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28
Jan 2023
How Harrogate is following the town centre living trend
From Oxford Street to West Park, Harrogate has seen a flurry of recent planning applications to build flats above town centre shops.
Over the past few years, developers have turned their attention to local high streets – specifically to unused retail space.
It’s part of a trend across the UK which has grown since the covid pandemic.
Instead of new build estates on the outskirts of town, developers see town centres as key for both tackling the housing market and revitalising the high street.
Alex Goldstein, an independent property consultant who works in Harrogate and London, said the trend would be good for the town centre, particularly for younger people who want to live closer to their workplace.
He added that the move was also a chance to regenerate Harrogate’s high street, which has fallen on hard times in recent years along with other towns.
Alex Goldstein, property consultant in Harrogate.
Mr Goldstein said:
Mr Goldstein added that the trend was replicated in bigger cities, such as London, where people want to be close to “cafe culture” and working remotely.
Harrogate following the trend
Cities such as Lincoln prepared for the changing high street as long ago as 2006, when City of Lincoln Council published its masterplan for the city centre.
It aimed to keep people in the city centre by offering a mixture of retail and "experience", such as coffee shops and cinemas.
The move is a far cry from the usual consumer retail units, such as Primark and River Island, which high streets have become known for.
The aim of keeping people in the city centre would partly be done by creating more residential space, the council said.
Harrogate is not immune to this trend.
On West Park, space above the now closed Orvis store is proposed to be converted into six new flats.
Read more:
- Harrogate council refuses James Street aparthotel plan
- Plan approved to create five flats above Cambridge Street shops
Just a stone's throw away on Cambridge Street, new apartments are proposed above a former phone shop and multiple applications have been submitted to convert the former post office on Cambridge Road into accommodation.
Meanwhile, the government recently stepped in to approve a redevelopment of the former Thomas Cook unit on James Street into three new flats.
A 17-bedroom aparthotel scheme on the floors above the new Oliver Bonas store on James Street was also planned, but was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council.
Left, the rear of the property on the former Thomas Cook unit on James Street currently; right, the proposed alteration.
In a report by estate agents Savills, Paul Wellman, residential researcher at the firm, estimated 36,000 new homes were built close to town centres across the UK in the five years to June 2020.
Since then, the move to think differently about retail on the high street has “accelerated” due to the covid pandemic.
Mr Wellman said:
An opportunity for young people
Much of the discussion around converting unused retail space into housing has centred on getting people in closer proximity to bars, restaurants and offices.
While cities such as Manchester and Leeds may have a wider retail offer to youngsters, Harrogate has its own selling point.
Allessandro Biraglia, associate professor of marketing at the University of Leeds, said Harrogate had its own independent retail sector, which bigger cities may not have due to expensive rates and bigger franchises dominating the high street.
As a result, he said living within a smaller town centre may offer an opportunity to “young professionals” who want to get their business ideas off the ground.
He said:
'The high street is shifting'
The legacy of covid has led to estate agents, property developers and businesses rethinking how they use the space available to them in town centres.
While larger developers will continue to opt for strategic housing sites, others will see chances to create homes in the heart of the high street such as Harrogate.
For Mr Goldstein, the move is a good thing for town centres.
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