13 December 2011
Waveney MP and member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Town Centres, Peter Aldous, today welcomed the publication of the Portas review of the future of high streets.

The Review, commissioned by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills, sets out Mary Portas’ vision to breathe economic and community life back into our high streets.

It makes ambitious recommendations on what can be done – by government, local authorities and business – to help high streets deliver something new.

The focus is on putting the heart back into the centre of our high streets, re-imagined as exciting social hubs for shopping, learning socialising and having fun.

Mr Aldous, a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Town Centres said:

“I welcome this timely review into the future of our high streets, the renewal of which we should aim to have at the centre of local economic growth and job creation. I look forward to considering the recommendations in detail with local high street businesses in Lowestoft, Beccles and Bungay, as well as with Suffolk County Council and Waveney District Council. It is important that we do all we can to help our hard working local high street businesses flourish.”

The recommendations aim to:

  • Get town centres running like businesses.

  • Get the basics right to allow businesses to flourish.

  • Level the playing field.

  • Define landlords’ roles and responsibilities.

  • Give communities a greater say.


The report is published alongside new Government commissioned research, ‘Understanding High Street Performance’ (PDF, 2.1 Mb) , which shows that although some high streets continue to thrive, a third are degenerating or failing. It estimates that by 2014 less than 40% of retail spending will be on the high street; and that over the last decade out of town retail floorspace has risen by 30% while in town has shrunk by 14%.