Image copyright STOCKTON BOROUGH COUNCIL
Stockton-on-Tees is one city which has benefitted from following the suggestions in Mr Grimsey's authentic report
Britain's city centres are "in big danger of becoming ghost towns in the future" if speedy motion just isn't taken, warns a former retail chief.
Bill Grimsey, former head of Wickes, Iceland and Focus DIY, launches his second report into the way forward for city centres and High Streets on Wednesday.
He informed the BBC: "We should act now.
"Forget retail for town centres, they need to become community hubs based on health, education, entertainment, leisure and arts and crafts."
Mr Grimsey's report says that amenities similar to libraries and digital and well being hubs ought to be a part of the providing to carry again individuals to city centres, along with housing and a few impartial retailers.
And he defined to the BBC: "We are social animals. We need gathering places as otherwise we are going to have a generation of very lonely people growing up."
Retailers on UK High Streets have been hit by weak gross sales, on-line competitors and rising prices, affecting 22,000 jobs this 12 months.
High-profile failures embrace Maplin and Toys R Us whereas High Street chains similar to Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser, Carphone Warehouse, New Look and Carpetright have introduced retailer closure plans.
'Unique historical past'
Mr Grimsey's authentic report was printed in 2013 after he disagreed with the findings of a totally different examine by retail skilled Mary Portas.
One place which adopted his suggestions was Stockton-on-Tees within the north-east of England.
Neil Schneider, chief government of the city's borough council, says: "The imaginative and prescient for Stockton was to develop a huge outside neighborhood centre.
"In our plan we needed to capitalise on the world's distinctive historical past and heritage, assist a big selection of shops and companies, and enhance the connections to the enticing riverside.
"By developing safe evening and leisure opportunities in interesting spaces, we wanted to ensure that people don't come to Stockton just to shop. We really wanted to create a community hub destination."
Free parking
Near the tip of 2017, Mr Grimsey determined to publish a second version of his report and he's assured that it could have a extra widespread constructive consequence.
He has had assist from Conservative MP Jake Berry, in addition to Andy Street, the primary mayor of the West Midlands.
"All I want to do is help make a difference and I think that this time around, it will get traction. Political figures are joining in and it's a clarion call for action."
The new report has 25 suggestions in three sections, which cowl:
- creating a extra supportive surroundings
- authorities and planning
- smarter use of expertise
Mr Grimsey places the High Street's decline all the way down to the expansion in recognition of out-of-town purchasing centres with their free parking, in addition to on-line purchasing.
But he dismissed the concept that free or cheaper parking being reintroduced into High Streets would revitalise them.
"If it was that simple then people would have done it already," he mentioned.
"The level is that the retail proposition on the town centres has been overtaken by the extra handy out-of-town parks. The city centres ought to say 'allow them to have it'.
"In my era as retailers, we efficiently cloned each city in Britain so all of them regarded the identical, however clearly that does not work.
"All the cities have a heritage and historical past and their cause for uniqueness must be delivered to the fore.
"We need to repopulate these places and local authorities are the key to unlocking this, along with good leadership. Where it happens it can work."