Empty shops in Bishop Auckland and Stanley town centres could be filled by autumn through a new auction process, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
Plans to introduce new enforcement measures to deal with the shuttered shops are progressing as part of a national scheme.
Both towns show the largest increase in vacancy rates in County Durham, at 3.25 per cent in Bishop Auckland and 3.2 per cent in Stanley.
The High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) scheme was introduced by the government in its Levelling Up and Regeneration Act to tackle persistent vacant units in town centres.
It allows authorities to undertake an auction, offering a lease of up to five years, on a privately owned property, if other attempts to engage and work proactively with a landlord have failed.
Karen Allison, cabinet member for leisure, tourism and high street, said: “We are committed to revitalising high streets across County Durham and ensuring residents and visitors have access to vibrant town centres, which are home to a wide range of businesses.
“We are already doing all we can to work proactively with landlords to achieve this, but these HSRA powers provide us with an additional tool to speed up the recovery of town centres.
Stanley is among several County Durham communities set to benefit from £20 million of Government funding to revive high streets, parks and public spaces. In Bishop Auckland, work is ongoing on several town centre projects after investment from the Government and Durham County Council.
In Stanley, the HSRA area is set to cover the full length of Front Street, Royal Road and the top of Station Road.
Once the designated HSRA areas are approved, the authority is required to survey the vacant properties within each boundary to understand if they are suitable for auction, establish appropriate types of use for each property and assess any works a landlord may need to undertake to meet a minimum standard.
Durham County Council said preparation work on the next stage of the HSRA process will take around 22 weeks, with the first auction properties to be let through the process expected to be occupied in autumn this year.
Cllr Allison added: “We look forward to bringing positive change to Bishop Auckland and Stanley as part of the pilot scheme to bring these high streets up to the standard expected by our residents and encourage even more visitors to both towns.”
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
