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<p>Our Plan for the High Street announced in Autumn Budget 2018 included a number
of measures to address the number of empty shops on high streets. The Open Doors pilot
tests a new way to address this challenge by matching landlords of empty commercial
properties across England with community groups looking for space; whilst the pilot
register for empty commercial properties will improve the transparency of ownership
on the high street, making it easier to bring empty shops into use. Our Plan for the
High Street also included commitments to cut business rates bills of small retailers
by one third.</p><p>In the Spring Statement of March 2019, the government announced
new and amended permitted development rights to support high streets making it easier
to change the use of high street properties as well as extending temporary change
of use to enable more community use of empty properties.</p>
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