THE manager of Andover BID has said that something needs to be done at a national level to address the issue of ‘absent landlords’ which are pricing out businesses from high streets.

Reacting to the decline in the retail sector, and the fact that many towns including Andover now face the burden of empty stores, Steve Godwin told the Advertiser that in order for town centres to move forward, the government is going to have to take action.

He said: “The rents and the rates are really high in the town centre, that’s why Andover has got to evolve to become an experience. This regeneration is going to be down to the government working with landlords and businesses.

“I am quite pleased with the support businesses have had over the Covid period from the government. Now we would like to see a reduction in business rates, set by government, and we would like to see a tax put on landlords that have long-term vacancies.”

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Expanding on the issues caused by individuals and companies who own buildings in Andover, but are not themselves based there, Mr Godwin continued: “We do not have a lot of control over what I call absent landlords. It’s really difficult to sell the benefits of Andover to them. When you have local owners, you can have a negotiation.”

He added that, for example, pitching ideas such as splitting ane expensive building up into smaller units to accommodate multiple independents is something he would like to do, but cannot often get through to private owners.

“If you are a pension company or similar and you own the building, you are looking at that as an asset, and whether you let it or not it’s going up in value. You have no incentive to let it,” he said.

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“I have businesses that would go in there. They can’t afford £40,000, but they might be able to afford £10,000. And they do not have the luxury of the national support that big chains do, although even they are having to leave high streets because it is too expensive.

“That is why we are so keen to work with TVBC because, by working with other local authorities and the government, they can make it happen.”

He added: “We are part of a national organisation called the British BID Association and we are looking at it at a higher level, to see if there is anything that can be done in terms of lobbying government.

“To a degree, there is not a lot that the local BID can do, but together, if we can lobby decision-makers, we may get somewhere.”

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