The Levelling up and Regeneration Bill, expected to be unveiled in the
Queen’s speech this week, will provide local leaders with the powers they need
to revitalise town centres.
Currently shops can stand empty for years, blighting the high street and
wasting opportunities for new jobs.
New legislation will enable local leaders to force landlords to rent out
commercial properties, revitalising highstreets, rejuvenating town centres, and
restoring community pride in their home towns.
Councils will be given greater powers to take control of buildings for the
benefit of their communities, transforming boarded up shops or derelict
buildings into thriving businesses, shared community spaces or housing.
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said: “High streets up and down the country
have long been blighted by derelict shopfronts, because they’ve been neglected,
stripping opportunity from local areas.
“We are putting that right by placing power back in the hands of local
leaders and the community so our towns can be rejuvenated, levelling up
opportunity and restoring neighbourhood pride.”
The number of empty shopfronts has soared to 1 in 7 according to the British
Retail Consortium, rising to 1 in 5 in the north east, with boarded up and
derelict shops blighting highstreets and sapping the life from once bustling
town centres. New Compulsory Rental Auctions will ensure that landlords auction
shops that have been vacant for over a year to prospective tenants, putting
buildings to good use.
The move will create opportunities for new businesses and community groups,
paving the way for new jobs to boost employment, strengthening local economies
and restoring local pride.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “By empowering local communities
to rent out shops which have been sat empty for a year or longer, we will end
the scourge of boarded up shops that have blighted some of our great towns
across the country for far too long.
“These measures will breathe new life into high streets, transforming
once-bustling communities into vibrant places to live and work once again and
restoring local pride as we level up across the country.”
Councils will also be given greater powers to drive regeneration through Compulsory
Purchase Orders, making it quicker and easier for councils to use powers to
deliver much needed local housing and infrastructure.
Compulsory Purchase Orders allow acquiring authorities, including local
public bodies, to acquire buildings without needing the consent of the owner
for public benefit. This may include acquiring land to build social housing or
other regeneration projects.
Banstead and Reigate council has used this power to regenerate an old car
park to create a new cinema, shops, leisure facilities and housing at the heart
of Redhill’s town centre in Surrey.
To support vibrant high streets and communities thrive, pavement licensing
red-tape will be permanently scrapped, freeing up businesses to serve food al
fresco and attract diners all year round.
During the pandemic, restaurants, pubs and bars were granted temporary
powers to serve guests on pavements, helping to mitigate lost floorspace for
tables due to social distancing requirements.
Through new legislation, these powers will be made permanent to expand
capacity for businesses to boost local economies and inject life into local
communities.
The Levelling up and Regeneration Bill follows publication of the
government’s flagship Levelling Up White Paper which set out plans to transform
the UK by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it.
The UK Government is also providing £1.7bn of temporary business rates
relief in 2022-23 for up to 400,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties
to support the high street.
The High Streets Task Force will continue to support communities to
regenerate their high streets to reflect evolving local needs. It is already
supporting 84 local authorities with access to expert support in areas such as
placemaking, planning and design.
