Calls for empty shops in Wakefield to be auctioned off to boost the high street
Wakefield Council is considering the move
Wakefield Council has been urged to end the ‘blight’ of empty high street shops by forcing landlords to rent out vacant business premises.
Councillors are set to debate a motion which calls on the authority to implement High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers to bring “continuously unoccupied” business premises back into use.
The policy, introduced in 2023 under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act, allows councils to auction the rights to rent out certain vacant properties in town centres to new tenants.
The proposal has been put forward by Green Party councillor Kate Dodd, who said recent figures showed around 15.8% of commercial units in the are currently vacant and “blighting our city centre, towns and high streets.”
Coun Dodd, who represents Wakefield North ward, said: “This is roughly one in seven of high street premises.
“Vacancy rates for Wakefield district are consistently higher than the UK national average.”
Under the scheme, local authorities have the power to require landlords to rent out properties that have been continuously unoccupied for 12 months, or at least 366 non-continuous days within a 24-month period.
Landlords are also be obliged to pay to bring the premises up to a minimum standard, but may be able to access government grants in areas of high vacancy rates.
The powers have already been used by other councils including Barnsley, Bournemouth, Darlington, Mansfield and a number of London Boroughs.
Last month, the council’s new Reform UK leader Karl Johnson identified improved management of the city and town centres as one of ten key priorities for the district.
Coun Dodd said: “This ambition will not be achievable, or visible to local people, without ending the scourge of empty, run down and boarded up shops across the high streets of our district.
“While some landlords may receive lower rents than anticipated, the wider public interest lies in bringing long-term vacant premises back into productive high street use, improving the appearance, vitality and economic prosperity of our town centres.”
The motion calls for the council to identify areas within the district where HSRAs “may provide the greatest benefit, taking into account vacancy rates, regeneration priorities, landlord engagement and demand from prospective tenants.”
Councillors will consider the proposal at full council meeting on July 29.