Scarborough is hoping to revive its empty businesses (Image: Getty)
A groundbreaking pilot scheme could compel businesses in a North Yorkshire town to lease their empty premises to boost economic vitality and enhance the look of high streets.
The « blight of empty and increasingly derelict properties » on high streets could be tackled with new powers that allow local authorities to require landlords to rent out « persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants such as local businesses or community groups ». Should the pilot scheme in Scarborough receive approval at next week’s meeting, preparatory work will commence straight away, with the high street rental auction process potentially launching as soon as May. Scarborough records the highest town centre vacancy rate in the county at 18.6%, followed by Malton at 17.1%, whilst Whitby has a vacancy rate of just 7.6%, according to a council report. The council acknowledged that its previous approaches, including providing fully funded vinyl wraps for vacant premises, had proved unsuccessful.
READ MORE: Historic 143-year-old family business plunges into liquidation
READ MORE: UK curtain manufacturer collapses into liquidation – 25 years in ‘oldest town’
The town has the highest shop vacancy rate at 18.6% (Image: Getty)
Properties vacant for more than 12 months within the past two years would qualify if they’re deemed appropriate for high street use, such as retail, offices, public services, hospitality, entertainment, or light industry.
The council stated the properties would also need to be considered beneficial to the local economy, society, or environment if occupied.
A document prepared ahead of North Yorkshire Council’s forthcoming executive committee meeting states: « Increasingly, the condition of the town centre of Scarborough, in particular Huntriss Row, where there is a concentration of vacant premises, is being raised with the Council.
« Given the lack of impact of earlier initiatives, the limits of existing powers and the local imperative to tackle the issue, it is proposed the council pilots the use of the new high street rental auction (HSRA) powers to compel landlords to improve the vacant premises and secure new tenants. », reports Gazette Live.
The HSRA procedure requires approximately 22 to 24 weeks to finalise. Nevertheless, the powers have been crafted to encourage engagement with property owners to identify solutions for empty units, with auctions regarded as « a measure of last resort ».
« Where landlords and local authorities are both constructive and pragmatic, alternative options for bringing the premises back into use may be identified, avoiding the need for a high street rental auction to take place. »
In a document submitted to council leaders last month, officials noted that « by removing the Brunswick Centre from the calculations, [the rate for] Scarborough, whilst still high, would fall from 18.6% to 15.8% ».
Councils can apply for £5,223 per HSRA, and NYC has stated it is pursuing funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government. The report to the executive indicates that « in the absence of the grant, all costs for property repair, to a minimum lettable standard, are to be covered by the landlord ».
Source link
