Otley secures government funding to investigate empty shops

Otley has been granted money after a bid by Leeds City Council with backing from Leeds North West MP Katie White, who made bringing the Fultons building back to life a major election pledge.

In December, it was announced that the former store, which had been empty since 2022, had finally been bought and will be renovated this year.

This is alongside the new funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government which will allow the council and local business groups to map every vacant unit in Otley, understand the ownership and help bring more properties back into use.

Ms White said: “Otley is already a brilliant high street, full of character, independent businesses and real community spirit.

“What excites me is the huge opportunity we have to build on that and make it even stronger.

“Before you can unlock the next chapter for a town centre, you need a clear picture of what is really going on.

“This funding will help us understand which buildings are empty, who owns them, and what it will take to bring them back to life.

“We have already seen with the Fultons campaign what happens when local people get behind a plan for their high street.

“My focus now is keeping that momentum going and making sure Otley’s high street continues to grow, evolve and thrive.”

Otley is the second place in Yorkshire to be granted these powers, alongside Scarborough on the North Yorkshire coast.

This came after councils, including Barnsley, were given the power of High Street Rental Auctions, which allowed them to auction off leases for commercial properties that had been empty for long periods.

Recent research by the Centre for Cities found that almost one in five shops are empty in some Yorkshire cities.

Vacancy rates in Bradford are more than twice as high in London and Cambridge, according to the report, which said that it means many people feel a lack of pride in their town centres as “shuttered-up shops influence people's opinions”.

It calls for certain cities and towns to reduce the amount of retail space to revive their streets.

“City centres that struggle are over-supplied with shops and under-supplied with people,” chief executive Andrew Carter said.

“If local residents don’t have money to spend or a reason to be in the centre, high streets suffer – no matter what interventions are made.

“It is possible to revive the fortunes of struggling high streets. But it will require local and national governments to start by fixing the economy, and not just focussing on the high street itself.”

The report called on the Government to treat city centres as critical parts of the national economy, and focus on the experience for residents as opposed to tourists.