Ensuring Cheltenham remains a vibrant destination of choice
Cheltenham Borough Council and the leaders of the town's BID (business improvement district) have come together to call on landlords of vacanct shops and town centre units to be proactive to help the
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Landlords owning vacant units in Cheltenham town centre are again being asked to work with the borough council to clean up their shopfronts and proactively market their premises for let.
This is part of a continued bid to reduce any empty shops and improve the look and feel of the town centre.
Landlords have been asked to contact the council and talk about any challenges and barriers they may have in filling or repurposing their vacant units, as well as keeping them in a good condition.
This work is part of the vacant units action plan, commissioned by the council and Cheltenham BID, aimed at maintaining Cheltenham as a vibrant destination of choice to live, play and work.
Tracey Birkinshaw, director of community and economic development, said: “We have written to building owners to encourage them to work positively with us to make their units look more presentable and reduce the number of vacancies in our town centre.
“Whilst we acknowledge there can be valid reasons for empty units in some cases, it is essential for our high street that these units are properly managed and kept in a good condition.
“Cheltenham performs much better than many other towns, footfall is strong, and the number of vacant units is lower than the national average, but we cannot assume the development industry will make the interventions needed.
“As a council we will continue to play a strong leadership role in tackling some of the issues associated with the vacant units we do have - and take enforcement action where needed.”
A number of units are being reviewed and the council will use relevant enforcement powers where necessary to ensure that the look and feel of the high street - and its continued success as an attractive place for local residents, visitors and businesses.
The story above is a press release sent to Raikes on 19 April 2024.
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