Property News: As 10% of high street shops lie empty in Camden, calls are made for more 'pop-up' outlets

Published: 28 April 2011
by DAN CARRIER

AROUND one in ten high street shops in Camden is lying empty, prompting calls for great help for independent businesses to survive during the recession.

The figures, released by Camden Council, show that 10 per cent of our high streets are boarded up and the trend is continuing upwards. 

Regeneration chief Labour councillor Sarah Hayward said she felt Camden was getting a rough deal from the Greater London Authority, who had recently announced they were ploughing a £50million fund into outer London boroughs to help stave off the worst effects of the downturn on suburban high streets. 

This has fuelled accusations that inner-city boroughs are being left to fend for themselves. 

Cllr Hayward said: “These new measures seem to ignore that inner-London town centres face many of the same challenges and also require support to help them survive and prosper in difficult economic circumstances.

“Retailers and services right across London are facing severe challenges as a result of the economic downturn and, more recently, rising inflation has further dampened consumer confidence.” And she said that despite the fact Camden had not qualified for the cash windfall, she and her colleagues were looking at ways of helping smaller businesses. 

She added: “We need to help ensure our high streets have the right variety of shops and that people are able to get there. 

“This means working to improve public transport, and also looking at how pay and display is working. 

“I have started looking at the rent levels we charge for our own shops, especially empty ones that are spoiling the high streets.”

Business group Camden Town Unlimited have sought to solve issues caused by empty shops. 

Chief executive Simon Pitkeathley said: “Camden Town is lucky because it is an international tourist destination, but we are aware there have been vacancies across the rest of the borough.”

He said the CTU’s plans to set up “pop-up” shops to give temporary leases for empty shops had proved a success. 

He said: “We stand ready to set up suitable pop-up shops each time a landlord gives us the keys.”

But he added it was often hard to persuade landlords that a temporary pop-up shop was in their interests. 

He added: “Landlords do need to face up to the recession and we can help them do that. People sit on empty properties. There are thousands of people who would like pop-up shops but it is a case of persuading landlords of the advantages of handing over their sites.

“Pop-up shops can bring life in to an area. They say a broken tooth is a faded smile – and we feel the same about empty shops on the high street. One empty shop can blight an entire street. One shop can create a sense of decay. If you keep the place vibrant it makes a real difference. 

“Pop-up shops bring in business and they give young artists and entrepreneurs the chance to try out ideas at little financial risk.”