Webinar wrap-up: The future of the high street

There’s been a lot of speculation over the last few years about what the future holds for the high street.

The pandemic accelerated a lot of the changes we’d already been seeing. Add in the recent update to permitted development rights (Use Class E to resi conversions) and we’re looking at a major shift in how high streets function. 

In our recent webinar, Grace Manning-Marsh, Head of LandEnhance, was joined by Peter Higginbottom (Managing Director of Planning Insight), David Kemp (Director of DRK Planning) and Chris Watts (Founder of CPW Planning) to discuss their thoughts on how the high street could change in the coming years.  

Key takeaways

The remote-working domino effect

The pandemic has changed a lot of people’s working habits, perhaps irreversibly. 

Shared working spaces are now cropping up outside of large towns and cities, meaning that many professionals are looking to their local high street for the entertainment and facilities they previously got from the city. 

This shift is likely to create opportunities for retail businesses, who can take advantage of the increased foot traffic and replicate the after-work buzz of city centres. 

“A role going forward for local centres but perhaps a bit more driven by what will happen with office demand.” – David

Retail may no longer be the hero of the high street

Retail, and fashion brands in particular, used to be a huge draw for the high street.

However, the on-and-off closure of non-essential shops and the continued rise of ecommerce has meant that fashion stores are a declining component of the high street.

Diversifying from a largely retail-centric focus, to a combination of residential and multi-use commercial properties could go a long way to help rejuvenate the high street. 

“Successful centres going forward to look beyond retail and embrace a broader mix of complementary uses.” – Chris 

Consumers want experiences and convenience from their local high street – and recent updates to permitted development rights give businesses added flexibility to cater to swiftly changing consumer preferences. 

As a developer, finding spaces now that can accommodate changes to use class, and are fit for multiple purposes, will likely put you in good stead for the future.

Be tactical about location

The question of whether to pick a local or city-based high street to look for sites is an important one – and the area you choose will help inform what you build there. 

But location also plays a significant role on a much more granular scale too – such as where a building is positioned on a street. This is a particularly important consideration for resi developers who need to factor in how much natural light a property would get. 

As David pointed out, some of the bigger commercial units in town centres tend to have large floor plates offering limited natural light, meaning substantial renovation work may be needed. 

Instead, he suggested looking at terrace sites – either using the normally well-lit end unit or taking advantage of permitted development rights which allow upward extension.

However, permitted development rights aren’t a silver bullet for the high street.

Developers should be looking at sites which can produce quality housing and bring activity and footfall back to the high street. 

“Quality housing is what I think we should be striving for as well. Because of the way the prior approval process is set up, there’s a number of buildings which are just very difficult to convert.” – Peter

Watch the on-demand webinar now

Lots more was covered in the webinar, so if you want to see all their tips and insights, check out the on-demand version below. 

In the session, they discussed:

• How the pandemic has affected the high street
• What opportunities the new Use Class E changes could bring
• How is the high street likely to change in the future