The High Street Consultancy has contributed written evidence to a parliamentary inquiry examining what action is needed to revitalise England’s high streets.
The Revitalising High Streets inquiry is being conducted by the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. It is examining issues including the proliferation of certain types of businesses, approaches to high street regeneration, the effectiveness of local authority powers, and government policies such as business rates reform and the Pride in Place Programme.
Our evidence has now been accepted and published by the Committee, and will help inform its deliberations.
Our evidence: looking beyond individual businesses
Drawing on our collective experience of working with town centres, local authorities, businesses, property owners, and community organisations, our submission argues that successful high street revitalisation requires a much broader approach than simply tackling vacancy or restricting particular types of businesses.
We have made ten recommendations to government, supported by practical examples of high street regeneration and management from across the country.
Our evidence focuses on five key themes.
1. High streets need to serve a wider range of purposes
High streets should no longer be assessed solely as retail destinations. Their long-term success depends on providing a mix of uses that reflect local needs, including shopping, services, culture, leisure, education, health and wellbeing, housing, and employment.
Achieving that diversity requires more than waiting for new occupiers to come forward. Local partnerships need to understand commercial opportunities, identify gaps in the existing offer, and actively attract businesses and organisations that can contribute to a sustainable and distinctive town centre.
2. Decisions about businesses should be based on evidence
The inquiry is considering concerns about the concentration of businesses such as betting shops, vape shops, and barbers.
Our submission recognises that a lack of variety can affect perceptions of a high street, but cautions against treating entire categories of lawful businesses as inherently undesirable.
Instead, policy should distinguish between legitimate businesses meeting local demand, concentrations of uses that cause demonstrable harm, and premises associated with criminal activity.
As we have explored previously in our article on organised crime on the high street, where unlawful trading or other criminal activity is taking place, effective enforcement is essential. However, new powers must be accompanied by adequate resources for Trading Standards, local authorities, the police, and other agencies.
3. Successful regeneration requires local leadership and community involvement
There is no single model for successful high street regeneration. Every place has its own history, challenges, opportunities, and community needs.
Our evidence emphasises the importance of a shared long-term vision, strong local partnerships, and effective place leadership. It also highlights the need for local people to have meaningful opportunities to shape the future of their high streets, strengthening community pride and a sense of belonging.
Councils, businesses, landlords, community organisations, and residents all have a role to play. Community involvement can take many forms, from contributing to local decisions and volunteering to developing community projects, investing in local enterprises, or helping bring underused buildings back into use.
Regeneration also requires practical activity, from markets and events to improvements in accessibility, safety, and the public realm. Crucially, funding needs to support the people and partnerships responsible for delivering change, not just individual projects or physical improvements.
4. Local powers must be matched by resources and expertise
Tools such as High Street Rental Auctions, Compulsory Purchase Orders, and the Community Right to Buy can help address vacancy, fragmented ownership, and other barriers to regeneration.
However, their effectiveness depends on local authorities and communities having the necessary financial resources, commercial expertise, and legal support.
Our submission argues that these powers should be used to support an agreed local strategy, rather than simply filling empty units.
We also recommend that government funding should recognise differences in local capacity, ensuring that places with the greatest need are not disadvantaged because they lack the resources to prepare competitive funding bids.
5. Government should support learning and long-term change
High street regeneration is a continuing process, rather than something that can be achieved through a succession of short-term funding programmes.
Our evidence calls for better collection and sharing of local data, more systematic evaluation of previous initiatives, and funding arrangements that enable places to plan for the longer term.
We also recommend that changes to business rates should be assessed for their impact on different types of businesses and places, particularly smaller independent businesses.
Ultimately, government policy should help high streets adapt to changing economic and social needs, while supporting local communities to shape their future.
Read our evidence in full
As our submission concludes:
“The central policy question is therefore not which types of businesses should be removed from high streets, but what combination of uses, investment, enforcement and local stewardship will enable each place to thrive and serve the needs of their local communities.”
The High Street Consultancy’s written evidence, published under reference RHS0044, is available on the UK Parliament website:
Read our written evidence online
Download our written evidence as a PDF
Thank you to our Partners Ben Stephenson and Matt Colledge for taking the lead on this important piece of work.
