East Riding of Yorkshire council may try to force e landlords to let their empty shops.
It is calling for its patch to be designated a High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) areas.
The scheme, enabled by new powers under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, aims to bring persistently vacant high street properties back into use.
The new powers give local authorities the ability to require landlords to rent out properties that have been continuously unoccupied for 12 months or at least 366 non-continuous days within a 24-month period.
A HRSA is an auction process, with landlords obliged to pay to bring the premises up to a minimum standard. In some cases, government grants can be available.
The council proposes to designate all of the East Riding’s high streets currently designated as retail centres in the Local Plan, from Bridlington to Snaith, as areas with scope for High Street Rental Auction Areas.
A statement says: “The council’s preferred approach is to work collaboratively and constructively with landlords to enable them to let their properties voluntarily, without the need to start the HSRA process.”
A council spokesperson says: “Our high streets are at the heart of our communities, and we are taking proactive steps to tackle long-term vacancies and support local prosperity.
“Our first priority is always to work with landlords and businesses to find voluntary solutions, but we are ready to use these new powers where necessary to benefit our towns and communities.”
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This article is taken from Landlord Today