At least 20 empty Northampton high-street shops could be dusted off with council policy to attract developers

There are at least 20 stores on Northampton's high street alone that could be dusted off and made more appealing under a borough council plan to "free-up" planning projects for the town's empty stores.

The borough council is consulting the Northampton public about how it should handle planning projects in the town until 2029.One change it hopes to make is to be more "open-minded" towards developers' plans if they show an interest in a unit that has been vacant for over a year.

Planning laws mean that if a developer wants to change the type of business run out of a unit - such as a plan to open a restaurant where there used to be a clothes shop - they have to make a "change-of-use" application to the council.

But in recent years, the difficulties facing the high street means empty shops can remain that way for a long time. Developers can be reluctant to open a business at a former retail shop because it means more work to apply for a change of use.

This is the case at the former CardMarket on Abington Street, which has had an application passed to reclassify the premises as a restaurant in a bid to attract developers because there was no apparent interest from anyone to reopen it as a shop.

Now, the council's Local Plan has a proposal to tackle the problem of filling the town centre's longest-standing empty stores and largest units.

It includes a strategy to support any planning projects of any sort that want to open up on a high street unit that has been empty for longer than a year with "no realistic prospects" of becoming a shop again.

It's a statement that planning officers would be happy to hear new ideas for the town's empty stores rather than hold out on new brands opening them up again as shops.

In Northampton town centre alone, it would immediately affect more than 20 vacant shops that have been empty for more than a year, including:

- Marks & Spencers, Abington Street

- Former Nationwide, east end of Abington Street

- Former Royal bank of Scotland, Abington Street,

- Cash Generator pawn shop, Abington Street

- Former Gallone's Ice Cream Parlour, Abington Street

- Former Boots Opticians, Abington Street

- Former Martins Newsagents, Abington Street

- Former TSB Bank, Abington Street

- Former Melody Clothes Shop, Abington Street

- Large empty unit between Coffee House and Elegance Beauty, Abington Street

- Former Marie Curie charity shop, Abington Street

- Former William Hill Betting Shop, Fish Street

- Former River Island, Abington Street

- Former Cardmarket, Abington Street

- Former DW Sports Stores, The Drapery

- Former Manna House, St Giles Street

- Former J.Lawrence & Co Ltd, St Giles Street

- Former Chata Cafe & Restaurant, St Giles Street

- Former Northampton Sewing Studio, St Giles Street

The consultation is available online at the borough council website and we will also have a dedicated terminal within the Guildhall One-stop Shop for those who don’t have the technology to access the documents at home.