ACS

ACS has welcomed the announcement by the Communities and Local Government Secretary of a £3 million empty shop revival fund for the most deprived and hardest hit high streets. The move comes after data has revealed that more than 19,000 high street shops closed in the last year.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “In the last year the decline in shops on the high street has been dramatic and this fund is looking to provide a short term fix for the hardest hit but what high streets really need are policies on planning and business rates to support their long term future.”

Mr Lowman explained the importance of national policy to promote town centres through planning policy: “Town centre first planning policy is the key to the securing the future of the high street. Plans to reform the policy, particularly the removal of the ‘need’ test for out of town developments, could weaken defence against those retail parks that take away trade and close town centres.”

ACS has called on Government to retain the crucially important ‘need test’ employed by planners to assess whether a new out of town development can be sustained without a critical loss of trade in a centre.

Mr Lowman also expressed concern about business rates: “At a time when retailers of all kinds are finding it tough, business rates are a burden they struggle to afford. The recent 5% rate hike and the limitations of rate relief schemes have caused many businesses closures. Politicians need to have a radical rethink about the future of this tax.”