As a part of Historic England’s High Streets Heritage Action Zones (HAZ) programme, a consultation is going on to create a design guide that will help improve the look of commercial shopfronts across Ryde and Newport.
The guide aims to promote the conservation and restoration of high-quality commercial frontages for healthy historic high streets.
Some of the many issues that the new guidance could address include the design of shopfronts, sign colours, the use of hanging signs, sensitive conversion of shops to residential units, shopfront lighting and the use of awnings and canopies.
The guidance is likely to be used to create similar guides for other parts of the Island in the future.
The Isle of Wight Council and partners Historic England, Newport & Carisbrooke Community Council and Ryde Town Council have already been seeking input from businesses and organisations and now a draft guide has been published that is open for public comments.
A final version is expected to be published in January 2022.
Councillor Julie Jones-Evans said:
“Our High Streets and town centres are vital to the economic regeneration of the Isle of Wight, but we can’t make them work if we compromise them with unattractive and ineffective shops and buildings.
Article continues below this advertisement “Agreeing how we want shops and businesses to present themselves is an important step towards revitalising these important retail areas.
“It won’t be an overnight fix, but I know from the many comments and suggestions we have already had that people take this issue seriously and understand why it can make a positive difference as our retail and business areas change and develop.
“We have seen that this is an approach that has been very successful in historic towns elsewhere in the country, and I’m looking forward to businesses in Ryde and Newport getting the benefit of these improvements.”
You can see the draft guidance and have your say at https://iwhaz.uk/project/design-guide/.
In Ryde today and we were asked about the seating outside the NATWEST as they said RTC want to change it for more welcoming and comfortable seating. So un-necessary – the seating is practical, always looks clean and “if it ain’t broke – don’t mend it” comes to mind.
Now, if the money was spent on getting rid of the hideous NATWEST building that would be a different matter.
How that ever got through planning and replacing the Theatre Royal is a complete mystery.
Glad to hear someone is doing a good job of looking after that seating. They’re gathering ideas about the ‘street furniture’ from outside NatWest all the way up to St John’s Road so not necessarily thinking only of the space outside NatWest, which has had investment already. The brick and timber seats at the entrance to ‘pedestrianised’ High Street could be replaced if it would make it more welcoming and/or others put in further up, or the seating in St Thomas’ churchyard could be improved with a wider improvement of that space. It’s all part of a wider programme to improve the High Street area over the next two years and beyond
Are they going to put the druggies in suits?
If our high streets are so vital, why keep giving the green light to out of town super markets then?
Well would it not be an idea to attract some shops back to the high street by, for instance, charging reasonable rents, reasonable business rates, providing sensible car parking rates and so on. Make it worth going to Ryde and Newport, rather than a battle of wits. So, Mr Council, how about leading by example, if you have any leaders of course.
Too late for conservation the damage started in the 60s and continues unabated, the best that can be achieved could be termed ‘damage limitation’
These people have lost the plot. Get me a shop I want to go in first. Charity shops, vape shops, barbers and pharmacies do not maketh a shopping trip.
Despair.
Sounds like this will be just a consultation with shop owners about how they could spruce up the outside to make it mare appealing, which is nice, but who will pay the bill for new signs, awnings, paintwork, which ALL of Ryde and Newport needed 20 plus years ago… Get rid of that worn out faded off white colour.. ?? As for awnings I remember a Southern Vectis bus turning into Cross St and ramming into a shops awning. Awning had to be removed, but Southern Vectis did not pay up or even admit to the ‘ crash’ ….Hence no more awning !!
Hi As if..! That’s an interesting tale, the team will have to be wary of that happening again. There is a pot of funding for improving shopfronts as part of both High Street Heritage Action Zones and building owners have been invited to submit an expression of interest. The guidance will be used as part of the process of deciding which should receive the funding.
Another hand in my pocket after my wallet!
What shops are they on about in Newport?