Case studies

Bath and North East Somerset Council redirected funds from events unable to go ahead due to COVID-19 and used grant funding to pay for 12 installations by local artists in the shop windows of vacant commercial units in the town centre of Bath.

The council commissioned the charity Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust (TWBPT) to complete the restoration of three buildings sitting within at site of a convergence of regeneration schemes on Sunderland’s High Street West.

Cheshire East has had varied outcomes developing meanwhile uses. It has found that they works better if the council facilitates discussions with landlords to develop temporary uses.

Without any external funding, the Isle of Wight Council set up pop-up shops in Newport High Street in council owned and privately owned empty properties. This was part of the wider regeneration strategy for the Island.

A scheme implemented to help overcome the barriers to individuals starting up a retail business through the provision of low-cost, low-risk space alongside dedicated business support and advice with the ultimate aim of assessing a business’s viability before moving on to trade independently.

The piloting of a new ‘Community Wealth Building Lease’ at the Grade II listed Bruce Grove Public Conveniences in Haringey is an innovative example of how councils can maximise the public benefits of their built assets through lease arrangements which build and retain wealth in the local community.

As part of the council’s economic action plan, business owner support was given through a 50/50 grant scheme combined with local area environmental improvements, which could be used to improve vacant shop fronts to make them more attractive to tenants.

Plans have been submitted to replace the failed 1979 Agora shopping centre in Wolverton, north Milton Keynes, with a mixed-use scheme comprised of 115 new homes, shops and a community space.

The Pride Hill centre, which the council bought along with the Darwin and Riverside Centres in 2018, is set to undergo a large redevelopment project to repurpose the building from retail into a "leisure anchor" and cultural and civic hub which will require planning permission for change of use.

The Gresham Works project outlines how the creation of a flexible business workspace by a local authority within a private sector led development can lead to significant regeneration benefits.