Commons Committee report on High Street support addresses evidence submitted by IHBC

The Commons cross party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee Inquiry into Supporting our High Streets after COVID-19 addresses points presented in the IHBC’s submitted evidence.

IHBC writes, “Many of the points in IHBC’s submission were taken up by the Committee and had a bearing on the content of the recommendations made to the Government, with IHBC citations in the notes. These included: account being taken of local circumstances; and the unfairness of tax regimes between high street and online businesses”.

In the report, the Committee also addressed IHBC’s submissions on:

• The need for regeneration grant schemes to be focussed on sustainable long-term benefits and to have expert design and building conservation advice in economic improvement and regeneration schemes to ensure improvements are of quality.
• The need for renewed focus on heritage-led regeneration in historic areas improving appearance of buildings especially shopfronts and making upper floors more viable.
• The need for the development of economic policies which ensure high streets remain at the centre of local communities.
• The need for planning policies and government funding programmes to prioritise viability challenges rather than affordability.

The full submission of written evidence from IHBC can be found here.

The full Committee report can be viewed here.

This article originally appeared under the headline, 'IHBC’s submission informs Commons Select Committee Inquiry Report "Supporting our High Streets after COVID-19"' on the NewsBlog portion of the IHBC website. It was published on 25 January 2022.

--Institute of Historic Building Conservation

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• 2020 Vision: Planning in a post-COVID world.
• High street.
• High streets heritage action zones.
• IHBC articles.
• Permitted development: The end of the high street or a blessing in disguise?
• Post pandemic places report.
• Real estate, place adaptation and innovation within an integrated retailing system.

[edit] External resources

• House of Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee Supporting our high streets after COVID-19 Sixth Report of Session 2021–22 Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report.
• IHBC, Written Evidence submitted by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation [SHS 022].