The effect of the permitted development rights (PDR) regime has been remarkable in giving many obsolete office buildings a new lease of life - usually as residential developments. There must now be a case for exploring the same approach with many of the UK's secondary shopping centres. These are invariably major town centre structures that have been rendered redundant by more recently built neighbouring centres or out-of-town development. They represent an active barrier to regeneration and we must look at how they can have a future that makes a positive contribution, Some owners are simply demolishing redundant malls but this is a strategy that only mitigates the owner's losses and does not benefit the wider environment and community.
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