One of the defining features of local town centres is that they are all diverse. London Councils has been arguing that a variety of solutions are needed to meet the challenges created by this diversity, and that power should therefore be given to local government to design responsive and locally meaningful interventions. The economic success of London’s various local centres and high streets will be reliant on different factors in different locations. This makes it difficult to create an all-encompassing policy response to the challenges that high streets face. However, providing boroughs and local stakeholders with the tools they require to respond to the differing circumstances of their local town centres will bring about positive outcomes for the capital.
‘Streets Ahead?’ argues that a local response, either delivered or co-ordinated by local government, can provide the strategic and coherent approach needed to develop resilient high streets now and into the future. From planning and infrastructure, to business support and diversification, local government is the key agency that can co-ordinate the holistic support needed to drive local economic growth through high streets and town centres. The report provides 13 recommendations to place boroughs at the centre of local economic development in their high streets and town centres.
You can find the report on the right hand side of this page.