Council plans scheme to reopen long-empty high street shops

Summarised from BBC Cumbria's report · Updated 5 Nov, 22:21 · Archive

Westmorland and Furness Council is piloting a scheme to get long-empty shops back into use.

Westmorland and Furness Council is to pilot new legislation designed to tackle long-empty high street premises. Under the scheme, the council would be able to auction leases for vacant units to bring them back into use and support the vitality of town centres. Four towns have been selected for the pilot: Barrow, Kendal, Ulverston and Penrith.

Shop vacancy rates vary significantly across the council's area. Barrow has the highest rate at 25.1%, followed by Kendal at 18.1%, Ulverston at 15.1% and Penrith at 13.1%. The council's report noted that empty properties can undermine the vitality and attractiveness of towns. Once the pilot is established, the council plans to use the tried and tested model to target other areas with high vacancy rates, particularly rural service centres.

Read the report

• Plan to tackle long-term empty shops across townsWestmorland and Furness Council wants to develop a scheme to bring empty units back into use.BBC Cumbria · 5 Nov, 14:44

In this story: Westmorland and Furness Council · Barrow · Kendal · Ulverston · Penrith

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