Council plans to force empty shops back into use on Barnsley high streets
New powers could mean landlords are forced to offer empty units up for auction
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council is planning to use new legal powers to force long-term empty shops on key high streets to be rented out, as part of efforts to tackle persistent vacancy.
A report going before cabinet proposes using High Street Rental Auction powers to bring long-term empty commercial premises back into use across parts of Barnsley town centre, as well as high streets in Wombwell and Goldthorpe.
The proposed areas include Market Street, Peel Street and Shambles Street in the town centre, High Street and Station Road in Wombwell, and Doncaster Road in Goldthorpe, with the report highlighting clusters of units that have been vacant for years, including some properties on Peel Street and Shambles Street that have stood empty for more than a decade.
In Goldthorpe, vacancy rates are significantly higher than the borough average, while smaller clusters of persistent vacancy have been identified in Wombwell.
If approved, the powers would allow the council to require landlords of shops that have stood empty for more than a year to put them up for auction, enabling local businesses or community groups to bid to rent them.
High Street Rental Auctions were introduced under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 and are intended to address premises that are considered to be holding back local economies.
Properties must have been vacant for more than a year, and landlords would first be given the chance to let them themselves.
If they fail to do so, the council could put the right to rent the premises up for auction, with tenancies lasting up to five years.
Council officers say the powers will be used selectively and are not intended for large department stores or buildings subject to complex redevelopment plans.
Officers say the new powers would complement the council’s planned Vacant Spaces Agency, due to launch later this year, which aims to support bringing empty units back into use across the borough.
The proposals form part of wider regeneration efforts by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to support town centres and principal towns.