New measures to regenerate high streets move a step closer

• Durham County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to confirm the boundary areas for a pilot High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) scheme in Bishop Auckland and Stanley.

• It follows a public consultation which supported the suggested boundaries.

• The HSRA scheme aims to tackle persistent vacant units in town centres.

• The first auction properties to be let through the process are expected to be occupied in autumn this year.

Plans to introduce enforcement measures to deal with empty shops in two County Durham towns could move a step closer next week.

Durham County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to confirm the boundary areas for a pilot High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) scheme in both Bishop Auckland and Stanley following a public consultation.

The HSRA scheme was introduced by the government as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, to tackle persistent vacant units in town centres.

It allows authorities to undertake an auction, offering a lease of up to five years, on a privately owned property, if other attempts to engage and work proactively with a landlord have failed.

Cabinet agreed to launch a public consultation on the proposed HSRA pilot areas last October, with responses supporting the suggested boundaries and highlighting the importance of greater business variety.

Following feedback, the boundary for Stanley has been extended to include the full length of Front Street, Royal Road and the top of Station Road.

Cllr Karen Allison, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for leisure, tourism and high street, said: “We are committed to revitalising high streets across County Durham and ensuring residents and visitors have access to vibrant town centres, which are home to a wide range of businesses.

“We are already doing all we can to work proactively with landlords to achieve this, but these HSRA powers provide us with an additional tool to speed up the recovery of town centres. We look forward to bringing positive change to Bishop Auckland and Stanley as part of the pilot scheme to bring these high streets up to the standard expected by our residents and encourage even more visitors to both towns.”

The council approved piloting the HSRA powers in Bishop Auckland and Stanley as both meet two of the principal conditions for the scheme – the number of high street properties unoccupied continuously for 12 months or more, and the opportunity for local benefit.

Both towns also show the largest increase in vacancy rates, at 3.25 per cent in Bishop Auckland and 3.2 per cent in Stanley.

The council offers a range of financial support to help improve, refurbish, or support alternative uses for town centre properties through a number of initiatives, including the Targeted Business Improvement scheme, Property Reuse Fund and the Town and Villages Programme.

It already addresses vacant shops through a five-step plan which establishes engagement with landlords of identified properties, alongside education, encouragement and enforcement.

Before the HSRA process can begin, the authority must be satisfied that the premises is suitable for auction and has been vacant for a year, or cumulatively for more than a year within a two-year period. It must also determine if the process would benefit the local society, economy and environment.

Once the designated HSRA areas are approved, the authority is required to survey the vacant properties within each boundary to understand if they are suitable for auction, establish appropriate types of use for each property and assess any works a landlord may need to undertake to meet a minimum standard.

Preparing for the next stage of the HSRA process will take around 22 weeks, with the first auction properties to be let through the process expected to be occupied in autumn this year.