Landlords could be forced to let out empty sites under government plans

Landlords could be forced to let out empty retail units to hospitality businesses or community groups under government plans to revitalise high streets.

According to the Daily Mail, the scheme will mean landlords have to rent out vacant shops that have been empty for longer than six months.

The new powers will reportedly be introduced as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which will be announced in the Queen's Speech next month.

The number of empty shops has risen in the last two years as businesses struggled to survive the pandemic and big retail brands such as Topshop and Debenhams closed their doors.

The vacancy rate on Britain's high streets was 14.4% in the final quarter of 2021, 0.7 percentage points higher than in 2020, according to the British Retail Consortium.

Scotland and the north of England reported the highest vacancy rates, with almost one in five shops closed in the north east.

A spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities would not provide further details on the plans. They told The Caterer: "Revitalising our high streets is a fundamental part of our mission to level up across the country.

"Further details on our legislative plans will be set out in due course."

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