Member News
Local and independent shops are disappearing from the high street, according to a survey of community groups.
The charity Urban Forum - in its research on community access and influence over shops, facilities and public space - found that the disappearance of butchers, greengrocers and other small retailers from the high street was disproportionally affecting older people and low income families.
Urban Forum discovered that around 80 per cent of people travel outside of their local community in order to meet basic everyday needs.
A survey by the organisation also found that 40 per cent of respondents reported that their local Post Office had already closed or was under threat of closure.
And almost half of those polled said that children's play spaces in their community were poor or bad.
The research comes just days after the government launched a strategy to improve regeneration of local high streets.
Communities secretary John Denham last week announced details of a £3m fund to help regenerate the high streets which have been "hardest hit" by the recession.
Under the 'Looking after our town centres' scheme, councils will receive grants of £50,000 for reviving city centres and improving consumer and business confidence.
Denham said: "These grants will help to transform and reopen empty shops as part of our real help to keen town centres vibrant and combat the recession.
"There is no need to see unused shops on our high streets going to waste, especially when we know that it doesn't take a lot to turn a vacant shop into something beneficial for the community."
But the report by Urban Forum suggested that local authorities should take steps to ensure that there are adequate shops and facilities to meet community needs.
This should be done through local council plans such as the Local Development Framework and the Sustainable Community Strategy, the report said.
And it added that business rates must be weighted in the favour of smaller, independent shops if they are to survive on the high street.
Planning proposals should also be made simpler and the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 should be strengthened to allow local authorities to bring derelict properties back into use.
"Community groups continue to engage with the planning system in a reactive way and at a late stage (most commonly by opposing planning applications), and after many decisions have already been taken," the report stated.
"This left many feeling that they were not able to influence the decisions made."
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd