As part of the ongoing ‘Levelling Up‘ mission, and set to be in force by the summer, the Government announced yesterday (14 May 2024) that new powers are to be given to local Councils and communities to help them regenerate their high streets and fill the growing number of empty shop units.
The new local authority power to “combat high street vacancy” is named High Street Rental Auctions, and it will allow local leaders who know their area best to “take control” of empty properties blighting their high streets, and rent them out to local businesses that want use them.
According to the Government, these new powers will help Councils “level up their high streets” and tackle issues that have stemmed from prolonged high street emptiness, particularly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as low footfall – which has lead to struggling businesses, increased unemployment, and anti-social behaviour.
ADVERTISEMENT
⬆️ Our Levelling Up and Regeneration Act gives local communities new powers to improve high streets and fill empty shops
💰 £2 million will help support local councils to bring high streets back to life
— Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (@luhc) May 14, 2024
So, how will it work then?
Well, according the Government, where a high street shop has been empty for over a year, High Street Rental Auctions will allow local leaders to step in and auction off a rental lease for up to five years, and as the auctions will take place with no reserve price, this is supposed to give local businesses and community groups the opportunity to occupy space on the high street at a competitive market rate.
ADVERTISEMENT
A new ‘trailblazer’ programme has been launched to help get the new powers up and running within a number of communities who are said to be “keen to lead the way”.
On top of these new powers announced yesterday, a new pilot programme helping to “accelerate regeneration” will also give 10 areas a share of £5 million to “breathe new life” onto their high streets by planting new trees, green walls, and green pocket spaces, and improving adjacent parks – with the 10 local authorities taking part set to receive £500,000 each.
Government allocates £5m funding to ‘breathe new life’ into Greater Manchester’s empty high streets / Credit: Google Maps | Tim Mossholder (via Pexels)
The pilot is aiming to help Councils made their high streets fit for the 21st century, and entice residents back to the shops by working in partnership with local people and community organisations to create bespoke plans.
ADVERTISEMENT
Five high streets in the North West – including two in Greater Manchester – three in Yorkshire and the Humber, one in the West Midlands, and one in the East of England will be awarded funding from the £5m pilot scheme.
Union Street and Yorkshire Street in Oldham town centre, and Hyde town centre in Tameside, are the two Greater Manchester areas set to receive £500,000 each.
If this pilot programme is successful, the Government has already hinted that it could be “rolled out more widely” across the rest of England.
Featured Image – Google Maps
News
Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport
Emily Sergeant
A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.
Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.
At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.
Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.
He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.
#JAILED | A man who deliberately drove into a police officer in Stockport has been jailed.
Harvey Bell (12/08/2005) has been sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute and was disqualified from driving for two years.
— Stockport Police (GMP) (@GMPStockport) June 4, 2025
Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.
The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.
“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.
“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”
She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.
“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site
Emily Sergeant
It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.
The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.
The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.
IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.
IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.
Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.
IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.
Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.
The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.
“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”
Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester.
Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.
Emily Sergeant -
15th May 2024 
