The Government’s “Pride in Place” programme aims to revitalise high streets by handing the power to local communities to compulsorily purchase boarded-up shops, block unwanted businesses like betting shops and vape stores, and save derelict pubs across Britain’s struggling high streets.

The Government is putting power into their hands, so local people decide how best to restore pride in their neighbourhoods, not us in Westminster.”

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed (pictured) says: “The Government is putting power into their hands, so local people decide how best to restore pride in their neighbourhoods, not us in Westminster.”

If the initiative is successful, it will give a substantial boost to local property prices and fundamentally reshape the local landscape for commercial agents and landlords.

Historically, government-backed high street regeneration programmes drive up both local property prices and transactions in the surrounding areas. Research by CBRE shows house prices within 750m of regeneration zones grow 3.6% per annum faster than the wider market.

The programme also focuses on converting larger abandoned sites—including defunct department stores and office blocks—into health centres and housing developments, which the Government hopes will help it with its 1.5 million new homes target.

The Pride in Place programme will initially target over 330 communities with “record funding”. This will then be extended across the country, with residents gaining “Community Right to Buy” powers over local assets including pubs, libraries and vacant retail spaces, alongside compulsory purchase powers for boarded-up shops and derelict businesses.

Power to block tenants

They will also gain authority to block new betting shops, vape stores and “fake barbers” from opening on high streets in what is “the largest transfer of authority from Whitehall to communities in history”.

For Commercial agents and landlords, though, the changes may not be so welcome, as approval would be required for certain business types, and it is likely to be almost impossible to rent out shops to betting firms and vape stores.

The “Community Right to Buy” powers could also wrest control from landlords of any long-term vacant commercial properties by forcing their sales.

The timings of its launch are not yet clear, but local Pride in Place Boards will be established in the coming months.