Local Government Association

Turning around a town or city centre is a complex and long-term venture and experience shows that it requires resources and leadership and should not be left to chance. The COVID-19 crisis has created new and broader ways of working in partnerships across town and city centres that it will be important to build on.

Improving a town centre without first investigating the issues is like baking a cake without knowing the ingredients. The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the list of ingredients that we need to understand as part of a successful recovery.

Maximising the impact of town centre revitalisation will involve a council working with partners in ways that both add value and overcome the complexities involved. COVID-19 recovery planning provides the opportunity to build on new relationship formed in the initial crisis stage.

It is essential to involve and engage with communities to spread the workload, improve perceptions about a town centre and promote its increased use. The COVID-19 crisis has emphasised the value of such effective engagement and coordination with stakeholder groups across towns.

Revitalising a town centre involves coordinating a range of activities, possibly over many years to take places through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

Practical guidance and resources to assist councils in taking a strategic and evidence-based approach to revitalising town and city centres.

The pivotal role of councils in shaping planning and development can underpin long term change when combined with the understanding of their hands-on responsibilities for town and city centre management. In response to COVID-19, this will extend to reassessing short and long term demand for different property uses.