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What does the Queen’s Speech mean for Levelling Up our town centres?

The Queen’s Speech last week set the scene for the introduction of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, with the intention of providing local leaders and communities with the tools to make ‘better places’, with success to be shared equally across the country. Our repurposing town centres experts Directors, Cat White and Andrea Arnall consider how this latest announcement reaffirms the Government’s commitment to transform our future centres.

The draft bill landed the following day (Wednesday, 11 May) and across its ten parts it covers a wide range of matters ranging from planning, environmental outcomes and governance to devolution, regeneration, compulsory purchase and more.  The detail is lacking on many of the provisions, with the bill focusing on concepts rather than the detail, which will be set out in forthcoming regulations. 

The Government has committed to levelling-up the UK, growing the economy in the places that need it most and regenerating our towns and cities – giving people the opportunities they want, where they live.  The intent of this is clearly welcomed, and our town centres are a significant opportunity to be grasped, transforming under-used or vacant spaces for a range of uses to serve local economies and sustain vibrant economies. We explore these themes in our future centres animation. 

How will the new Infrastructure Levy impact the regeneration of our town centres?  With residential uses being a core component of many town centre transformation schemes, the proposed fixed levy replacing Section 106 agreements for affordable housing will come into play. Whilst this non-negotiable charge will remove debates about viability at planning application stage, will it tip the balance the wrong way on complex town centre regeneration schemes, which are often on the margins of viability?  

 

Unlocking new powers for local authorities to bring empty premises back into use on our high streets is a well-publicised provision in the draft bill.  Vacant units can be a blight on our high streets, and we recognise that providing a mechanism to secure the reoccupation of these units could provide opportunities for meanwhile uses or start-up businesses to ‘test’ out their markets and bring new interest to the high street.  But is forcing tenants on landlords the recipe to a successful long-term relationship? Would a better solution be for local authorities to work collaboratively with landlords and tenants from the outset, exploring opportunities as a partnership? 

We welcome the intent to allow communities to choose what is right for their centres. Street votes could work well in this context as they would consider the views of those who know the centre best. However, this approach absolutely must not block transformational change where it is needed. This would be a retrograde step for centres and would run counter to levelling-up. 

To find out more about our town centre projects and services, please contact Andrea Arnall or Cat White.

16 May 2022