From: Michele Wietscher,
Director, Newview Windows

Regenerating underused parts of cities and towns by building mixed-use developments could provide a golden bullet to help both the ailing high-street and the construction sector.

The latest figures around housebuilding and construction show a ‘pick-up’ after the impact of the ‘beast from the east’. The high street has also taken a hit recently with major names tumbling like dominoes.

Mixed-use developments are nothing new, but they are an approach to building and using space that can be used even more across the UK. Cities like Manchester and Bristol are good examples of this approach in action. Bristol’s Wapping Wharf is an amazing development that has linked a once underused part of the city with its centre – providing a destination that has shops, restaurants and accommodation.

This particular project was inspired by developments in New York and is also interesting because all of the retailers are independents but many other mixed-use developments are also providing a space for national retailers. Obviously, it’s up to them to provide a brick to click service that consumers want – but having them in a destination space that combines food, housing and leisure could provide established retailers with a boost.

Mixed-use developments are notoriously hard to get off the ground though – due to the need for large spaces of available land and multiple parties involved, from housebuilders to retailers but in a time of tough retail and construction conditions, they are particularly appealing.

It’s also interesting to see how many of these developments regenerate areas in cities and towns that were once considered not as desirable. Some will call it gentrification, but you can’t ignore the supply side benefits such projects bring.

www.newview-homes.co.uk