Cheltenham Vacant Units Action Plan
Cheltenham is a vibrant, lively town with something for everyone. Footfall numbers are healthy, and the value of visitor spend is a significant contribution to the wider economy.
Annually, the town benefits from hundreds of thousands of visitors to more than 30 major festivals and hundreds of smaller events. Cheltenham is the shopping and dining destination choice for local and regional visitors.
Landlords and agents cite a high demand for shop units in the town, and while there have been a small number of longer term vacancies, empty units in Cheltenham generally experience active churn when users vacate.
Despite these positives, it is clear that the way people access town centres is continually evolving and it’s important that we monitor and adapt to these changes to ensure the viability of our town into the future.
Cheltenham Borough Council and Cheltenham BID have committed to a focused and sustained effort to reduce the number and impact of vacant properties in the town centre.
The action plan objectives are:
- Understand the current and ongoing position of empty shops in the town centre.
- Encourage the conversion of empty and underused space to maximise brownfield residential development.
- Take enforcement against unsightly empty premises to clear up our town centre.
- Work with landlords, agents, and town centre businesses to ensure that stakeholders understand key issues facing town centre development.
- Encourage flexibility of the planning system and future strategic planning to bring more residential accommodation to the town centre.
- Identify opportunities for meanwhile use where appropriate.
- Highlight opportunities for regeneration and recognise the value of key development sites within the town acting as a catalyst for lasting change.
The council and Cheltenham BID are working closely with local partners to deliver these outcomes.
How you can get involved
We are inviting property owners, agents and developers to get in contact with us to support the delivery of the action plan. We want to hear from you if you have a vacant property in Cheltenham town centre so that we can understand your needs and plans for your property.
