'Towns need to shout more about themselves'
Whilst some local authorities cover a relatively small geographical area, others, like the East Riding of Yorkshire Council oversee a vast geographical expanse.
It means, says Nick Russell, Interim Growth Programmes and Policy Manager, that partnerships are crucial when it comes to revitalising individual high streets, which each have differing characteristics and challenges.
“Key for us, because it’s such a wide rural area covering such a large number of people and about 14 towns, is working in collaboration with town or parish councils and other local community groups. That’s really important.”
A lot of the work around high streets in the East Riding is focused on increasing towns’ visibility, he says. Initiatives such as the Love Hessle event and Driffield Loyalty Card are important for supporting local businesses and increasing footfall, whilst social media promotion can help people understand what their communities have to offer.
“It’s about towns shouting about themselves, looking at their events programmes, giving people more reasons to remember to go into the centre. It’s not just about shops, it’s about that wider hospitality offer,” Nick says.
“I think for a lot of the towns of the size across the East Riding, a lot of people will pop in and pop out, you know, half an hour, an hour. Events are important and we’ve also done a bit of work with some of our smaller towns that don’t have as full of an events programme to encourage people to come in and explore a bit more of the offer their town has and turn what might not have even been a visit at all into a several hours stay.”
Over in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, a major collaborative high street project is due to come to fruition this year.
The Arcade Group Dewsbury, a Community Benefit Society, has been working with Kirklees Council on the redevelopment of the town’s Arcade, inset.
Back in 2020 a group of business activists came together with a plan to revitalise the building, with the view to it becoming a community-run shopping centre.
Kirklees Council bought the Arcade to support the vision for the site, which had been closed since 2016 and with the help of a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, has been working on its refurbishment.
When it re-opens later this year, it will consist predominantly of smaller shop units, as well as community events, workshop and studio space and will be run by The Arcade Group.
Chris Hill, who sits on the board, explains: “Lots of events which we’re already putting on outside will come inside the arcade.
“We’re also making sure that the tenants who come in don’t just stand behind a counter and sell stuff. They do things with their customers, whether it’s having the kids making up little products and then taking them away or a craft cafe where people come in and make things.”
The Arcade is part of a redevelopment masterplan for the town centre, which also includes the refurbishment of the town’s market, the creation of green space with a town park and new homes.
The aim is to increase footfall and improve trading for businesses. “We’ve got to get the footfall back into the town and give reasons for people to come in,” Chris says. Across all the developments, “we’re trying to create a town centre worth visiting again.”