Recession 'turning high streets into ghost towns'
The body representing councils has asked the government for greater powers to deal with the problem of store closures
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Saturday, 28, Feb 2009 10:06
A new report has claimed that the closure of shops around the UK is turning high streets into "ghost towns".
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England, stated that 85 per cent of respondents to a survey of councils said they had noticed an increase in the number of empty properties in their areas.
It adds that over 60 councils in the UK believe that the rising number of shops going out of business was having an important effect on their areas.
LGA chairman Cllr Margaret Eaton said action needed to be taken to prevent empty shops from changing the character of an area.
She said: "Rows of boarded up shops are a sad reflection of the recession the country is mired in. Not only do they signal a local economy in decline, they also become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour and drag down the whole feel of an area.
"If ever there is an image that symbolizes the times we are in, it is desolate town centres with rows of empty shops where once there were small local retailers, a Woolworths or a Zavvi.
"Decisive action must be taken to stop our high streets turning from clone towns into ghost towns."
The LGA recommended that councils be given temporary powers during the recession to turn empty stores into information centres for the unemployed, training centres, libraries or into sites for bring and buy sales.
It also calls for the government to give incentives to businesses to move into empty areas in the form of tax relief or to give councils the power to ease business expenses in order to prevent shops from closing up.
"The best option is for new or existing businesses to move into empty premises," Ms Eaton continued.
"Where new occupants for a shop can't be found, councils need to take the lead to stop our high streets sliding into decline.
"The millions of pounds spent resuscitating this country's town centres must not go to waste during these bad times."