More work may soon be on the way for contractors working in the shop-fitting, refurbishment, and construction trades, thanks to a new government plan to give the UK’s high streets a well-deserved boost, it was recently reported.
Umbrella company service contractors were gratified to hear the announcement, made by communities secretary Eric Pickles, that proposals have been made to bin restrictions on start-up firms making use of temporarily vacant shops on the high street. These temporary storefronts, sometimes known as ‘pop-up shops,’ have often been used to populate otherwise empty high street buildings on an interim basis while the search for a permanent occupier is underway, but not all businesses have been welcome to fill vacant shops up until now.
Some start-ups have found it difficult to secure a pop-up shop due to strict planning rules that limit what types of businesses a given vacant storefront can use. However, the new proposals would ease these regulations, paving the way for shop owners to minimise their costly downtime in-between tenants, making it more easy to switch from one purpose for the empty shop to a new one.
Under the new rules, landlords would have the freedom to change the use of a vacant shop for as long as two years on temporary basis, which means that that the construction and refurbishment sectors could receive a boost from new tenants coming in to an existing space and having it renovated to fit their needs. Independent contractors and freelancers working in the construction industry through an umbrella company could see a knock-on effect of increased demand for their services as a result.
