Experts gather in Ramsgate to explore high street transformation and economic growth strategies 

• Experts gather to discuss the future of Ramsgate high street 

• The gathering explored how to fill empty shops with fresh independent businesses via pop-ups 

• Meeting attended by advisers from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero 

• Attendees discussed how to enact high street rental auctions and community right to buy powers 

• Local independent shops rather than high street chains key to sustainable success 

• Hosted by Enterprise Nation and Ramsgate Space 

A gathering of high street regeneration experts, government officials, data and finance professionals and local businesses converged on Ramsgate's historic Royal Temple Yacht Club on Wednesday to discuss how to deliver a plan to revive the town's embattled high street. 

The event was hosted by Emma Jones CBE, founder and chief executive of Enterprise Nation, in collaboration with Louise Brooks, co-founder of Ramsgate Space CIC, a community led business focussed on tackling Ramsgate's empty shops problem. 

The idea behind the event was to bring together a unique and powerful collection of expert views and experiences in how to reverse declining high streets by opening up empty shops to ambitious new retailers, while supporting existing businesses to thrive. 

Ramsgate is a town with a heroic and distinguished seafaring history. Its bustling harbour was where thousands of 'little ships' that evacuated allied troops from Dunkirk, set sail during the Second World War. 

It still has a charming harbour scene and sandy beaches bursting with luminous Kentish light, but behind its solid Georgian sea front, its once busy high street has been on a downward spiral for decades.  

With four banks leaving behind empty shells and retail chains like Wilko, New Look, Subway, WH Smith and Argos deserting its streets, Ramsgate now has one of the highest percentage of empty shops in the UK, 10% above the national average.  

The first panel discussed the concept of how best to build and nurture a viable and sustainable high street, with all the right components to drive demand back to once-neglected spaces.  

Becky Jones, co-founder of Someday Studios, works in partnership with Westminster Council and landlords to help reshape Oxford Street for the future by identifying and placing emerging start-ups and creatives in prime empty shops, rent free. 

Becky said:

"There is no shortage of demand for space. The difficulty is that there's no one in the pipeline plugging the gap between start-ups and empty spaces. It's a very complex area for a new business to navigate between landlords, agents and local authorities, but there's no one demystifying this process and until that happens, you won't see much progress." 

Stuart Langley, owner of Ramsgate-based award-winning Seabird restaurant in Addington Street, moved to Ramsgate in 2016 from London.

He still operates two thriving pub restaurants in London, but he started out running the charismatic pop-up Disappearing Dining Club, so is used to drumming up customers out of nowhere in challenging locations. 

Stuart said:

"In Ramsgate there is plenty of local loyalty, the challenge is long-term commitment. There is no smash and grab restaurant scene here in Ramsgate.  

"You have to build your business customer to customer, meal to meal, drink to drink and bill to bill. Every single customer has to leave having eaten and drunk well, experienced a great space and great service and feel it was value for money." 

The panel heard from Laura Reynolds, a Ramsgate-based jeweller and founder of Godessa Jewellery, who is looking to transition from selling online and in pop-up markets to take over an empty high street outlet in the town. 

But she said while regeneration was very welcome, she was worried about being priced out by higher rents if the wider Ramsgate retail economy were to improve. 

Jess Hudsley, founder of Light Up Ramsgate, said the town's creative sector was super active, but she felt collaboration was going to be key moving forward.  She said:

"There are small pots of funding available for the arts, but you get people competing for the same grant -- that's not what we need. We need collaboration." 

 The next panel debated how to identify a strategy to rebuild town centres using tried and tested ideas like those demonstrated in Hastings and nearby Folkstone. 

Adrian Lockwood, who was a leading figure in Creative Folkstone, explained how the town became a dynamic creative hotspot thanks to generous support and charismatic drive from Saga philanthropist Sir Roger de Haan. 

Adrian said:

"He started buying up empty properties and doing them up and letting them to creative businesses one by one. He has now invested more than £50 million in the town, repurposing 90 buildings, more than 250 different units, flats and work/live projects that are all occupied. 

"There are no chains. All the businesses are independent, it was one of the stipulations of Sir Roger's programme of regeneration." 

Ramsgate architect Ivan Del Renzio, co-founder of Del Renzio & Del Renzio, who has already drawn up a new layout for the town centre, agrees. He said:

"Margate and Broadstairs are booming and that is being driven by local business people rather than people with no ties to the town." 

He added that local entrepreneurs build businesses that reflect the local population, and local skills like the sailing industry and catering, while external chains and the distant owners of Airbnb properties often displace the local population. 

Jen Storan, projects director at Meanwhile Space, has worked on successful regeneration initiatives like Hastings Commons that was started by community partnerships buying one building at a time and providing affordable work and live space. 

She said:

"It's important to think about regeneration as a step-by-step process. It starts with meanwhile uses that are accessible and, with support, organisations can start looking at ownership.  

"Leveraging local authority and micro funding, combined with reasonable rates at the same level for perpetuity is vital." 

Matthew Hopkinson, founder of real estate data company Didobi and honorary professor at University College London, said:

"If regeneration is going to be successful, it must look through the lens of economic, social and environment.  

"Since 2010 Ramsgate has been above the national average for empty shops. Persistent vacancy is a problem and you need to understand why space is empty." 

New powers that will allow local authorities to auction leases on long-term empty high street properties, will give community groups like Ramsgate Space the tools they need to throw open empty shops to a new breed of fresh independent businesses. 

High street rental auctions (HSRA) came into force in four pilot areas last year and Thanet District Council has requested to become an early adopter. 

Matthew added:

"The principle behind the auctions is good, the difficulty will be bringing landlords to the table. Part of the issue is price, the other part is ensuring the businesses that occupy shops are good for Ramsgate and the community is ready for them." 

The delegation raised umbrellas to visit key sites in the town including successful independent homewares store Potters and a former cafe in Albert Court which is set to be the first pop-up of the Ramsgate Space project, set to open early 2025 offering retail space and business support for local business owners.