Boris Johnson announced this week that he thinks UK high streets should change with permitted development rights. Developers should use the empty high-street and turn it into residential homes with permitted development rights. This is unchartered territory and other than a fairly lightweight public consultation conducted in May last year there is scant information about the proposals. I’d assume the government plans have been scrutinised by town planners and architects before they put them into place. You can view the consultation paper here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/799220/Government_Response_to_Planning_Reform_Consultation.pdf
Opportunity for high-streets changing residential
The upside of this is that it presents a big development opportunity for private property developers. Housing associations argue they require more funding to deliver housing, however like most things in this country, getting the balance of capitalism and state support is the key. The government have an interest in permitted development because the removal of red-tape allows fence-sitting developers to go full steam into a project knowing the returns without gambling on planning permission. For more hard detail, a good guide here from the guys at Litchfield explains a bit more the nuances. https://lichfields.uk/blog/2019/june/10/permitted-changes-of-use-a-solution-for-the-high-street/
High-street developers gain with permitted development
Landlords of boarded up clintons cards or woolworths will be itching to get rid of their properties at a knock-down price. Alternatively, some landlords will want to dip their toes into developing (if they don’t already) and realise the potential of this new government agenda. Seems a reasonable thing to do now that planning permission is not a cost of risk they have to bear. With a high street full of permitted development opportunities, could we expect to see a new class of developer appearing?
Who loses?
It’s a big question, and one that I hope will be looked at by town planners more closely. High street shoppers don’t lose out, their stores are disappearing as we all move fully online to shop. Perhaps existing home owners lose out as there is a lot of potential new housing opening up, it’ll lower the value of their homes – but this is something that needs to happen nationally, otherwise we’ll have a country of renters who can never afford their own home. It’s easy to forget about existing and new shops that might be opening up, particularly in the food sector. Just because standard retail doesn’t work too well on the highstreet anymore, doesn’t mean all shops will vanish. Look at the apple store; most of the products you buy online, the stores themselves feel great and they sell more than just products. Offering support is something of a growing market for the highstreet, although it’s slow to develop. We don’t want a high street without the potential to contain new service-based retail offerings.
Transformation of the empty UK high streets to residential
People have forgotten that before retail took hold of the country, the UK high streets were used for services. You would have a cobbler for shoes, a seamstress, a tailor, a joiner etc. We were re-using and repairing our wares because mass production had not allowed us to buy new every time – I’m sure you are wishing we could go back to that era. Perhaps we might be – hang on in there Timpsons!
What could these permitted development homes look like?
Many highstreets are lucky enough to have historic buildings. These buildings, if the developers can get their hands on, could make very good top end family homes. For profit, developers pick up the well-located fairly new built shops with multiple floors to turn them into flats. Envisage, light inviting lobbies with fairly secure doors/glazing, perhaps with a nice dose of character when you enter. A lift would need putting in buildings over 3 stories. People will still want a characterful flat, so expect well-off areas to have attention to detail in the places that you see it. Some larger developments, perhaps in an old department store may evolve to have owner amenities such as pools, gyms, bars. The airbnb market would benefit from this as well, as they could potentially be used by non-owners as well. UK Highstreet permitted development rights might just allow our highstreets to become active again, which is a great thing.
Summary
In conclusion, existing shops are not brushed with the permitted development paint brush, ensuring a future proof high street. Alternatively, the permitted development rights could prescribe a leasehold agreement, so that other uses could be allowed in the future. As with most things in urban design, mixed use creates more vibrant, safer, healthier environments that people wish to spend their time in. Time will tell to see which route developers go down. Want to develop a property? We’d love to talk through some options with you. Get in touch with us for a free discussion about your situation. www.jameshamiltonarchitects.com
Written by Tom Greenfield, Director – James Hamilton Architects
