Member Article

Gloucestershire LEP to report on Government retail pilot

The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in Gloucestershire, GFirst, is preparing to report back on UK high streets at the end of March.

GFirst was chosen for a Government pathfinder scheme that would assess ways to revitalise British town centres and identify a set of tools to improve retail and the wider economy.

The pilot was funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Association of Town and Cities Management to investigate how different areas will benefit from different regeneration strategies.

Local authorities, LEPs, town centre planning teams and managers will hear from GFirst on 20th March at the “Successful town centres-developing effective strategies” event.

Diane Savory, chair of the Gloucestershire LEP, commented: “In the current economic climate many high streets are struggling to stay afloat but they can all be successful by knowing who they are and how they can prosper.

“There are a number of factors that make successful high streets and our work will give people the strategic tools to unleash the retail potential of their area.

“We want our tools to empower town teams, local authorities, town centre managers and LEPs to build vibrant retail and high streets, working in partnership with retailers, communities and other key organisations that also have the desire and need to ensure high streets remain part of our daily lives.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .