopping centres, have both been rejected."
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| Link to Sunday Times (full story needs subscription): "Minister: Turn high street into home" "In a policy that could change the face of town centres across England, the government wants councils to concentrate their efforts on revitalising shopping in struggling areas on just one or two 'prime' streets. "The proposed relaxation in planning restrictions on converting retail premises into private housing could mean terraces of shops being turned into housing. Long high streets could be shortened." |
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| Link to Daily Telegraph:
"Traditional high street is dead, says minister" "Mary Portas, asked by the PM to come up with a plan to save the high street two years ago, said this weekend that housing should only be part of the solution, along with schools, health centres and meeting places. ... One industry insider said a minister had told them recently the high street was beyond saving. Around 14 per cent of high street shops are empty or boarded up after the credit crisis ripped through the retail sector." |
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