BCSC and Portas call on Government to take more action on high streets

The BCSC has sent an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron criticising the Government's 'inconsistent' implementation of its 'Town Centre First' policy and calling for a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) programme as a measure to overcome development viability issues.

The BCSC said that implementation of the Town Centre Policy remains "inconsistent at best" and said that without consistent and transparent application of policy at local level, the private sector cannot be expected to provide substantive investment in town centres.

It also suggested using a private sector led TIF scheme. This would allow for use of increases in business rates revenue to help to secure private sector investment in public infrastructure, it said.

"We have written to the Prime Minister following last week's ... announcements on further planning reform to outline a number of wider issues that need addressing," said BCSC president Peter Drummond.

"Principally, Government must put further pressure on the implementation of a town centres first policy at local authority level. Secondly, a more widespread and effective use of tax increment financing to deliver hundreds of millions of pounds of local infrastructure must be urgently considered," he said.

Mary Portas, who was behind the Portas Review of UK high streets, has raised concerns about the Government initiative to revive the high streets becoming a 'public relations stunt'.

Speaking at a BCSC conference, she said that unless Government takes a real town centre first approach and frees up parking and red tape, she thought it could be "a PR thing", according to an Estates Gazette report (subscription).

Portas said she was waiting to meet new Housing Minister Mark Prisk after last week's cabinet reshuffle.

"I don't think the high street review is a number one priority for the government, but we have to keep knocking away at it. I will go in there and talk to them. It's a nation empowering themselves. I don't know who is fighting for it (in government)," said Portas.

The Portas Review was an independent review of the English high streets published on 13 December 2011. It set out recommendations on what the Government, local authorities and businesses can do to help strengthening high streets. It has led to Government setting up the Portas Pilots and Town Team Partners schemes to implement Portas' recommendations and provide funding to towns.