Will Street return to its Golden Mile status?

A shop vacancy report shows Street to be thriving as a shopping centre in comparison with neighbouring towns which all have a bigger footfall. Two years ago ten shops stood empty on the high street.

Business leaders urged landlords and residents to pull together and help them to save the High Street.

Philip Eavis, acting chairman of Street Chamber of Commerce in 2009, said it was the first time in 40 years he had seen empty shops in the middle of the High Street.

He said the problem some landlords were asking for high rents which few people could afford. However, he was positive that the High Street could weather the storm and it appears he was right.

Only 3.9 per cent of Street's shops are empty today compared with nine per cent in Taunton, 17 per cent in Yeovil and 19 per cent in Weston-super-Mare, according to figures released in The Local Data Company's Shop Vacancy Report.

The national shop vacancy rate was 14.3 per cent during the second half of 2011.

Councillor Terry Napper said: "I've got to praise Mendip for the management of the High Street and Clarks Village. They must be doing something right. I am very proud of the High Street. Living Homes has just expanded and taken over one of the big shops.

"However, we have to be mindful of the trading difficulties which some shops are experiencing at this time."

Peacocks went into administration earlier this year and there were 15 empty shops on the High Street and in Clarks Village last summer.

There are 75 business units in Clarks Village and 157 on the High Street. According to the 3.9 per cent statistic, that means nine shops are vacant. Paul Stephenson, vice chair of Street Chamber of Commerce, said the number of empty high street shops was about six or seven.

He said: "The chamber fears more losses in the next six to 12 months. Rents aren't anywhere near realistic.

"Our view is that businesses are surviving despite what is going on without particular help from landlords or government.

"Parking is still a big problem in Street. There is a feeling among independent traders that if parking were subsidised it would make a difference. But it's a source of revenue for Mendip District Council. They don't care as long as it makes money for them."

Clarks, founded in Street in 1825 and now a global brand, put Street firmly on the shopping map, although now the shoes are made in low wage European and Asian countries to keep the company as profitable as possible.

The growth in retail sales by supermarkets and the internet is having a significant effect on high streets around the country. Retail leases coming to an end and the uncertainty in the banking sector are also factors affecting the success of the high street. Shop vacancy rates are expected to rise in 2012.

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: "Today's figures show that while some high streets are thriving, others remain locked in a spiral of decline. To turn these areas around will be difficult and will need landlords, retailers and local authorities to work closely together to adapt to changes in the way we shop."