Council plans to force empty shop units into use

A council is planning to use new legal powers to force empty shops on key high streets back into use.

Barnsley Council has announced efforts to tackle long-term vacancies in Wombwell, Goldthorpe and the town centre.

If the plans are approved, the council could put up for auction the right to rent shops that have been empty for more than a year, with tenancies lasting up to five years.

High Street Rental Auctions were introduced under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 and are intended to address premises that are considered to be holding back local economies.

The proposed areas include Market Street, Peel Street and Shambles Street in the town centre, High Street and Station Road in Wombwell, and Doncaster Road in Goldthorpe.

In Goldthorpe, vacancy rates are significantly higher than the borough average, while smaller clusters of persistent vacancy have been identified in Wombwell.

Some properties on Peel Street and Shambles Street in the centre have been empty for more than a decade.

Landlords would be given a chance to let the building or put it up for auction before the council took action, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council officers said the powers will be used selectively and are not intended for large department stores or buildings subject to complex redevelopment plans.

Officers say the new powers would complement the council's planned Vacant Spaces Agency, due to launch later this year, which aims to support bringing empty units back into use across the borough.

The proposals form part of wider regeneration efforts by the council.

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