A special task force will be formed in a bid to fill empty units in Renfrewshire town centres after vacancy rates increased.
The move has been agreed amid a “perfect storm” of factors – ranging from soaring costs to a drop in demand during the cost-of-living crisis.
Figures presented at the economy and regeneration policy board on Tuesday showed town centre vacancy levels have risen by 6.4 per cent in Paisley, six per cent in Renfrew and 9.2 per cent in Johnstone in the last three years.
Councillor Andy Doig called for a group of officers to be established to examine barriers to occupancy and letting, bring forward potential policy changes, promote market-ready vacancies and identify actions for those that are not ready.
He told this week’s board meeting: “I think there’s a desire for people after lockdown to move back to traditional high street shopping. I think the signs are there. They’re small but they’re significant.
“A lot of the shopping malls in the west of Scotland are beginning to look a bit tired and the 20-year surge has maybe had its day, so we need to be in a really strong position to meet that change.
“I do think this would put a new focus on the need to see these empty units are not liabilities to the council.
“I’m not necessarily saying that has been the mentality in the past, but these are actually potential assets at a time when this council needs every single penny we can get. We can’t afford to be lackadaisical about this issue.”
According to an update on Renfrewshire’s economic profile, Paisley has a town centre vacancy rate of 20 per cent, while Johnstone’s is 19 per cent and Renfrew’s is 14 per cent.
Alasdair Morrison, the council’s head of economy and development, said there was a “huge amount” of wider economic issues currently affecting town centres, such as the conflict in Ukraine and its impact on energy prices, as well as “hyper-inflation”.
He also confirmed plans to consider a long-term vision for Johnstone town centre in particular, which he described as “well overdue”.
Mr Morrison added: “One of the things to bear in mind is this perfect storm in terms of why businesses are taking the decisions that they are.
“They’re being hit on all sides, by a lower level of demand because of the cost-of-living crisis, higher costs because of the way that things have gone in terms of energy, supply and labour costs, and so many other things. It’s almost like that kind of perfect storm that’s hitting a number of businesses at the moment.
“Speaking to businesses, like I do on a regular basis, it’s very, very difficult for them to cope and to see what that future beyond three, four, five and six months looks like.
“A lot of businesses are just not choosing to go and extend their footprint and open another unit, another shop, in whatever town centre it is. They’re taking the decision instead to regress and stay where they are or, in a lot of cases, basically just close units.”
Councillor Doig’s plea for a task force to tackle the issue was agreed by his fellow elected members.
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