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Ghost towns or goldmines?


Repurposing empty retail spaces with MMC


Britain’s high streets are changing — and not always for the better


W


alk down almost any town centre and you’ll see the scars of a retail landscape in decline: boarded-up shopfronts, empty department stores, and fading signage from brands that once defined the nation’s consumer culture. According to the British Retail Consortium, one in seven shops now stands vacant across the UK, with some northern regions approaching one in five.


Yet amid the gloom, there is opportunity. The decline of traditional retail has leſt behind a wealth of underused land and robust building stock — much of it in prime, well-connected locations. As councils and developers search for ways to revitalise these urban cores, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) could provide the key. Far from being the end of the high street, this could be its rebirth. MMC Editor Joe Bradbury discusses:


From retail to regeneration


The shiſt away from bricks-and-mortar retail is structural, not cyclical. Online shopping now accounts for nearly a third of all retail sales in the UK, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. Even as footfall slowly recovers, consumer habits have changed for good. Town centres built for a mid- 20th-century shopping boom must now adapt to 21st-century living.


Repurposing these redundant spaces into housing, healthcare hubs, co-working centres, and community facilities is a logical step — but the challenge lies in how to do it efficiently and sustainably. That’s where MMC excels.


A ready-made urban framework


Unlike greenfield developments, disused retail spaces already benefit from established transport links, existing utilities, and local amenities. In planning terms, they are brownfield goldmines. By reusing these assets, MMC can help bring life back to areas that already have the bones of community — pavements, cafés, bus routes, schools — but lack people living there full-time.


For example, a redundant shopping centre can be 12 Autumn 2025 M37


transformed into mixed-use accommodation with retail on the ground floor and modular apartments above. A closed department store could become a healthcare hub or social housing complex, its structural frame retained and infilled with precision-made volumetric modules.


This “plug-in urbanism” model is already being trialled in cities like Nottingham and Sheffield, where developers are exploring modular interventions that fit within — rather than replace — existing building shells. The combination of adaptive reuse and MMC offers the rare chance to create sustainable density without sprawling outward.


The carbon dividend


Reusing retail space also pays dividends in terms of carbon reduction. Demolishing a department store and rebuilding from scratch can release thousands of tonnes of embodied carbon — an environmental cost the industry can ill afford.


By contrast, repurposing structures with MMC allows for lightweight, high-performance components to be inserted into existing frames, dramatically cutting material use and emissions. Hybrid timber or light-gauge steel systems can adapt to variable spans and irregular floor plates typical of retail buildings.


Moreover, because offsite manufacturing produces far less waste, and components are precisely engineered for performance, the resulting buildings not only save carbon at the outset but perform better throughout their life cycle. For local authorities with net-zero targets, that’s a compelling argument.


Overcoming the practical challenges


Of course, adaptive reuse is never straightforward. Old shopping centres oſten have deep floorplates and limited natural light, making residential conversion difficult. Ceiling heights, access routes, and fire regulations can add further complexity.


Here again, MMC can help. Panelised systems offer flexibility in spatial planning, allowing designers to carve light wells or atria into existing


buildings while maintaining structural integrity. Volumetric units can be inserted into gutted retail shells, with façades refreshed to meet modern standards.


Community-centred design


Reactivating high streets isn’t just about physical renewal; it’s about social and economic revival too. MMC’s speed and predictability allow developers to deliver affordable housing and community amenities quickly, helping to reintroduce footfall and local spending power.


Projects like Tide Construction’s student accommodation in Leicester and Urban Splash’s modular townhouses in Manchester have shown how factory-built solutions can inject vibrancy into forgotten corners of the city. These developments blend residential and commercial uses, keeping streets alive aſter dark and creating safer, more inclusive environments.


Policy alignment and the path forward


Government policy increasingly supports the reuse of existing buildings. The extension of Permitted Development Rights (PDR) now allows for more straightforward conversion of commercial properties into residential use, and Homes England has expressed growing interest in offsite construction as part of its housing delivery strategy.


Combined, these factors create fertile ground for MMC-led regeneration. However, success will depend on bridging the gap between visionary design and pragmatic delivery.


In summary


The story of Britain’s high streets need not be one of decline. With imagination and modern construction methods, yesterday’s shopping centres can become tomorrow’s sustainable neighbourhoods — places where people live, work, and socialise once more.


MMC offers the tools to make that transformation both achievable and affordable. It turns ghost towns into goldmines not by erasing their past, but by building upon it.


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