Concerns raised over empty high street shops and being 'held hostage' to private landlords in King's Lynn
West Norfolk councillors have expressed concern over being "held hostage" to private landlords regarding empty shops in Lynn town centre.
During yesterday's full council meeting, Labour's Jo Rust pressed cabinet member for business development Graham Middleton on whether action will be taken to regenerate the high street.
She referred to a previous high street round table workshop run by the council and partners in which the potential for pop-up shops to fill empty buildings was discussed.
But Mr Middleton admitted it has been "incredibly difficult" to control the buildings which are privately owned.
The cabinet member said: "We are working with Discover King's Lynn and BID (Business Improvement District) and there was a lot to take from that workshop which can be incorporated into BID.
"I have been around the shops and there a few in the town who are being pressured extremely hard by their landlords to pay the rent. We will carry on working with our stakeholders and we would like to see some kind of pop-up. We continue to work on this but it is not easy if we do not own the buildings."
In response, Mrs Rust said there appears to be no working relationship between the private landlords and the council. She went on to say that it seems like the council does not have the power to influence landlords over empty buildings.
Labour councillor Christine Hudson told the meeting the number of empty shops in the town seems to be increasing, specifically referring to the loss of Ernest Jones which she was surprised by.
She suggested reducing the business rates to make the overheads more manageable for retailers.
In response, Mr Middleton agreed with Mrs Hudson's idea, but said the bottom line is that business rates are set by the government rather than the borough council.
He added: "It's troubling times. We are not seeing things in King's Lynn which are not happening anywhere else. It is incredibly worrying and we need to look at the high street not just the reliance on online retail."
Labour councillor Francis Bone said: "A fair proportion of the shops are empty and held hostage by private businesses. I have suggested before about rate relief. I understand the rates are set by central government but why not some sort of private levy with these businesses. Perhaps we could encourage people to see how to take tenure of them at perhaps more affordable rent.
"It seems silly to be held hostage by private companies at the detriment of the town. I think we should be more proactive in getting these shops filled."
Mr Middleton responded by saying the levies are extremely difficult as they are not something the council itself can control but he said he would encourage the government to act support local shops.
It comes as a £25 million masterplan has been unveiled to enhance Lynn through the Towns Fund. The plan promises to provide more cultural and leisure opportunities, new homes and a revived waterfront, and is expected to be submitted to the government by the end of October.
North West Norfolk MP James Wild told the Lynn News: "Plans are in place for the high street with the £25m Towns Fund which is a different vision for the future of the town centre.We want to see the footfall increase by creating a sustainable high street which is worth visiting. I have a Towns Fund bid meeting this afternoon (Friday) which could result in a lot of money for the borough."
