Supporting high streets
High streets are vital to London:
- Outside the centre of London, over half of London’s jobs are spread across 600 high streets
- Two thirds of Londoners live within a five minute walk of a high street
- Almost half of Londoners do not leave their local area daily
- Two thirds of London’s developable land is on or near a high street
Supporting high streets
The Mayor’s ambition is for high streets to accommodate a wider mix of uses, including some of London’s new housing. With help, many of London’s high streets can become more exciting centres of life, full of economic and cultural energy.
Our priorities include:
- animating empty shops, disused buildings and underused outdoor spaces - through both temporary and permanent activities
- creating more welcoming and attractive high streets where people want to spend time - through events, public realm improvements and investment to ensure accessibility for all
- improving building frontages - through bold new colours, materials, imagery and signage
- increasing the delivery of new housing and jobs in town centres across London
- helping high street businesses to make better use of technology, refresh their marketing, and diversify their offer
- ensuring high streets are places for a diverse range of start-ups and SMEs, with plenty of affordable workspace
- supporting the formation of new organisations and groups that help London’s high streets and can continue to do so in the long-term
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