High Street Rental Auctions
The Council is committed to reducing town centre and high street vacancy levels across the district and increasing occupancy of commercial units, footfall and spend.
The Council can employ a range of methods and powers to strategically tackle the challenge of commercial vacancies, including enforcement powers and notices, compulsory purchase orders and maintaining the Dilapidated and Empty Properties Register.
Purpose of High Street Rental Auctions
High Street Rental Auctions (HSRA) are a new power for local authorities to require landlords to rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants, such as local businesses or community groups.
Utilising the HSRA process would enable concentrated efforts to increase occupancy levels and decrease persistent vacancies, which contribute to challenges with footfall, spend and the overall visual amenity, including the character and vibrancy, of an area. This new initiative will allow Ashfield District Council to work with landlords to bring buildings back to life, reducing the number of vacant premises across the district’s town centres and high streets.
HSRAs were introduced under The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, effective from December 2024, to tackle persistently vacant commercial properties on high streets and in town centres. The aim is to:
- Revitalise declining high streets
- Increase footfall and local economic activity
- Empower local authorities to intervene where landlords are not actively letting properties
The government's guidance is available online.
What premises may be affected?
To qualify for HSRA, a property must:
- Be located in a designated high street or town centre
- Have been vacant for 12 consecutive months, or 366 days non-consecutively within the last 2 years
- Be suitable for high street use (for example, shops, offices cafes, community halls)
- Be deemed beneficial to the local economy, society or environment if occupied
Warehouses are explicitly excluded.
The powers will not be used where commercial premises are already occupied by a tenant.
Which areas have been identified?
Before commencing the auction process, local authorities must first designate an area (or areas) which is considered vital to the local economy and has a concentration of high-street uses. The area must then be published as a map and described for a period of not less than 28-days, during which representations can be made.
The Council’s Cabinet have provisionally approved four Designated Areas, subject to community consultation. The four areas are: Sutton-in-Ashfield town centre, Stanton Hill high street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield town centre and Hucknall town centre. The Council will consult with the public on Sutton-in-Ashfield and Stanton Hill in the first instance, as these areas have the highest vacancy rates in Ashfield.
Sutton-in-Ashfield town centre has a vacancy rate of 13.2% and Stanton Hill High Street has a vacancy rate of 13.9%. Maps for both areas, along with a description of each area are included on this page.
Contacts
If you wish to comment on the areas or have any questions, we invite you to submit your representations in writing.
- email: place@ashfield.gov.uk
- address:
Ashfield District Council
Urban Road
Kirkby in Ashfield
Nottinghamshire
NG17 8DA
Auction process
The auction process takes 22-24 weeks after the community engagement period. It includes a notice period and an auction period.
The measures will be used alongside other enforcement tools and engagement. Where engagement with landlords has been exhausted and has not been successful, High Street Rental Auctions will be considered to increase occupancy levels across Ashfield's town centres and high streets.
Auction process timeline
1. Initial notice (weeks 1 to 8)
-
- Served by the local authority to the landlord
- Landlord has 8 weeks to let the property (with council consent)
- Restrictions apply to granting leases or making changes during this period
2. Final Notice and auction period
-
- If no lease is agreed, a final notice is served
- Landlord must provide:
- Title documents
- Safety certificates (EPC, gas, fire, asbestos, etc)
- Responses to pre-contract enquiries
- Marketing and bidding occur between weeks 14 to 20
3. Lease agreement (weeks 21 to 24)
-
- Local authority may enter into lease on landlord's behalf if needed
- Lease terms:
- Duration: 1 to 5 years
- Use: Must match designated high street use
Legal powers and enforcement
- Landlord non-compliance (for instance, the landlord failing to provide the required information requested by the council or making unauthorised changes without council consent) is a criminal offence and may result in fines.
- If the landlord refuses to enter into the lease, the local authority can do so on their behalf
- Leases are binding on successor landlords
Designated areas
Interactive map
The interactive map shows the allocated HSRA boundaries and addresses within them. You can search to check if an address lies within either of the two boundary regions.
Sutton in Ashfield
4 - 18 Brook Street
Broadway House, Brook Street
Broadway, Brook Street
The Post Office, Brook Street/Morven Street
Old Police Station Brook Street
20a & 32 Brook Street
45 Church Street
The White Swan, Devonshire Square
29 - 47 Forest Street
Sutton Bus Station, Forest Street
7-8 Jubilee Buildings
Delivery Office, Langton Road
The Idlewells
7-8 Jubilee Buildings
King Street
Low Street
Market Place
Market Street
1a The Welcome Institute, Morven Avenue
The Old Post Office, Morven Avenue
2 – 4 Parliament Street
Portland Square
2a St Michaels Street
14 - 19 St Michaels Court, St Michaels Street
7 – 11 New Street
Wilson House, North Street
Outram Street
Stanton Hill
3 Albert Street
Baptist Church, Albert Street
1 – 29 High Street
2 - 72 High Street
6 - 8 Victoria Street
Page last updated 29 October 2025