The signs of a poor UK neighbourhood – vape shops, off licences, and takeaways
The poorest areas in England have 70% more vape shops, takeaways, off licences and other over-saturated retail stores compared with more affluent neighbourhoods.
This is according to research by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (Icon), which examined the state of ‘local parades’ across the country.
Local parades are what residents refer to as the ‘shops down the road’. More accessible than the town high street, local parades include places around the corner to shop for small items, pharmacies, cafes to meet friends or family, and more.
Icon noted that while most people said they were concerned with the decline of their local high street, many times they were actually referring to the condition of their local parade.
While affluent neighbourhoods generally sport a wide range of attractions on their local parade, from cafes to book stores, deprived neighbourhoods see more homogeneous local parades that are over saturated with specific types of retail stores.
These over-saturated retailers include betting shops, takeaways, vape shops, and off licences. Icon found that deprived neighbourhoods had 2.2 unhealthy food stores for every health one, compared to 1.2 in more affluent neighbourhoods.
Vape shops and off licences emblematic of high street decline
Icon noted that local parades are essential to living a healthy life, and that the lack of local services and meeting places in deprived neighbourhoods led to worse outcomes for their residents.
With pubs, cafes, dentists, and sports clubs being replaced by betting shops, takeaways, and off licences, the core social function of local parades in deprived areas differ greatly from those in more affluent neighbourhoods.
“Neighbourhood parades in deprived areas are becoming more homogenous, with a proliferation of over-saturated retail and health-reducing amenities meaning 1 in 8 retail premises facilitate smoking, gambling and cheap alcohol in the most deprived neighbourhood parades, compared to 1 in 12 in the most affluent neighbourhood parades,” Icon said.
“We find that the more homogenous parades have nearly twice as many takeaways and betting shops as a share of all units compared to the national average, alongside higher numbers of convenience stores, tobacconists, and vape shops.”
“Together, they have become emblematic of high-street decline in the public imagination, and are among the premises that new powers in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill aim to restrict,” it said.
The publication of Icon’s report follows a recent announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the government’s ‘Pride in Place’ programme would be expanded to improve investment in local high streets and neighbourhoods.
The new package is worth up to £800 million and will build on the existing £5-billion programme to help address the commonly cited sense of decline in local parades and high streets.
