Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed the announcement that more high streets are set to benefit from a major expansion of powers to tackle the scourge of boarded up shops and bring more long-term vacant properties into use.
Communities Secretary Steve Reed will announce a £10 million expansion to High Streets Rental Auctions (HSRA) to ensure more councils across England will have the power to take on the eyesores plaguing Britain’s streets.
Local authorities in England already have the power to auction off leases for commercial properties which have stood empty, allowing for at least 100 properties to be filled by new tenants in a boost for local businesses and the high street.
This expansion builds on the £5.8 billion Pride in Place programme which is backing local people to drive regeneration in almost 380 areas.
The funding will bring hundreds more properties back into use, directly supporting refurbishment of the worst affected units and galvanising more councils to start using the powers to revitalise their high streets.
This builds on the success of the Government’s early adopter programme, with over 40 local authorities already using the powers, and over £1m allocated in grants, resulting in at least 60 long term vacant units reoccupied and measurable reductions in vacancy rates in several areas.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“With this expansion, the Government is delivering on its promise to put power back into the hands of communities, backing businesses that invest in their local area and tackling the blight of boarded-up shops.
“In Portsmouth, we have long seen vacant shops holding back our shopping streets, blighting our community, and preventing entrepreneurs from establishing new businesses.
“As MP, I will always support our high streets and will continue to back Labour’s plan to support local business in our city”.
Announcing the expansion, Communities Secretary Steve Reed said:
“Rental auctions throws open the doors for new tenants to snap up high street space – providing businesses and communities with access to tenancies at affordable rates.
“In the first year of enforcement, this helped bring down vacancy rates in one of our early adopter areas – Harworth & Bircotes – from 11% to 3%. Just imagine if we could replicate that on every high street.
“Today I can announce an expansion of the programme with an additional £10m over the next two years, giving councils access to more refurbishment grants to wipe out high street eyesores.”
Further announced measures include plans to modernise the rulebook for Business Improvement Districts to simplify voting procedures, strengthen transparency and accountability as well as including property owners in the process.
