LONG-term empty units in Carlisle could brought back into life under new government plans.

Starting on December 2, High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) will empower councils like Cumberland to tackle persistently vacant properties in city, town and village centres by putting the leases up for auction.

The move will stop disengaged landlords from sitting on empty properties for more than 365 days in a 24-month period, before councils can step in and auction a one-to-five-year lease ultimately putting the vacant units back into productive use.

With one in seven high street shops currently closed, the government is allocating over £1 million to support the auction process.

However, before putting a property into a rental auction, the local authority must first seek to resolve the vacancy by engaging with the landlord.

Suzanne Caldwell of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce said: "This is something we’re keen to see happen as part of the mix of improving our towns and city, and indeed villages.

"This is one of the blockers to revitalisation – as was discussed recently when a question about such empty properties was raised at the Young People’s Question Time in Barrow."

However, she warned that it is "just one" measure and that it is "vital that councils and businesses have the funds available to develop and operate these properties," especially given current financial pressures.

Pressures that have been “added to significantly by the changes announced in the Budget to Employers’ National Insurance and the National Minimum Wage.”

The issue of high street decline and vacant units was raised back at a Cumberland Council meeting in January. 

One of the most prominent empty units in the city centre is the Debenhams unit which has been vacant since 2021. However, earlier this month it was revealed that a ‘major international retailer’ will be moving into the ground floor unit as The Lanes shopping centre leasehold also goes up for sale.

It has yet to be revealed as to who the retailer will be.

The former Tesco premises at Victoria Viaduct also remains empty after the supermarket announced they will be moving into the former House of Fraser Space in 2025.

Similarly, the former Wilkos unit at Carlisle Market Hall has remained vacant since the firm went into administration last year. 

Local Growth Minister Alex Norris said: “We are giving local councils the tools to take back control. High Street Rental Auctions will put local communities first, re-energising town centres and driving local opportunities and growth.”