Lambeth council has announced plans to introduce new powers that require landlords to rent out “persistently vacant” commercial properties to new tenants, as a way to tackle increasingly struggling high streets, writes Frankie Hills…
Working in partnership with the Mayor of London, the plans centre around giving the council sweeping powers to force landlords hands to rent out properties that have remained vacant for more than 12 months to local businesses, empowering them with a ‘right to rent’ on the high street.
The proposed measures will run initially as a pilot scheme and could see long term empty units have one to five year leases auctioned off to the highest bidder, in line with criteria set by the council.
The scheme will be tested in Brixton, West Norwood and New Park Road, Clapham.
Lambeth is one of two councils in London to be awarded a grant be the Greater London Authority to pilot the idea, which is a part of the national High Street Rental Auction scheme (HRSA), which aims to revitalise and reactivate unused commercial buildings across towns and cities in the UK.
The move comes as pressure mounts on the government following polling conducted by YouGov last month, finding that support for community hubs, such as shopping precincts and pubs, remained the third most important issue to local voters, behind good healthcare and reduced crime.
Speaking on the proposals, Cllr Marcia Cameron, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, said: “Local shopping streets are the heartbeats of our communities, and the council is committed to doing everything it can to make sure they are thriving and attractive places to do business.
“We are determined to collaborate with landlords to help them bring empty shop units back into use, for everyone’s benefit. But HSRAs could be very useful in kick-starting growth, and we will not hesitate to use these auctions to force changes that will revitalise our High Streets.”
