A new health check to help local business people spot early signs of decline in their High Street will be launched today by Business Minister Mark Prisk.
The guide was produced with the help of business organisations, high street traders and town centre managers and is based on their real life experiences.
It includes tips such as how to check on whether an area is attractive to customers, whether there are good parking and public transport facilities and looking at the variety of shops on offer. It then helps them to work together to draw up an action plan for what needs to change to rejuvenate the area and put that plan into action.
Launching the guide, Prisk said: “There are almost 5,400 streets called ‘High Street’ in the country, but we recognise that some of these have faced real problems: empty shops, vandalism and loss of customers. Much of this could have been averted if they had spotted the signs early enough and if local people – chambers, town centre businesses and local authorities – had joined together to take appropriate action.”
