Category Archives: Mary Portas

Build Back Better: Bill Grimsey and Covid

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

When Mary Portas produced her report for the UK Government on high streets, Bill Grimsey was quick to posit an alternative and to focus on leadership and technology for places.  His report and its follow-up a few years later have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, CLES, Community, Consumers, Covid19, Government, High Streets, Leadership, Local Authorities, Mary Portas, Places, Proactive Planning, Public Policy, Regulation, Reinvention, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Social Justice, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Towns and Town Centres in Scotland: reflections six years on from Fraser

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

I was recently asked to do a 10 minute reflection on the state of towns and town centres in Scotland and the work that has derived from the Fraser Review (the National Review of Town Centres) and from Scotland’s Towns Partnership. … Continue reading →

Posted in BIDS, Bids Scotland, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Creative Places, Development Trusts, Government, High Streets, Internet shopping, Local Authorities, Mary Portas, Online Retailing, Place Standard, Places, Planning, Policy, Rates, Regeneration, Reinvention, Rents, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Retailers, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Tax, TCRF, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trading Places: our Town and Country Planning Columns

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

In 2012 Anne Findlay and I attempted to take over from Professor Cliff Guy who had provided the Trading Places columns in Town and Country Planning for 12 years.  In the subsequent 6 years we have produced 23 columns, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Alcohol, BIDS, Bill Grimsey, Bookmakers, Consumer Change, Consumers, Farm Shops, Food Retailing, Government, High Streets, Internet shopping, Mary Portas, Places, Planning, Pop-Up Shops, Proactive Planning, Rates, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail Parks, Retail Planning, Retail Policy, Social Inequality, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Business Rates: an election issue (not)

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

This blog has covered the issue of rates on a number of occasions (e.g. rates relief, a levy, some rates and the Grimsey report, the poll tax and business rates) never fully satisfactory, and indeed, re-reading the pieces, with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Closure, Governance, Government, High Streets, Internet, Internet shopping, Large Store Levy, Mary Portas, Online Retailing, Places, Politicians, Public Health lev, Rates, Regulation, Retail Policy, Retailers, Store Closures, Tax, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Wrong Vocabulary?

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

One of the recurring themes within this blog, and some of the writings and papers it has reported on, is the inexactitude of many of the terms and concepts that we use in discussing retail change. Going beyond that, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Bill Grimsey, Community, ESRC, High Streets, Local Data Company, Mary Portas, PhD, Places, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Retailing, High Streets, Town Centres and Stirling

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

I don’t often get to watch much daytime TV, especially at work, but that’s another thing the internet is transforming. The ability to stream TV direct to my desktop has opened up new panoramas (and I don’t mean Jeremy Kyle, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Consumers, Government, High Streets, Internet, Mary Portas, Places, Stirling, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Levy, Some Rates and the Grimsey Report

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

I quite enjoy the flight to Singapore (which is where I was much of last week) as it gives me time to read and catch up on a few things; once I’ve landed things get more hectic with wall to … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Bill Grimsey, Government, High Streets, Mary Portas, Property, Rates, Tax, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Poll Tax and Business Rates

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

This week is the Mary and Bill show – fast turning in to the retail version of Punch and Judy – and no doubt we will return to the rival (?) visions of the high street after I’ve had chance … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Government, High Streets, Mary Portas, Property, Rates, Tax, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

National Review of Town Centres

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

In addition to being on the Scottish Government’s Expert Advisory Group on the lessons from the horsemeat scandal I have also been a member of the External Advisory Group (EAG) on the Scottish Government’s National Review of Town Centres. Not … Continue reading →

Posted in BIDS, Government, High Streets, Mary Portas, Places, Planning, Rates, Retail Economy, Retailing, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, VAT | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Crane vs Portas

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

The majority of this blog entry is authored by my colleague Anne Findlay, who indulged in a little bout of town focused channel surfing one night last week and came across two very different views of towns. In the Scottish … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer Change, High Streets, Localisation, Mary Portas, Places, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centres | Tagged | 4 Comments