Northampton Town Centre Watchdog

CASTELLO FORTIOR CONCORDIA

Below is the 28 points plan from the Mary Portas  review of town centres that was commissioned by the government.

The programme has now developed into a scheme called Portas Pilot Towns.

12 towns have been chosen from towns that applied for Mary to apply her 28 point plan.

The nearest one to Northampton is Bedford, and therefore we should monitor its progress.

Some of her points Watchdog agrees with, whilst with others there are some reservations.

The suggestions are as follows:

1. MARY SAYS: Put in place a ‘Town Team’: a visionary, strategic and strong operational management team for high streets. WATCHDOG has always advocated the use of a “Town Centre Tsar” who is a dedicated executive, and who is suitably funded by the council, so that a highly competent person is selected, and given the appropriate authority. This person would work with the BID and other agencies.
    
2. MARY SAYS: Empower successful Business Improvement Districts to take on more responsibilities and powers and become ‘Super-BIDs’. WATCHDOG asks how you judge a successful BID, and why would you want to expand their roles if there is a high quality Tsar in post. Most directors of the BID need the majority of their energies to be focussed on their own businesses, particularly during recessional times.
    
3. MARY SAYS: Legislate to allow landlords to become high street investors by contributing to their Business Improvement District. WATCHDOG agrees that landlords have a vested interest in town centres, and should therefore be required to make financial contributions to BID funds. They are surely keen to see the value of their investments protected.
    
4. MARY SAYS: Establish a new “National Market Day” where budding shopkeepers can try their hand at operating a low-cost retail business. WATCHDOG feels that this is a good idea as a 1 day national event, but that “mission creep” should be avoided. In Northampton we have an impressive market square that should be capitalised on for market trading, but this can only happen if the retail offer is good enough.
    
5. MARY SAYS: Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations so that anyone can trade on the high street unless there is a valid reason not to. WATCHDOG is not convinced that this is fair to existing retailers who are paying all the conventional overheads, and would therefore oppose it for being a cheap gimmick.
    
6. MARY SAYS: Government should consider whether business rates can better support small businesses and independent retailers. WATCHDOG is not sure what this means, unless it is translated to a rate reduction.
    
7. MARY SAYS: Local authorities should use their new discretionary powers to give business rate concessions to new local businesses. WATCHDOG totally agrees with this, providing the proposed new business provides a “retail reason” for coming into the town centre. This inducement should be used to attract absolutely ANY quality retailer that would enhance the reputation of the town centre.
    
8. MARY SAYS: Make business rates work for businesses by reviewing the use of the RPI with a view to changing the calculation to CPI. WATCHDOG supports this idea if it provides financial relief for businesses.
    
9. MARY SAYS: Local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes that work for their town centres and that we should have a new parking league table. WATCHDOG whole heartedly applauds this initiative, and is totally convinced that council’s should stop looking at parking charges as just another revenue stream. If central government is serious in its desire to see town centres survive, it should give financial support to councils which pilot/trial this initiative.
    
10. MARY SAYS: Town Teams should focus on making high streets accessible, attractive and safe. WATCHDOG repeats the need for free or token price parking, for an energetic “Shop Fronts” policy --- see the relevant page on this website, and for effective “Policing” --- see the relevant page on this website.
     
11. MARY SAYS: Government should include high street deregulation as part of their on-going work on free up red tape. WATCHDOG says that any efforts to reduce red tape are welcome.
     
12. MARY SAYS: Address the restrictive aspects of the ‘Use Class’ system to make it easier to change the uses of key properties on the high street. WATCHDOG says that we need to know more about the consequences of such a move.
     
13. MARY SAYS: Put betting shops in a different use class of their own. WATCHDOG agrees with this if it will help reduce the proliferation of betting shops and game-machine operators.
     
14. MARY SAYS: Make explicit a presumption in favour of town centre development in the wording of the National Planning Policy Framework. WATCHDOG totally agrees with this.
     
15. MARY SAYS: Introduce Secretary of State ‘’exceptional sign off’’ for all new out of town developments and require all large new developments to have an ‘’affordable shops’’ quota. WATCHDOG continues to support the policy of “Town Centre First”. Out of town developments have speeded the death of many town centres. It is therefore right for government to give priority to them if there is a political will for them to regenerate. Central government really MUST decide what it wants our town centres to look like in the future. This may involve more quality accommodation and less retailing. In any event, town centres should not be allowed to degenerate into a ghetto for low incomes and the welfare dependent.
     
16. MARY SAYS: Large retailers should support and mentor local businesses and independent retailers. WATCHDOG is not clear how this would be achieved.
     
17. MARY SAYS: Retailers should report on their support of local high streets in their annual report. WATCHDOG suggest that this is rather idealistic. Shareholders in publicly quoted retailers are usually motivated by two instincts only – fear and greed. They would probably move their investments from retail to armaments if the profit forecasts were conducive!
     
18. MARY SAYS: Encourage a contract of care between landlords and their commercial tenants by promoting the leasing code and supporting the use of lease structures other than upward only rent reviews, especially for small businesses. WATCHDOG suggests that this may not be popular with many landlords who are keen to preserve their corroborative zone A values which are used for annual rent valuations. An alternative way for the landlord to “share the pain” with the tenant, is for them to offer a “rent holiday”.
     
19. MARY SAYS: Explore further disincentives to prevent landlords from leaving units vacant. WATCHDOG suggests that landlords should only be targeted if they have made no serious efforts to find a tenant. These efforts may include a rent-free period, a tenancy-at-will, suitable break clauses, and no requirement of entry key-money.
     
20. MARY SAYS: Banks who own empty property on the high street should either administer these assets well or be required to sell them. WATCHDOG agrees.
     
21. MARY SAYS: Local authorities should make more proactive use of Compulsory Order powers to encourage the redevelopment of key high street retail space. WATCHDOG agrees.
     
22. MARY SAYS: Empower local authorities to step in when landlords are negligent with new ‘Empty Shop Management Orders’. WATCHDOG agrees, and feels that if landlords don’t externally audit and repair their empty properties, they should they should be fined a substantial “eye-sore” tax.
     
23. MARY SAYS: Introduce a public register of high street landlords. WATCHDOG agrees.
     
24. MARY SAYS: Run a high profile campaign to get people involved in Neighbourhood Plans. WATCHDOG agrees providing this doesn’t lead to domination by vocal minorities with an alternative agenda that is not in the town centre’s long term interests.
     
25. MARY SAYS: Promote the inclusion of the High Street in Neighbourhood Plans. WATCHDOG would have thought this was obvious.
     
26. MARY SAYS: Developers should make a financial contribution to ensure that the local community has a strong voice in the planning system. WATCHDOG is not clear how this would be implemented.
27. MARY SAYS: Support imaginative community use of empty properties through “Community Right To Buy”, “Meanwhile Use” and a new “Community Right to Try”. WATCHDOG suggests that this is worth piloting, providing the quality of shop fronts, fascias and business plans are of a suitable standard, and that the tenancy can be terminated if the terms of entry are not adhered to.
     
28. MARY SAYS: Run a number of High Street Pilots to test proof concepts. WATCHDOG suggests that this makes sense, but would make the pilots conditional, as set out above in No. 27. In addition Portas Pilot Towns should be in a position to offer findings and results in this area of activity.

Conclusion.

Watchdog was rather disappointed with this review and feels that it is a bit “wishy-washy”.

A good idea, but a disappointing result.