By Gill Pawson
NO ONE can fail to notice the poor and declining state of our country’s main shopping streets. Evesham is no different. It’s a combination of a significant number of empty units or occupied ones that may not generate enough income to allow owners to invest in essential repairs and maintenance.
Or is it that some owners have no intention of ever investing in building maintenance?
Unfortunately for Evesham, all its shopping streets are situated in the core of the town’s conservation area. In other words, it’s the buildings which are our most historic and architecturally interesting.
High Street in April 2025 before Nostalgia Cafe opened Ifar left). Picture Lise Evans
Much has been said nationally about this problem. Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed is encouraging councils to use compulsory purchase powers to buy up empty shops and bring them into community ownership.
He highlighted the problem of property owned by overseas investors being twice as likely to be empty and run down. In Evesham, although I am unable to quantify the problem, it is well known that many of our poorly maintained and empty properties are owned by ‘absentee landlords’, who are not here to see the problems first hand.
Before the creation of the Evesham Place Board (EPB) four years ago, members of the Vale of Evesham Civic Society carried out a building condition survey and followed this up by writing to the owners/occupiers of those in the worst condition that were also Listed Buildings. We drew attention to the urgent need to do something.
Old O2 shop in Bridge Street. Picture by Craig Reeves
Out of about 15 such letters, only two units received some attention – Boots and the then WHSmith. Many of the owners of the units had contact addresses many miles away.
EPB has devoted some of its limited funds to offering grants for building front improvements, but even with this incentive it’s hard work persuading owners to take it up.
I agree that a more positive approach by Government is needed to address this nationwide problem, but putting the onus on local councils and the communities to take on unused buildings is in my opinion likely only to be a ‘drop in the ocean’.
Town centres have an economic purpose, but these days also have a very important social purpose, by providing space and services for people to get together, both in the day and evening.
We need businesses to be given more help by Government. While waiting for this help (which may never come) we need to do all that we can as residents to ‘buy local’ and as visitors to come and enjoy Evesham’s our unique heritage whilst spending some money.
More free parking is urgently needed – this plea has been ringing in my ears for years. Perhaps we can make this happen by lobbying our district councillors?
