What if owners of empty shops were encouraged to make them an asset to a high street instead of an eye sore?
It's a great opportunity to have art, local history, or simply use the building as a large ad for the shop. Everyone seems to hate those triangular boards stuck above shops saying 'shop to let' so why not do something different?
The old curtain shop currently looks like this:
So how can we take something that is a blight on the high street and turn it into something positive?
What if it looked like this:
There is an interesting article which was in the news today about the state of our high streets.
The full text of which can be found here:
http://www.brc.org.uk/details04.asp?id=1599
The main points were:
twelve per cent of town centre shops are now vacant, three times more than last autumn - but it also demonstrates that many of our high streets have been struggling for years.
Town centres need good design, making the most of heritage features or natural surroundings to create a unique sense of place. Then they must be very well maintained.
High streets need central Government backing. There must be no new property and business rate burdens and a responsible and inclusive approach from local authorities to the money they raise and spend.
Stephen Robertson British Retail Consortium Director General said: "High streets are the heart of local communities and economies – providing jobs and essential services. They are a crucial part of our national retail mix but many of them are in trouble, facing difficulties that began well before the current recession.
"Some will flourish again as the economy recovers; others have to shape a different future as customers' needs change. But that cannot be left to chance. These processes have to be actively managed by local authorities with their retailers, other businesses and residents."
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