What Bristol's water slide tells us about the future of high streets
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Version 0 of 1. Anyone who saw the hundreds of thrill seekers whizzing down a Bristol high street on a giant water slide would have known straight away that they were witnessing something special. The brainchild of artist Luke Jerram, nearly 100,000 people applied to ride head first on a lilo as part of Bristol's Make Sundays Special programme, which has seen roads closed off for cultural and leisure events. By all accounts it's been a resounding success. Billed by Jerram as a playful initiative that asks people to take a "fresh look at the potential of their city and the possibilities for transformation", it's ideas like this that are beginning to develop a blueprint for a new kind of high street. The penny is slowly dropping for policymakers too. Even the embattled high streets minister is now talking about high streets needing to have their own community spaces. But if this wind of change slowly breathing new life into high streets is going to be properly harnessed, government and local authorities will need to properly recognise that the old approach to town centre regeneration needs to be replaced with fresh thinking. The traditional mindset of regeneration officers and town centre management officials, which sees high streets as solely concerned with shopping, is hopelessly out of kilter with today's reality. Far too many council officers haven't taken their boom goggles off, and act as though it's still 2006. The days when every town could dream of having Debenhams as an anchor tenant and hundreds of millions of pounds for shopping regeneration schemes are over. Rapidly changing shopping habits, the growth of online consumerism and the trend of major chains consolidating their portfolios, moving out of secondary towns and focusing on out-of-town shopping centres will continue to hollow out many town centres, leaving them bereft of purpose. For high streets to have a chance of flourishing all over the country, a new post-retail landscape will have to develop. There will always be shops, but high streets won't be solely reliant on commerce; they will have to develop a much stronger community offer. This is where Bristol is leading the way. With an independent mayor pushing a "can-do culture" and interesting partnerships springing up everywhere, there's a strong sense that a new approach to public spaces has to be embraced. There's already talk of zip wires across the Avon Gorge, pedalos on the Avon, and zorbing in the docks. It's this kind of playful, fun thinking that's needed to capture people's imagination and give towns and cities a new lease of life. Over at Stokes Croft, Bristol's cultural quarter, there's further evidence of how a creative mindset is transforming a run down high street into a vibrant community. Giant street murals, an attractive night scene and an interesting range of independent shops are helping reverse years of economic decline to give the area a creative buzz and strong identity. But it's not just in Bristol that those with imagination are setting about redesigning their high streets to make them fit for 21st-century needs. It's starting to happen in many places. From intergenerational activities that bring young and older people together, "hack the high street" events where IT geeks come together to build new software to enhance the high street to friendship groups, high street literacy projects and innovative pop-up health projects, there are plenty of great examples where the needs of the wider community are being addressed on the high street. Not every creative foray works, it should be said. Mid Devon District council's decision to spend £4,000 on a gorilla statue for the high street is an example of where thinking outside the box doesn't necessarily achieve anything. But with the right partnerships in place, councils can act as a conduit for real community innovation to take root on their local high street. It also needs government to play its part. By making business rates fairer; providing mandatory rate relief not only for charity shops, but social businesses too; reforming planning powers and encouraging long-term planning by local authorities, some basic steps can be taken to start creating the right policy environment for truly modern high streets. For years, we've entrusted our high streets to a small group of so-called regeneration experts. The sight of beleaguered high streets with row after row of empty shops suggests they've failed. It's high time we called on some fresh thinking. Bill Grimsey is a businessman and former chief executive of Wickes and Iceland. • What do you think? Email sarah.marsh@theguardian.com if you want to contribute an article to this debate. Not already a member? Join us now for more comment, analysis and the latest job opportunities in local government. |