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<p>This Government is fully committed to supporting the businesses and communities
that make our high streets and town centres successful as the nation responds to the
impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>High streets and town centre regeneration
policy is a devolved matter. Government officials have worked and will continue to
work closely with their counterparts in the devolved administrations on the response
to COVID-19 and in the future.</p><p>We are providing support to local leadership
in England with a High Streets Task Force, giving them expert advice to support their
high streets and town centres to adapt and thrive. Up to 2024 this is providing hands-on
support to local areas to develop data-driven innovative strategies and connect local
areas to relevant experts.</p><p>To support our town centres and high streets, we
have introduced reforms to the use classes to enable more flexible use of existing
buildings. These reforms create a new ‘commercial, business and service’ use class
which encompasses a wide range of uses which will attract people to high streets and
town centres. This includes offices and other business uses, shops, cafes, gyms and
any other uses which are suitable in a town centre. The new class also allows for
mixed uses to reflect changing retail and business models.</p>
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