It’s good to hear that Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is looking at making some key measures to boost local High Streets, introduced during the pandemic, permanent.
Since last year, High Streets across Elmbridge have benefited from extra flexibility over the use of outdoor space – allowing, for example, the use of marquees or additional seating on the grounds of pubs, cafes and restaurants. The measures also allowed for street markets to operate all year round.
As residents will know, these changes have brought a vibrancy to our High Streets and made a real difference to small businesses. Making the changes permanent would be a welcome boost to local High Streets and town centres as we come out of the pandemic.
You can read MHCLG’s consultation here.