The publication of Mary Portas’ review of UK high streets today has been long awaited and, since elements were leaked over the weekend, much discussed over the past few days even before today’s finding became public.

Retailers and experts alike have long been awaiting the revelation of her findings and the subject was one of the top trending subjects on Twitter today.

But detailed reaction to it has been varied. Some have accused her of being underwhelming in her findings and of giving little regard or penalty to the big box retailers like the supermarkets whom many feel are the culprits that have caused the empty high street problem in the first place.

Many have simply seized on the summary 28 recommendations she makes in conclusion rather than read the full detail in the 55 page report she has produced. Some believe her recommendations carry weight – others that they are lacklustre and weak in substance.

But whatever your view on her recommendations the reality was there was never going to be an easy fix for UK’s high streets – if there was there is many a retail mind that could have come up with the magic solution before now. Instead what the Portas review has done is that which many of her 28 recommendations are based on – it as got people talking. The challenge now is to make sure that conversation between the public, retailers and town centres continues. Only then can there be hope of change for the future.

PORTAS’ RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Put in place a “Town Team”: a visionary, strategic and strong operational management team for high streets

2. Empower successful Business Improvement Districts to take on more responsibilities and powers and become “Super-BIDs”

3. Legislate to allow landlords to become high street investors by contributing to their Business Improvement District

4. Establish a new “National Market Day” where budding shopkeepers can try their hand at operating a low-cost retail business

5. Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations so that anyone can trade on the high street unless there is a valid reason why not

6. Government should consider whether business rates can better support small businesses and independent retailers

7. Local authorities should use their new discretionary powers to give business rate concessions to new local businesses

8. Make business rates work for business by reviewing the use of the RPI with a view to changing the calculation to CPI

9. Local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes that work for their town centres and we should have a new parking league table

10. Town Teams should focus on making high streets accessible, attractive and safe

11. Government should include high street deregulation as part of their ongoing work on freeing up red tape

12. Address the restrictive aspects of the ‘Use Class’ system to make it easier to change the uses of key properties on the high street

13. Put betting shops into a separate ‘Use Class’ of their own

14. Make explicit a presumption in favour of town centre development in the wording of the National Planning Policy Framework

15. Introduce Secretary of State “exceptional sign off ” for all new out-of-town developments and require all large new developments to have an “affordable shops” quota

16. Large retailers should support and mentor local businesses and independent retailers

17. Retailers should report on their support of local high streets in their annual report

18. Encourage a contract of care between landlords and their commercial tenants by promoting the leasing code and supporting the use of lease structures other than upward only rent reviews, especially for small businesses

19. Explore further disincentives to prevent landlords from leaving units vacant

20. Banks who own empty property on the high street should either administer these assets well or be required to sell them

21. Local authorities should make more proactive use of Compulsory Purchase Order powers to encourage the redevelopment of key high street retail space

22. Empower local authorities to step in when landlords are negligent with new “Empty Shop Management Orders”

23. Introduce a public register of high street landlords

24. Run a high profile campaign to get people involved in Neighbourhood Plans

25. Promote the inclusion of the High Street in Neighbourhood Plans

26. Developers should make a financial contribution to ensure that the local community has a strong voice in the planning system

27. Support imaginative community use of empty properties through Community Right to Buy, Meanwhile Use and a new “Community Right to Try”

28. Run a number of High Street Pilots to test proof of concept