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Retail NI has warned that Northern Ireland’s high streets are facing a ‘dereliction crisis’, and are calling for a coordinated, Executive-wide and local council response to tackle the issue. Giving evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry on the Dilapidation Bill, Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said: “With nearly 25% of all non-domestic units vacant in our high streets, we are facing industrial levels of dereliction that require a co-ordinated Executive-wide and local council response to address this growing crisis. “Northern Ireland now has the highest levels of dereliction in the UK by some way. This is a shameful statistic.” While welcoming the proposed Dilapidation Bill, he cautioned that the legislation alone will “only scratch the surface” of the problem without a broader, long-term plan. He continued: “We need a five-year, multi-departmental reconstruction plan, as outlined by the High Street Taskforce. The Taskforce should be recalled to coordinate this plan across the Executive, councils and the business community. This problem can be turned around if the political will is there.” Roberts added that the future of Northern Ireland’s high streets lies in creating multi-functional community hubs: “21st-century reimagined high streets will be multi-functional hubs with libraries, community services, police stations, healthcare, leisure, education, open spaces, housing and sports facilities. "A revitalised retail and hospitality offer providing consumers with a dynamic experience is also crucial in that new vision.”
