Empty shops in North Paddington to be brought “back to life”
Westminster City Council’s Cabinet has approved the designation of the North Paddington High Streets Area to tackle “persistently” empty shops, in a bid to boost “local pride” and drive economic growth. The council will be among the nation’s first to adopt new High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers introduced in December 2024 that give councils a “new mechanism to engage with the small number of landlords that leave retail units vacant for years.”
If “proactive engagement” proves unsuccessful, the council can force a landlord to rent out the properties to new tenants for up to five years.
Harrow Road currently has a shop-front vacancy rate at 7.2%. While lower than the national average, long-term empty shops “undermine the health of any high street and can become a focal point for anti-social behaviour,” the council says. Public consultation in autumn 2025 received strong support for adopting HSRA powers, with 87.5% of respondents in favour of the proposed designation.
The council says it will prioritise proactive engagement with landlords and explore alternative solutions before it pursues formal notice and initiate auction proceedings. Suitable properties may be directed to Westminster’s Meanwhile On Programme, which the council says has “already transformed numerous vacant or underused shops across the city into vibrant spaces hosting new retail brands and experiences.”
If statutory action becomes necessary, landlords of empty shops will have an eight-week period to secure an “acceptable” tenant. The council can refuse a tenant “such as a candy store or vape shop that will not contribute positively to the area’s economy, environment or community.”
If no acceptable tenant is secured, a final notice will be served before an auction process begins to fund a suitable occupier.
Queens Park Hall on Harrow Road and 108 Bourne Terrace have both been identified as initial priority sites with long term vacancy. The landlords have been contacted by the council to explore how the units “can be brought into productive use.”
While the High Street Rental Auction will initially apply only in the North Paddington high streets area, the council says it intends to “undertake further consultation on expanding the initiative to other parts of the city,” including Paddington, Bayswater, and Pimlico, where it says “persistent vacancies are also impacting high street vitality.”
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