Planners looking at ways of supporting hard-pressed High Streets should start by extending the sell-by date of pop-up shops opening in precincts all over the UK.
That’s according to James Edwards from Colliers International, who believes the latest retail phenomenon could play an important role in giving town centres the breathing space they need to ride out the recession.
He said pop-up shops and businesses taking advantage of cut-price rents up to 50 per cent lower than usual plus short term leases – of anything between six weeks to twelve months – should be supported in an attempt to secure permanent benefits.
“With commentators reporting as many as one in six shop premises standing empty in the UK, it’s no surprise landlords have reduced rents and offered short term leases to attract businesses that wouldn’t previously have expected to get a foothold in a High Street location.
“Pop-up shops are invaluable in creating active frontage on the High Street which increases footfall and helps disguise the fact the retail sector is not performing as well as it should.”
The Government is set to relax planning rules making it easier for landlords to change the use of an empty shop for anything up to two years. At present negotiating the red tape to push through a change of use can cost up to £1,200.
But the Bristol-based planning and heritage expert, who has championed town centre shopping precincts across the West, said councils should be looking at the possibilities of turning short-term pop-up shops to longer term business opportunities.
“Local authorities must be as pro-active and flexible as possible when considering pop-up shops, which are really start-up businesses struggling to get out.
“Councils should be looking beyond installing temporary tenants in vacant premises and considering whether the traders they do manage to attract have the potential to be supported as viable start up businesses in their own right.”
He said it wasn’t just rural town centre high streets that were suffering.
“Not even the more exclusive shopping locations such as Bristol’s Park Street are immune to the effect of the downturn.
“A number of small art galleries have been able to take advantage of reduced rents to open in high-profile locations such as Park Street. Small art galleries cannot usually afford to rent in such prestigious locations and they certainly add vibrancy and local colour to the street scene.
“This helps maintain footfall which in turn helps disguise the fact even the most exclusive locations have been hit by higher than normal void rates.”
James Edwards stressed takeaway outlets should remain subject to the normal planning rules.
“They are more likely to operate in less sociable hours which doesn’t really help retail areas during normal opening hours. And when we do emerge from this recession there is a danger the takeaway would remain open, with the permanent loss of a retail unit.”
He concluded: “Councils have shown they are capable of pragmatic forward thinking in what is a really difficult situation.”
”I believe like all shoppers, town planners would prefer to see a pop-up shop rather than a boarded up unit. This is one way of enabling town centres to maintain some level of footfall, even if it does prove to be temporary.”
