Shaping the Emerging High Streets Strategy - get involved
With the UK Government announcing that a new High Streets Strategy will be published later this year, attention amongst many in the sector is turning to what it will actually mean for high streets, towns and city centres across the country.
The question is not whether we need another strategy. The question is whether it will deliver meaningful, place-based change.
The Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University is therefore launching a structured programme of work and engagement to help inform the national conversation - drawing on research, practice and lived experience from across our network.
This programme builds on IPM’s leadership of the national High Streets Task Force, where we supported 150 places across England. The learning from that programme - particularly around governance, data capability, local capacity and delivery realism - must inform what comes next.
We are beginning by convening a Sector Roundtable with partner organisations, followed by a Members Roundtable. These are starting points, not end points.
Over the Coming Months, IPM Will:
- Convene targeted roundtables with practitioners, local authorities, BIDs, civic organisations and Combined Authorities
- Publish member blogs and evidence-based commentary
- Collate practical insights from towns and city centres at different stages of transformation
- Engage policymakers to test emerging themes
- Connect the High Streets Strategy to wider debates on Industrial Strategy, health, social infrastructure and neighbourhood governance
- Rather than reacting to a finished document, we are asking a more fundamental question:
What should a credible High Streets Strategy contain if it is to succeed for all places - not just those receiving funding?
Why This Matters
Retail is no longer the primary driver of town centre visits. High streets are economic, social and civic ecosystems.
If regeneration is to happen, we must simultaneously build:
- Business confidence
- Investor confidence
- Consumer confidence
- Resident pride
That is the discipline of place management - and it requires more than a single strategy document.
Contribute to the Programme
IPM is keen to hear directly from members and partners.
We are inviting:
- · Contributions to our blog series
- · Short submissions and case studies from local areas demonstrating successful place-based practice
- · Invitations to visit high streets to hear from local place based partnerships
- · Participation in thematic discussions over the coming months
If you are interested in contributing in any of these ways, please contact Ian Harvey via ipm@mmu.ac.uk.
This is an important moment for towns and city centres in the UK. IPM is convening the sector to help shape what comes next - and we encourage you to be part of the conversation.
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.