Sir Sadiq Khan has been urged to revitalise the capital’s high streets by commissioning new public art and helping Londoners take over empty shop spaces for community projects.
In a new report, the London Assembly has told the mayor that residents often do not feel “meaningfully involved in high street regeneration plans” and that improvements to shopping areas are regularly “undermined by poor litter management and a lack of food waste segregation”.
Marina Ahmad, Labour chair of the Assembly’s economy culture and skills committee, said: “Retail is now moving online, presenting a tough challenge for independent business and the big chain stores alike.
“High streets remain major shopping destinations, but are also increasingly places where we ‘do something’ rather than ‘buy something’.”
To respond to these changes, the committee has recommended that the mayor “develop an ‘Art on the High Street’ programme that commissions public art installations, murals and interactive artworks,” to “help develop the unique character and heritage of each high street”. City Hall “should work with local schools and artists in commissioning this work,” the committee said.
The suggestion comes just months after Sir Sadiq’s deputy mayor for culture, Justine Simons, rejected a separate proposal from the Assembly for a ‘London Art Trail’, which would have seen a new sculpture or artwork installed in every borough. Ms Simons claimed it was not something City Hall “has the resource to commission, deliver and maintain at this time”.
In another recommendation, the committee has also asked Sir Sadiq to “support local community groups to take advantage of the new powers introduced by High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) to take over the leases of vacant units”.
HSRAs were introduced following a legal change under the previous Conservative Government in early 2024, though it only came into effect after Labour had taken over, in December 2024.
It allows councils to put properties up for auction that have been empty for more than 365 days in a 24-month period, for a one-to-five year lease - with the aim of tackling prolonged vacant shops and to regenerate high streets by renting units out to local businesses and community groups.
In March 2025, the Government announced that 11 councils had already made use of these new powers, including the London boroughs of Camden, Hillingdon and Westminster.
But during its investigation, the committee said it had become convinced that City Hall should play an active role in helping councils to make the most of these powers, such as by raising awareness among local organisations of nearby vacant units.
The committee said in its report: “We are persuaded that community-led initiatives can have a significant impact on improving high streets. If local communities are involved in regeneration plans, they are more likely to feel a sense of attachment to their local high street and more likely to spend time there.
“Innovative approaches to tackling vacant units, like temporary pop-ups or flexible use of spaces, are practical ways to breathe new life into struggling areas. Initiatives such as High Street Rental Auctions can help empower councils and local communities to bring vacant units back into use more effectively.”
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said: “The mayor understands the challenges and opportunities facing London’s high streets, which is why he created the High Streets for All Challenge to help boost local areas, and this year invested £21m to support businesses and town centre regeneration in boroughs across the capital.
“Sadiq is already convening interested boroughs through the Mayor’s High Street Network to explore how new national policy could be applied in London to benefit local communities. This will also inform work in the recently announced London Growth Plan to explore whether a publicly owned High Street Estate Agency could help bring empty properties back into use.”
