Manchester Metropolitan University How to restructure your High Street State High Street Civil Society Market Deborah Peel University of Dundee Thursday, 10 July 2014 Overview: The High Street 1. Context for restructuring 2. Social reconstruction of the high street 3. State-market-civil relations & societal responsibilities Restructuring over Time Changing ideologies Mobility, wealth, consumerism Assertion of market morals - debt Policy responses / intervention Complex change Structural change in retailing The High Street: Complex and Contested Activity Trends Shops / Retailing Global change Independent / Multiple Retailers Technology Offices Decentralisation Home working Back offices / technology Services Technology Co-location Public services – eg police, post offices, Relocation health facilities, banks… Privatisation Residential Empty upper floors Community facilities eg libraries, theatres, arts Closure Evening economy Displacement What comprises the high street? Place – Locality – Region – History – Memory – Romanticism Social reconstruction: From “Down Town” to Clone Town to…? Evidence Popularisers Drama Media Economic incentives Institutional sponsor Schiller’s ‘waves’ Portas / Fraser review Mary Portas New Economics Foundation Oxfam Robert Peston Evening economy TCM, BIDs Transition Towns Governance & Leadership? Power Relations and Responsibilities State High Street Civil Society Market State High Street Civil Society Market Planning & Governance for the High Street • Governance always in catch-up and generally toothless • Localities too timid to resist economic restructuring and locational preferences • High streets suffer from a lack of leadership – evident in the lack of vision and joined up thinking • High streets are part of a wider societal malaise Government Governance National Policy Planning system Land use High Street Governance? National Strategic Local Place • National Planning Framework (3) 2014 • town centres - a key element of the economic and social fabric of Scotland • Single Planning Policy Statement 2014 • Fraser Review 2013 • Strategic Development Plans • Local Development Plans • Various individual responses: Town Centre First, TCM, BIDs, transition towns, • HSUK 2020?! Galashiels: “a connected town” retail diversification (Border Railway) Stranraer: “Gateway to Scotland” Housing renewal and retail initiative (New Ferry Terminal) Presumption in favour of sustainable development – successful places ‘town centre first principle’ = a call to central government, local authorities, communities and institutions to ‘put the health of town centres at the heart of decision-making processes’. Research to inform policy: Regional, sub-regional, larger/smaller town centres, commercial centres Inverness, Kirkaldy…. Town Centre Masterplanning Toolkit Town Centre Perception Surveys Scotland’s Response "Town centres are the lifeblood of our communities, functioning as places of social interaction and enterprise. By diversifying our high streets we will make them even better places to live, work and socialise.“ (Nicola Sturgeon, 2013) More than Retailing • Asserting a ‘town centre first’ principle whereby public bodies will consider how they can support town centres before considering development elsewhere • Working with housing providers to bring empty town centre properties back into use as affordable housing to promote town centre living • Reviewing current business rates incentivisation schemes to stimulate vibrant economies • Requiring public bodies to consider the impact of proposals to relocate services out of town centres • Broadening the appeal of town centres with a mix of leisure, public facilities and homes • Supporting development of digital towns (External Advisory Group Report, National Review of Town Centres Recommendations, 2013) Advocacy: Proactive Planning • Emphasise town centre first planning policy and use of 'sequential test’ • Encourage pilot studies to try new approaches • Encourage use of compulsory purchase powers to promote sustainable economic growth • Promote Master-Planning Toolkit • Fund local authorities and community and third sector organisations to help deliver community design charrettes focussed on town centres • Support ‘stalled spaces’ demonstration projects identifying temporary uses for sites within town centres (with Architecture and Design Scotland). (External Advisory Group Report, 2013) Strategic Town Centre Issues: Healthcheck Pedestrian footfall Diversity of uses and change Quality of built environment Recent and proposed investment Strategic accessibility Attitudes and perceptions Retailer representation and demand Commercial yields and retail rents Vacancy rates Cultural and social events Leisure and cultural facilities Town centre residential population Employment in the town centre Street safety Sense of place Vision for town centres Strategic issues 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Development of town centre strategies through partnerships Priority for town centre development over other locations Network of town centres Prioritisation of investment in town centres Diversity in town centres (Strategic Review of Town Centres and Retailing in the TAYplan area 2013) Civil Engagement Dundee Local Development Plan Action Programme 2014 Retail • Transportation appraisals • Retailing units as part of Dundee railway station; Dundee port • Maintain Dundee City Retail booklet Town centres and shopping • Monitor retail planning applications to ensure sequential test followed • Masterplanning of specific sites Leadership and Collaboration Complementary Area Complementary Group of Leaders Proactive Planning national regional and local planning agencies, and local civic and amenity groups Vibrant Local Economies business and local authorities Enterprising Communities community and arts groups Accessible Public Services all public bodies, including community planning partnerships and the Scottish Futures Trust Digital Towns local businesses community groups, local authorities and digital providers Town Centre Living social landlords, empty homes agencies and funder (External Advisory Group Report, 2013) Government Governance National Policy Planning system Land use High Street Governance? Manchester Metropolitan University How to restructure your High Street State High Street Civil Society Market Deborah Peel University of Dundee Thursday, 10 July 2014