Purpose

High Street Rental Auctions are a tool that the Council can use to require landlords to rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants such as local businesses or community groups.  High Street

Rental Auctions are designed to break the cycle of vacancy, inflexibility, and market failure that leaves vacant units in town centres, by unlocking space quickly and aligning it with real, local demand.

On 14th July 2026 the Council’s Executive considered proposals (E/26/10) to undertake consultation on the designation of a High Street Rental Auction boundary and to delegate authority to officers to take all necessary steps to implement High Street Rental Auctions in consultation with the PortfolioHolder for Place.

Executive resolved to authorise the Head of Planning & Economic Development, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services, to take all necessary steps to undertake public consultation on designating the

area subject to High Street Rental Auctions.

Executive also resolved to authorise the Head of Planning & Economic Development, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Place, to consider responses submitted during the consultation period and

determine if the designation of the area should proceed or if amendments to the designated area should be referred to Executive for further consideration.

The public consultation period ran for 28 days from 9am on Wednesday 22nd July 2026 and closed at 5pm on Wednesday 19th August 2026. A drop in event was held on 3 August 2026 between 6PM and 7PM and

in total the Council received five formal responses to the consultation.

Decision

That the designation of the area subject to High Street Rental Auctions should proceed as set out in Appendix 2 of the report (E/26/10) without any amendments.

Reason:

To get vacant high street properties back into use.