Healthy Places: Why Town Centres Must Be Part of the NHS Conversation
Today (3rd July), the Prime Minister of the UK will announce a bold 10-year plan to “fundamentally rewire” the NHS in England - including the creation of 200 new neighbourhood health centres designed to bring care closer to home and embed health within communities.
This national shift recognises something IPM has long championed: that place and health are deeply connected, and that the future of public health will depend as much on the strength of our high streets and town centres as on hospitals and clinics.
Against this backdrop, the Institute of Place Management was recently invited to contribute to an All Party Parliamentary Group discussion on Healthy Places at the House of Lords. IPM Fellow, Esther Worboys represented IPM at the meeting.
The session asked a crucial question: “How can we put health at the centre of our town centres?”
In our latest blog, IPM’s Esther reflects on the discussion, shares examples of local innovation, and highlights how place management can help deliver healthier, more connected communities.
Blog by Esther Worboys FIPM and you can connect with Esther on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-worboys-fipm-10aa8424/
I was recently invited to represent the Institute of Place Management at a meeting hosted in the House of Lords. The theme - “Healthy Places: How can we put health at the centre of our town centres?” - could not be more timely or important.
There’s always something slightly surreal about stepping through airport-style security and walking past the very spot where Charles I was condemned to death in 1649. But once inside, there’s a real energy that comes from being in a place steeped in history – especially when the conversation is focused on shaping the future.
The APPG, well attended with six MPs present, was convened in response to a powerful report by the Royal Society for Public Health. The report revealed a stark reality: 11.6 million people in the UK believe their local high street negatively impacts their health and wellbeing. Just 1 in 8 say their high street actively supports good health. That’s not just a health challenge - it’s a place leadership challenge.
The discussion covered a broad range of interconnected issues: public transport, active travel, planning restrictions on hot food takeaways, social connectivity, access to healthy food, and more. As you’d expect, I also highlighted the vital role markets play - not only as sources of affordable fresh food, but as engines of social connection and local enterprise.
What struck me most, though, was the growing recognition of the need to take a systemic, place-based approach. We heard about promising initiatives like the Old Kent Road Family Zone - part funded and supported by Impact on Urban Health and the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation - which co-creates healthy environments with local families and children. From children’s walking trails in Kidlington, to fruit and vegetable voucher schemes from the Alexandra Rose Charity (which led to a 40% drop in GP visits), these stories are not just good practice - they are the building blocks of a different kind of regeneration. They are a better way of working.
But the question remains: how do we scale these interventions? How do we embed health and wellbeing into the DNA of place policy, planning, and investment?
However, the discussion also raised important questions including how to measure the SROI (Social Return on Investment) of these types of projects, particularly when different budgets are involved? Looking forward to seeing the actions arising from this meeting and continuing these important discussions.
Why is this relevant for place management and leaders?
We know that local health outcomes are shaped by the social infrastructure of place - the skills, relationships, and capacity that sit behind good decision-making. Through our research, professional development programmes, and direct support to local partnerships, IPM helps places move from silos to systems, from anecdotes to evidence, and from short-term fixes to long-term change.
We are working towards an online conference to link with World Health Day in 2026 and to discuss the role of 'place management' and health inequalities. If you are ready to support policymakers, practitioners, and communities to reimagine town centres not just as retail hubs, but as healthy, inclusive, and thriving places to live, please do get in touch and share your thoughts at ipm@mmu.ac.uk.
About the author
Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.