The House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is running an inquiry into Revitalising High Streets. It is examining the impact of ‘unwanted’ retail and services on high streets, what factors and approaches have led to successful regeneration, the benefits and drawbacks of public realm improvements such as design codes, street furniture and pedestrianisation, and how effective local powers, business rates changes and Pride in Place funding are. The inquiry comes ahead of the Government’s High Streets Strategy, due later this year.

High streets are, above all, public places. The space between shopfronts, which includes pavements, planting, trees, seating, lighting and crossings, is the most valuable land a town owns. High streets succeed on both the quality of the public realm around them and the shops along them. As the professionals who shape outdoor places where people live, work, shop and socialise, it was important for us to share evidence from Landscape Institute members delivering high street schemes across the country.

Our evidence shows that successful schemes are landscape-led and people-centred from the outset, with visioning, design, delivery and stewardship considered together. We recommend that Government treats the public realm as core infrastructure: funded to last, resourced with the right skills from day one, and backed by effective guidance. We also recommend that Government embeds landscape skills in every scheme, funds stewardship and place management, makes inclusive design the test of whether a street works, and targets environmental investment where there is greatest economic and social need. Our evidence draws on schemes from Sheffield’s Grey to Green and Stockton-on-Tees Waterfront to market towns such as Kirkham and Stafford.

Image credit: ©B|D Landscape Architects