📅 Wednesday 1 July 2026
🕚 11:00am – 1:00pm
💻 Online Webinar
🎟️ Book your place: https://luma.com/1b2qjy9g
We talk a lot about high streets. We talk about vacancies, investment, regeneration, planning, independent businesses, landlords, councils and communities.
But how often do we step back and look at how all of these pieces actually fit together?
That’s exactly what this webinar aims to do.
Join the Dots: What’s Happening Behind the High Street brings together voices from across the high street ecosystem to explore how places are shaped, why some spaces remain vacant, where the opportunities lie, and how we can work together more effectively to create thriving town centres.
This isn’t about blame or pointing fingers. It’s about understanding the commercial realities, constraints and opportunities that different stakeholders face every day – and identifying where greater collaboration could unlock better outcomes for everyone.
Why this conversation matters
High streets don’t succeed or fail because of one decision, one organisation or one sector.
They are shaped by a complex network of investors, landlords, planners, surveyors, agents, architects, councils, legal advisers, businesses and communities.
When these groups understand each other’s challenges and priorities, better decisions can be made.
We’ll be exploring questions such as:
- Why do some units remain vacant for long periods?
- What are the real commercial realities behind high street decision-making?
- Where are the biggest barriers to bringing spaces back into use?
- What role do planning, legal processes and viability play?
- How can landlords, councils, investors and occupiers work together more effectively?
- What changes could make it easier to create vibrant, resilient places in the future?
Meet the speakers
We’re delighted to be joined by a fantastic mix of perspectives from across the sector:
- Iain Nicholson – Host
- Denz Ibrahim, Head of Futuring & Placemaking, Legal & General
- Katherine Croom, MD, Sorbon Estates
- Heather Lindley-Clapp, Director, Nexus Planning
- Paul Matthews, Director, Colliers
- Ola Alade, RICS Surveyor
- Emily Berwyn, Executive Director, Meanwhile Space
- Ben Cluett, Economic Development Officer, Southend-on-Sea City Council
- Tania Love, Partner, FaulknerBrowns Architects
- Greenwoods Legal (speaker to be confirmed)
Together they’ll share practical insights from investment, ownership, planning, legal, surveying, design, activation and local authority perspectives.
What you’ll take away
Whether you work in retail, property, planning, local government, placemaking, economic development, regeneration, or are involved in the high street in any way this session will provide a valuable behind-the-scenes view of how the high street system really works.
You’ll gain:
- A better understanding of the different stakeholders shaping places
- Insight into the barriers and opportunities affecting town centres today
- Practical examples of collaboration in action
- Fresh thinking on how we can create more resilient and successful high streets
- The opportunity to contribute to a wider conversation that will help inform future HighStreetPositives research and reporting
Book your place
The webinar takes place on Wednesday 1 July 2026 from 11:00am-1:00pm.
- Free for HighStreetPositives members
- £35 for non-members
- Recording available to everyone who registers
🎟️ Reserve your place here: https://luma.com/1b2qjy9g
The future of our high streets depends on understanding how the system works – and how we can make it work better together.
We’d love you to join the conversation. 💗🌸
