The Lords report urges a move beyond retail to revitalize the UK’s high streets

A new House of Lords report calls for a rethink of the UK’s high streets, stressing the need to go beyond traditional retail to include more restaurants, leisure facilities, and community amenities.

The decline in the UK’s high street retailing capacity has become increasingly evident, with more than 10,000 stores set to close in 2023 alone. Communities have seen the loss of local shops, pharmacies, clothing stores, pubs and banks, leaving many town centers struggling to attract tourists.

According to a report titled “High Streets: Life Without Retail?” published by the Grouped Areas Committee of the House of Lords, there is an urgent need for highways to provide a range of services. This includes not only shopping but also food, recreational facilities, health centers, and libraries.

Lord Moylan, Chair of the Built Environment Committee, said: “Local high streets are places where generations have shopped, congregated, and worked. Many of them are falling apart, and to change this they need to look beyond just being a consumer space.”

The report emphasizes that local authorities, communities, and businesses must work together to create flexible and resilient elevated roads that reflect local needs. A fixed, one-size-fits-all approach should be avoided in favor of flexible strategies that can change over time.

Key findings and recommendations include:

Implement a ‘city center first’ policy

: Ensure that new public services such as libraries, diagnostic centers, and local government buildings are established along highways.
Elect city center managers: Each local authority should have an active manager to support high street development and share best practices across the country.
Improve accessibility: Improve public transport connectivity and provide adequate parking to make high streets easily accessible by car and public transport.
Create welcoming public spaces: Include green spaces and places where people, especially young people, can have fun without spending money.
Develop security measures: Address concerns by improving street lighting, ensuring visibility is clear, and promoting a mix of uses that keep neighborhoods alive late into the night.
Support local markets: See the role of markets in promoting footfall and contributing to the unique character of cities and towns.
to address future challenges and strategies

The Committee notes that the government’s previous efforts to rehabilitate highways were poorly planned. It calls on the new government to introduce local funding reforms that allow highways to thrive in the long term and ensure that those involved have the expertise to deliver improvements.

The report also welcomes the announcement of plans to review the Business Ratings system, acknowledging that taxation, funding, and planning have a significant impact on road revitalization. Criticizing the current local authority funding bidding model as expensive and wasteful, it advocates a more transparent funding distribution system.

Lord Moylan added: “Delivering a successful and sustainable high street often involves a local leader inspiring groups from the public and private sector to use their imagination to breathe new life into their high street. Decision makers should not be afraid to try new things but should remember the quality of what is delivered, because only well designed and built places will be able to stand the test of time.”