Fresh hope and chance of England's northern towns
Published at any given time of ‘seismic’ change for the UK towns, a brand new report has pointed to a strong, vibrant and successful future for northern towns.
The ‘Moving on up? Levelling-up town centres across Northern England’ Insight report, from planning and development consultancy Lichfields, says that retailers still face significant challenges, notably the growth in online retail, competition from out-of-town shopping centres, the burden of disproportionate business rates, and changing consumer habits.
An estimated 11,000 retail and leisure units vanished from our town centres during 2021, plunging high street shops into ‘crisis’, including more than 9,000 units owned by many high-profile brands such as Debenhams and Arcadia’s Top Shop and Burtons stores.
The report spotlights how towns are responding and fighting to meet the challenges, with encouraging signs of early success already evident. Based on the paper, many town centres happen to be repositioning themselves over the last decade, applying initiatives made to provide people with more food and beverage and leisure-based offers to tackle the rise of shopping online.
The consultancy company analysed over 100 funding bids, identifying important themes in the report that local authorities, planners and policy makers see as drivers of town centre regeneration and repurposing. This proactive approach is reflected inside a package of funding streams which have seen a great deal of uptake across the north of England, says Lichfields.
The £830 million Future High Streets Funds is helping to deliver transformative switch to struggling high streets, as the £3.6 billion Towns Fund is seeing cities, towns and local areas bringing forward imaginative proposals for economic growth. Another stream – High Street Heritage Action Zones – seeks to fuel economic, social and cultural recovery by regenerating historic town centre areas.
The report also identifies six themes that are underpinning ways of transform towns and pull in additional people. Relocating health and well-being facilities closer to transport hubs generates much-needed footfall while more town centre-based education facilities create jobs, inject fresh life into vacant buildings and stimulate growth.
New tourism and heritage plans will also be being developed to attract visitors keen to see the rich and various history of northern places, pumping countless pounds in local economies. Funding the introduction of space to support new digital and inventive industries and repurposing retail space as affordable and engaging living is viewed as critical to the near future vibrancy and culture of towns.
The report looks in depth at three northern towns – Bishop Auckland in County Durham; Warrington in the North West; and Yorkshire’s Stocksbridge – to examine the way they are fighting back and looking to some brighter future thanks to investment funding.
More than £33 million of funding continues to be awarded to Bishop Auckland to support a heritage-based strategy already using a positive impact – the Kynren attraction pulled in over 100,000 visitors in its first year alone, boosting the neighborhood economy by £4.5 million. Warrington town centre might find 8,000 homes developed as part of a master plan to create a new sense of place, boost footfall and open new leisure opportunities as retailing shifts online.
A Town Investment Plan's part of a £24 million funding package for Stocksbridge to support long-term sustainable growth through training, education and job opportunities for residents and attract new people to the town.
Jonathan Wallace, director at Lichfields Newcastle office and the report’s lead author, said: “It is really an important publication and comes at any given time of seismic change for a large number of struggling town centres. However, there are lots of positives coming and our research suggests a strong, vibrant and successful future for all those northern towns that make use of the funding streams and pursue exciting and innovative strategies made to transform the heart and soul of our high streets.”
