On Friday, I walked around the centre of Guildford and grabbed pictures of all the empty spaces I could find. Guildford is a pretty prosperous area, not the sort of place you'd expect to need re-generation. At the weekend, especially, the High Street is full of shoppers wandering around in retail daze - "where can we spend just a little bit more of our large disposable income?"
I've been here just less than a year. And having worked on High Street regeneration projects I'm probably slightly more sensitive to it than the average punter. I've seen some places close and re-open as something else immediately, so it's not dead (especially the main High Street) but the upper part of the High Street and North Street (which runs parallel) plus the side streets off and between do seem to be feeling the strain, things shut and stay shut.
I counted 34 empty retail/restaurant units, one with "Closing Down Sale" in the windows (which may or may not be true), plus the old Cinderella's nightclub. There are a couple of other nightclub sites that are empty but off the main drag. This also includes the former Loch Fyne restaurant which, in the eighties as "Scout Hall", was the GSA building we spent our first year in.
Six of the retail units are in the newly re-opened Tunsgate Square shopping centre - these are the ones that are marked "under offer" or "available", not those that have signs for a named tenant moving in. I'm sceptical about "under offer", but maybe they'll come through sooner rather than later. I'll let you know. Also the "pop-up container park" The Village by the bus station closed suddenly after Christmas and I saw yesterday that the containers have all been removed. Who knows what the council are doing.
So a large amount of empty space not generating rents and gradually eroding the town's image. I don't have any immediate plans but I'm collecting evidence and thinking about what would create most value.