Britains Highstreets Thrown £95m Life-Line

By Tony Winterburn • Published: 19 Sep 2020 • 21:53

HISTORIC high streets across England have secured £95m of funding to help them recover from declining footfall and the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

Britains COVID-hit high streets are set to benefit from a €106m (£95m) government fund. Under the new scheme, disused buildings could be turned into homes, shops and offices in 68 locations across the UK.

Great Yarmouth, Huddersfield and Leicester are among 68 towns and cities which will benefit from the Government-funded scheme. The High Streets Heritage Action Zone Programme, delivered by Historic England, will see disused and dilapidated buildings turned into homes, shops, workplaces and community spaces.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said today: “High streets sit at the heart of our communities and every part of the country deserves to have one they can be proud of. This fund will help breathe new life into high streets in towns and cities across the country – restoring them to their full glory.”

Britains Highstreets Thrown £95m Life-Line — CEO of the British Retail Consortium said: “The recovery remains a mixed bag, with high growth in online sales, while city centre shops suffered from low footfall.” image: Twitter

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “Whether it’s a medieval market town or a post-war city centre, every high street in England has a distinctive history that can be harnessed to help it achieve a prosperous future. Investing in heritage delivers good results for people – it means looking after and celebrating the places at the heart of our communities, and the buildings and public spaces which define their character.

“This investment will unlock the potential of these precious high streets and help them thrive again.”

Retail sales have continued to increase for the fourth month running, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Spending on household goods and DIY boosted August sales volumes by 0.8 per cent compared with July. Overall there has been a four per cent increase in sales compared with February, before the UK went into full lockdown. Online sales fell 2.5 per cent in August, compared with the previous month but online sales were still 46.8 per cent higher than in February.

The John Lewis Partnership recently it was converting some of its London stores into office space.

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