Environment

Where do high streets sit in the modern world? They aren’t the shopping hub they used to be, with the dominance of online shopping. Too many high streets are falling into disuse, with shops opening and then falling under. Work needs to be done to restore high streets up and down the country. This will drive the economy, knit communities and support local businesses. We recently hosted The Restoring the High Street Conference 2025, which explored the ways in which we can restore high streets to be the community hubs they once were. One of the incredible speakers in attendance was Rowenna Davis, a councillor from Croydon Council, who delivered a compelling case study which we have summarised below. Rowenna believes that the key to restoring high streets is to transform them into social hubs, places where people can connect and rebuild a sense of community. Find out more below!