Background
We are part of the “Meanwhile Use” movement, a government supported initiative to encourage the social use of empty commercial buildings for community benefit. One of the Co-Founders of the whole Meanwhile Use movement, Emily Berwyn of the Meanwhile Foundation, is mentoring and advising us, as well as giving our charity the name “Meanwhile Aid Logistics”.
The Meanwhile Use movement was founded By Emily Berwyn and Eddie Bridgeman when on 24 July 2009 they created Meanwhile Space cic.
They write:
“As the pioneer of Meanwhile use, Meanwhile Space has always sought to lead the way for others to follow, strengthen and grow the concept of Meanwhile use within the UK. This has been the case with the Meanwhile industry and we hope this report provides the framework for other Meanwhile operators and partners to record and document the impact of Meanwhile projects.”
Ethos
It has always been quite a simple ethos – any waste of land or underused buildings is a wasted opportunity. People want access to visible space at more affordable rates, and there is and will always be, a glut of space not doing anything at any one time.
This space is costing money and creating hassle for the landlord. If commercial space is kept exclusively for chains and already established brands, how do normal people with great ideas but no financial backing ever get there?
What a missed opportunity; for people to see their skills and passions flourish, for creating jobs, for interesting services and activities that people actually want to use. And what a boring place our high streets were, and have, become.”
Meanwhile Space: Ten Years in Practice, published in 2019
History
2005
British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA)
Eddie Bridgeman recruited Emily Berwyn to work with him at British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) and they did lots of conferences together, bringing the public, private and community sectors together to network, relationship build, to understand each other and ultimately deliver best practice regeneration. In 2005 it was just accepted that you’d leave sites empty, sometimes for decades, until you were ready to use them.
Eddie remembers going to Margate for a site visit and waiting for someone at the station. When looking over the car park to the Dreamland site (derelict at the time) and someone said: “What a waste – I wonder what its meanwhile use is?” Eddie remembers thinking: “I’ve never heard that before. I really like that phrase.”
Reference: Meanwhile Space:15 Years in Practice, published August 2024
2009
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
Emily and Eddie’s ex-BURA colleague, Jess Steele, was seconded to central government and asked to come up with ways to support the high street during the recession. She suggested Emily and Eddie, who proposed the ‘Meanwhile Use Project’ to the Department for Communities and Local Government
Reference: Meanwhile Space:15 Years in Practice, published August 2024
24 July 2009
Incorporation of Meanwhile Space CIC
The Company’s object is to carry on activities which benefit the community and in particular (without limitation) to support individuals and organisations to enable them to bring buildings and land that has become temporarily redundant into constructive use thereby reducing blight and disruption to local communities.
31 July 2010 (submitted 14 Apr 2011)
Meanwhile Space CIC – Annual Report & Accounts – Appendix 1
As delivery partners on the Meanwhile Project, the company fought to bring wasted resources into interim productive us for the benefit of local communities. With support from Communities and Local Government, the programme directly supported 24 projects in 17 places across England, with the majority of projects in deprived areas. The company provided advice, guidance and networking to over 700 owners, local authorities and potential occupiers through workshops, presentations and the Meanwhile Ming (the social networking site for meanwhile interests). The programme has produced a range of legal and technical help including the Meanwhile Lease, two model licences for meanwhile use and guidance on business rates and planning. It has also included a handbook for empty shops and a guidance for intermediary leaseholders.
31 July 2011 (submitted 1 May 2012)
Meanwhile Space CIC – Community Interest Company Report
The company continued to act as delivery partners of the Meanwhile Project, promoting the concept of meanwhile use and facilitating organisations and individuals in identification and process of ‘meanwhile use’. The managed network the company administered grew substantially, enabling advice, guidance and networking to over 1,000 owners, local authorities and potential occupiers through workshops. Meanwhile practices were further tested and further open source advice booklets have been created such as ‘Health and Safety in Meanwhile spaces’.
The company acted as an intermediary leaseholder on five properties, bearing the insurance risk for numerous individuals and organisations, from art collectives to start-up businesses. This produced Meanwhile interventions in otherwise empty and unused spaces in hackney, Clerkenwell, Somerstown, Whitechapel and Islington.
By acting as an intermediary Meanwhile Space cic significantly reduced the start up costs and risks to community groups, social enterprises and SME’s by increasing access to highly visible space in which to innovate for short periods of time. The company benefitted the wider public by providing activity at ground level in otherwise vacant property, which afforded accessible community services and reduced blight and anti-social behaviour. Property owners benefitted from the company through the security of active occupation, reduced costs to keep property empty and increased prospects for future uses.
In addition, the company delivered a training programme in Camden for start-up enterprises seeking to set up their own ‘op-up’ projects.
17 January 2012
House of Commons, Hansard, Volume 538
Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Francis Maude MP, spoke about empty shops, noting that while charity shops can bring vibrancy to town centres, they might not always be the ideal solution. In Armley, for instance, shops were used as centres for art, improving the local shopping experience.
31 July 2012 (submitted 24 Jan 2013)
Meanwhile Space CIC – Community Interest Company Report
The company expanded its role as an intermediary leaseholder, supporting 12 vacant properties across areas such as Willesden, Wembley, Finchley Road, Somerset House, and Islington. This move significantly reduced startup costs and risks for over 150 community groups, social enterprises, and SMEs.
17 September 2012
House of Commons, Hansard, Volume 550: Column 622
Rt Hon Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Housing)
“We need to get those empty shops back into use, whether as pop-up shops or as in my hon. Friend’s example. It is very important to tackle that aspect of the problem”
12 October 2012
The London Borough of Brent creates the Meanwhile Foundation
The Company’s Objects are … the promotion for the public benefit of urban or rural regeneration in areas of social and economic deprivation … the creation of training and employment opportunities by the provision of workspace, buildings and/or land for use on favourable terms
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08251662/filing-history?page=3
14 November 2012
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Published the Meanwhile Use Lease to encourage the temporary occupation of empty premises by “voluntary or charitable groups, information centres, artists, musicians etc”. This specifically includes “Pop-up” use, as some socially beneficial use is better than none, however minimal.
Meanwhile use lease and guidance
Specimen meanwhile use lease and guidance notes (for direct lettings by a landlord to a temporary occupier).
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/meanwhile-use-lease-and-guidance
Intermediary meanwhile use lease and guidance notes
Specimen meanwhile use lease and guidance for lettings by a landlord to an intermediary (eg local authority or voluntary body).
2 Use of this lease
“(a) This lease is intended for use where an intermediary (for example, a local authority, a charity organisation or a town centre management partnership) takes a lease from a landlord and then sublets to temporary occupiers. It is for use between the landlord and the intermediary. It is intended that where this lease is used, the property will then be leased by that intermediary to a temporary occupier using the separate ‘Meanwhile Use Sublease’.
(b) This lease has been drafted primarily for shop type premises but could
be adapted for other types of premises.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/intermediary-meanwhile-use-lease-and-guidance-notes
Meanwhile use sublease and guidance notes
(for lettings by an intermediary, e.g. a local authority or voluntary body)
1 Background
“Communities and Local Government envisage that temporary occupiers might include voluntary or charitable groups, information centres, artists, musicians etc.
The purpose of this sublease is to provide an industry standard legal instrument to minimise administrative and legal costs for both landlords and tenants and to enable temporary occupation to take place as soon as possible, without the need for lengthy legal procedures.”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c650e40f0b62aff6c15fd/Meanwhile_use_sublease.pdf
13th March 2013
Ixia: a critical review of Meanwhile Use
Until quite recently, many landowners have generally declined to enter into more formal agreements, at best tolerating the activity for a short time period. However, over the last 5 years, temporary use agreements, often termed ‘meanwhile use’, have slowly become more mainstream practice leading to new types of opportunities and collaborations between artists, landlords and developers and creating new models for cultural infrastructure and production.
Government guidance and developers are increasingly identifying interim uses as a solution to economic stagnation and the changing nature of urban development and land use. Artists, whether they like it or not, are adopting more overt roles as preventers of decline and agents of regeneration – filling a gap until demand, increased land values and development may or may not return.
31 July 2013 (submitted 29 Apr 2014)
Meanwhile Space cic – Community Interest Company Report
The company acted as an intermediary leaseholder on 20 otherwise empty and unused properties in Willesden Green, Wembley, Somerset House, Worcester park, North Cheam, Northwood Hills, Ruislip Manor, Stoke Newington … Property owners benefitted from the company through the security of active occupation, increased prospects for future uses and direct cost savings of empty property rates of £204,000
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06971768/filing-history?page=2
16 August 2013
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Meanwhile use leases and guidance notes
Specimen meanwhile use leases and accompanying guidance notes.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/meanwhile-use-leases-and-guidance-notes
16 October 2013
House of Commons, Hansard, Volume 568, 4.47pm Column 817
Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
“We have provided support through practical advice on how to set up pop-up shops. My Department even has its own pop-up shop, which I commend to hon. Members wondering what Christmas presents to buy this year.”
Column 833, 6.14pm
Rt Hon Bill Esterson MP, (Lab)
“In Maghull the town council has got involved—it has tried to use pop-up shops—but recognises that this is only a short-term fix.”
31 December 2013 (submitted 17 July 2014)
London Borough of Brent, Meanwhile Foundation: Annual Report & Accounts
Meanwhile Foundation exists to turn empty property costs into social value. Working with partner organisations, it supports Meanwhile Use by taking the risk on empty property in which projects delivered can support the company objects. Activities include business support, space for community projects, business starts, training and skills development.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08251662/filing-history?page=2
31 July 2014 (submitted 7 May 2015)
Meanwhile Space cic – Community Interest Company Report
The company developed a membership club for those seeking to occupy space for project and enterprise purposes. Membership peaked at 650 members and saw them collaboratively or individually deliver 41 events of their own production, 79 different projects completed with support from 20 volunteers.
Over the year the organisation saved over £90,000 in business rates for community minded landlords which provided the space for the above activities.
In addition to its network of 11,000 individuals, the spaces secured by the company has been an important resource that has enabled consultation with all the company’s stakeholders.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06971768/filing-history?page=2
31 December 2014 (submitted 14 Oct 2015)
London Borough of Brent, Meanwhile Foundation: Annual Report & Accounts
Meanwhile Foundation continued their partnership with J. P. Morgan Chase Foundation to support Meanwhile Space in the Loughborough Junction area of Lambeth, South London, and with Brent. For this project Meanwhile Foundation entered into a grant agreement with meanwhile Space to animate empty spaces. This project made use of Network Rail and Lambeth property assets to support new local community initiatives and business start-ups.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08251662/filing-history?page=2
31 July 2015 (submitted 12 May 2016)
Meanwhile Space cic – Community Interest Company Report
With the continuation of the membership club model for different locations and properties we have reached 1,000 members. These members have used the available spaces and properties to collaboratively or individually deliver 49 events of their own production.
The company developed a rental system for start up companies to occupy spaces at affordable below market rate rents. This has led to 102 previously underused spaces becoming occupied. These vary from individual shop units (10) or railway arches (14) to co-working desk and studio spaces with a 1960 6 storey building.
Over the year the organisation saved over £145,000 in business rates for community minded landlords, who provided the space for the above activities.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06971768/filing-history?page=1
31 December 2015 (submitted 8 Oct 2016)
London Borough of Brent, Meanwhile Foundation: Annual Report & Accounts
Meanwhile Foundation continued its partnership with Brent Council to animate spaces in the Wembley area of Brent, London. The project made use of an empty office building awaiting development to support local community activities and business start-ups.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08251662/filing-history?page=2
31 July 2016 (submitted 26 Jun 2017)
Meanwhile Space cic – Community Interest Company Report
The company continued to grow, bringing 72,000 ft2 of vacant space into use for 202individuals to test and develop ideas, creating 146 jobs and saving £197,000 in empty property rates to landlords.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06971768/filing-history?page=1
31 December 2016 (submitted 2 Oct 2017)
London Borough of Brent and London Borough of Harrow, Meanwhile Foundation: Annual Report & Accounts
The Foundation continued to support projects in Willesden Green through its partnership with London Borough of Brent and in Harrow and Rayners Lane for London Borough of Harrow.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08251662/filing-history?page=2
31 July 2017 (submitted 4 May 2018)
Meanwhile Space cic – Community Interest Company Report
The organisation continued to grow a new sustainable business model providing affordable workspace across London. This resulted in opening a further 7 spaces in Walthamstow, Waterloo, Lewisham and Harrow to operate a total of 65,800 ft2 of formerly vacant space. These projects brought highly visible space into us for 246 individuals to test and develop ideas, creating 267 jobs and saving £310,000 in empty property rates to landlords.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06971768/filing-history?page=1
31 December 2017 (submitted 14 Dec 2018)
London Borough of Brent, Meanwhile Foundation: Annual Report & Accounts
The Foundation continued to support projects in Willesden Green through its partnership with London Borough of Brent.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08251662/filing-history?page=1
25 Jan 2018
Lichfields: Meanwhile uses: not just a novelty
Empty buildings and spaces present opportunities, not only for use in the long-term but also in the short-term. In recent years, a diverse range and multitude of pop-ups and temporary (“meanwhile”) uses of vacant sites and buildings have emerged across UK towns and cities; the trend is especially apparent in London. To this end, the Draft New London Plan (published 29 November 2017) includes a policy which specifically encourages the London Boroughs to identify opportunities for the meanwhile use of sites for housing, ‘to make efficient use of land while it is awaiting longer-term development.
https://lichfields.uk/blog/2018/january/25/meanwhile-uses-not-just-a-novelty/
3 October 2018
Centre for London: Meanwhile, in London: Making use of London’s empty spaces
London is full of unused spaces that could be used for temporary housing, workspaces, parks, community gardens and retail, otherwise known as meanwhile uses, but are not.
Leaving sites empty is costly, and in a city where land is at a premium, meanwhile use can improve the development process and offer affordable space for the next generation of entrepreneurs, artists and activists to emerge and experiment.
The report found: London’s meanwhile use sector is blossoming…
- There are at least 51 active meanwhile sites across the capital, with over two and a half times the floorspace of Selfridges.
- Yet while the number of meanwhile projects is increasing, London’s empty spaces aren’t being used to their full potential…
- 24,400 commercial properties in London are currently empty, and 22,500 have been empty for at least six months.
https://centreforlondon.org/publication/meanwhile-use-london/
3 October 2018
Centre for London: Meanwhile Use in London
This section uses data from the London Development Database (LDD), updated to 31/03/2017 and downloaded from the London Datastore on 30/04/2018
https://centreforlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Supporting-Document-Meanwhile-in-London.pdf
3 October 2018
Centre for London: Meanwhile, in London: making use of London’s empty spaces
Our recommendations identify ways that landowners, public bodies and meanwhile use operators can unlock the value of meanwhile use in inclusive growth:
- The Mayor of London should lead the growth of meanwhile use through competitions, guidance, investment and use of Greater London Authority (GLA) Group land.
- London boroughs should publish their registers of empty commercial units, and seek to rationalise planning and licensing processes for meanwhile use.
- Government should provide stronger incentives through tax and regulatory systems for community use of “stuck space” and underused space.
- Business Improvement Districts and other agencies should seek to make the case locally for meanwhile use.
https://www.centreforlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Centre-for-London-Meanwhile-use.pdf
28 Nov 2018
Guardian: The rise of the ‘meanwhile space’: how empty properties are finding second lives
Les Grands Voisins is an example of a “meanwhile space”: a disused site temporarily leased or loaned by developers or the public sector to local community groups, arts organisations, start-ups and charities. Calls for making use of such spaces in other crowded urban centres are getting louder. A report published in October by the thinktank Centre for London highlights both the need for and positive possibilities of utilising empty urban sites and how this could transform the landscape of cities around the globe.
“The aim was to show the value ‘meanwhile use’ can add in cities where there is pressure on space,” says Nicolas Bosetti, one of the report researchers. He says public and private operators in Paris are more ambitious than those in London in exploring the use of disused buildings from metro stations to former nightclubs for short-term use as charity and cultural venues.
20 February 2019
Charities Aid Foundation: Create Pop Up charity or community shops to fill empty High Street says our latest poll
“Most people favour putting empty shops to community or charity use to keep high streets vibrant until a permanent store can open, according to new research.
A survey commissioned by the Charities Aid Foundation, found seven in 10 people in the UK favoured handing empty high street sites to community groups until a permanent use can be found.”
10 April 2019
The Rt Hon Jake Berry MP and The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government:
Britain opens its doors to communities in need
“Towns across the country will benefit from a new scheme which will see landlords turn their empty shops into vibrant community hubs open to the public.”
“Working with experts in managing the process of vacant high street properties which are temporarily available or for ‘meanwhile use’, the government will work to match public and private landlords with community groups offering vital services from well-being classes to business support sessions and mentoring for social enterprises.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/britain-opens-its-doors-to-communities-in-need
2 May 2019
Guardian:
‘Meanwhile spaces’: the empty shops becoming a creative force across the country
According to a recent report on empty space in London, more than 20,000 commercial units have been empty for at least six months, and 11,000 for more than two years.
That is a lot of space, just waiting, blankly, for the next thing to happen. And on high streets, it is a depressing sight (you only need to walk down a denuded high street in, say, Doncaster, or Shrewsbury, or Oxford to feel this), not to mention wasteful, when so many people are unable to afford somewhere to live or work. But a movement is afoot to change all that.
Enter the “meanwhile space” – the use of temporary contracts that allow community groups, small businesses or individuals to move into these vacant spaces and set up shop, on the understanding that they will leave within an allotted time.
17 July 2019
The Rt Hon Jake Berry MP, High Streets Minister
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government:
High streets open doors to community projects
“New plans to take back control of vacant high streets as a government-backed scheme goes live in 5 towns across the country.”
“With landlords, organisations and the government working together, we have given unused spaces a boost and created fresh opportunities for projects which benefit local communities.
Local hubs and social projects bring people together and can play an important role in tackling the social and economic challenges we face, like loneliness and unemployment.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/high-streets-open-doors-to-community-projects
Meanwhile Space: Ten Years in Practice
Published in 2019 by Meanwhile Space,
Preface: By Emily Berwyn and Eddie Bridgeman
Page 8
“As the pioneer of Meanwhile use, Meanwhile Space has always sought to lead the way for others to follow, strengthen and grow the concept of Meanwhile use within the UK. This has been the case with the Meanwhile industry and we hope this report provides the framework for other Meanwhile operators and partners to record and document the impact of Meanwhile projects. Using this knowledge and as frame of reference for planning and implementing projects will only build and strengthen the industry, continue to demonstrate its worth and benefit more places and the people who live and work in them.
Ethos It has always been quite a simple ethos – any waste of land or underused buildings is a wasted opportunity. People want access to visible space at more affordable rates, and there is and will always be, a glut of space not doing anything at any one time. This space is costing money and creating hassle for the landlord.”
Introduction
Page 13
“‘Meanwhile uses’ refer to interim occupation of vacant premises, for example, during periods of redevelopment or until the landlord secures a new tenancy agreement or lease. The term was introduced by Meanwhile Space CIC during the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) Meanwhile Project in 2009, the first central government programme on meanwhile use.”
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/c19fe3_bedd64b469a9430baff93d6eda144333.pdf
10th October 2019
Lambert Smith Hampton: London’s meanwhile use sector
The concept of meanwhile use has gained considerable traction in recent years. The term describes any activity that occupies otherwise empty space during an interim period before a site has a more permanent use.
In London, this currently includes a diverse range of activities including shops, bars and restaurants, art studios and galleries, gardens, housing and workspaces.
Meanwhile spaces can have community or charitable uses, or they can be fully-fledged commercial operations.
Meanwhile use is always temporary, but it is not necessarily short-term. Meanwhile projects can be in place for many years, particularly when they occupy sites that are part of long-term redevelopment and regeneration plans.
https://www.lsh.co.uk/explore/research-and-views/view-points/2019/october/in-the-meantime
29 May 2020
Planning Insight: Meanwhile and Temporary uses of space
The term “Meanwhile Use” has come to the fore relatively recently. It represents a range of strategies that can be put into place in order to make under-utilised spaces and places become productive, both in an economic and social sense. Meanwhile uses are often employed as a precursor for regeneration of a site, or a wider area.
The types of uses are naturally varied, including; entertainment, arts and culture and restaurants, as well as commercial endeavours. Many people will have attended a pop-up bar, art exhibition or store. They may have even thought, what a great use of space.
https://www.planninginsight.co.uk/blogs/part-two-meanwhile-and-temporary-uses-of-space/
June 2020
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government – Open Doors
A pilot scheme matching landlords struggling to find tenants for their empty properties with community groups looking for space.
https://www.meanwhile.org.uk/pages/25-open-doors
27 August 2020
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA):
How to make use of vacant spaces after COVID-19
Why leave space – a resource so scarce in cities – underused? This is the fundamental premise behind ‘meanwhile uses’, which create activity on a space that would otherwise be empty. But although they seem an obviously good idea – and have support in principle from every level of policymaking – meanwhile uses can be surprisingly difficult to put in place.
https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/blog-meanwhile-use
November 2020
Greater London Authority: Meanwhile Use London – A Research Report
“Meanwhile use interventions can take many forms, from temporary community and recreational activities, to arts, culture and commercial uses in empty plots of land or vacant high street properties. As this report illustrates very well, London has already seen a wide range of meanwhile use activities – some quite innovative – over recent years.”
Dr Fiona Twycross
Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, The Greater London Authority
“It is within this context that meanwhile uses have increased in practice and popularity across London, and globally, by deploying innovative and temporary interventions as a way of dealing with urban change and delivering social value and other key benefits to the community.”
“The report evidences examples of good practice, including examples that have emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, but highlights there is much more that can be achieved in addressing some of the city’s pressing challenges, and in delivering urban resilience benefits. It serves as an evidence base to support the GLA’s approach to meanwhile use that not only provides further encouragement of the practice but fundamentally outlines the core principles of implementing meanwhile uses. These are twofold:
To maximise social value and benefits to local communities; and
To ensure these benefits are efficiently and effectively delivered to address short-term need but also construct a long-term legacy.
The report provides a meanwhile use framework for improving current and future practice and concludes with recommendations for the GLA which focus on supporting a resilient meanwhile use framework.”
“A GROWING PRACTICE
Vacant or under-utilised land and buildings are scattered across the city. This is due to multiple and often complex reasons but can often be costly, unattractive and overlooks a valuable opportunity: to temporarily activate the space through a range of meanwhile uses to maximise social value and facilitate a positive legacy.
The temporary use of space has always occurred in cities across the world (Talen, 2012). However, the meanwhile use (defined below) of vacant land and property is rapidly growing in popularity and practice in London. This is largely due to profound changes that have occurred in the 21st Century city. Changing perceptions of and reactions to cultural, political and economic issues and growing technological trends call for creative solutions to ever more complex urban environments, and where the numerous benefits of meanwhile uses are being realised.
In London, the delivery of meanwhile uses has really grown over the last decade and incorporates a range of actors, including policy makers and politicians, community activists, charities, academics and entrepreneurs, amongst others. The implementation of meanwhile uses across London has also seen a steep rise during the Covid-19 lockdown and as a response to the pandemic as we re-imagine urban spaces to meet changing needs. It has grown in popularity as projects have continually demonstrated how the meanwhile use of vacant space can drive economic outputs, increase positive environmental impacts and deliver social value for the actors and communities involved.
In this report, all three of the above benefits are considered, but a focus on the delivery of greater social value is provided. This is because social systems, just as much as physical systems, are crucial for the resilience of cities. The report acknowledges that meanwhile uses, though they may be small relative to the longer-term development of the city, they are not insignificant. Rather, the small-scale and temporary nature of meanwhile use is extremely influential in the incremental and transitional development of the city; innovatively, efficiently and effectively informing the spatial and social outcomes. Although meanwhile uses may inherently be temporary in nature, if delivered successfully through addressing specific social need, they can be the catalysts of profound lasting legacies.”
Meanwhile use
A “meanwhile use” describes a situation where a site is utilised for a duration of time before it is turned into a more permanent end state, taking advantage of a short window of opportunity. Meanwhile interventions are tactical and slot into wider strategies of planned change. They can help in shaping positive urban transformation.”
“National Strategic Policy Framework
Reflective of the recent trends and uptake of meanwhile uses as we define them here, meanwhile uses have only emerged in UK policy terms over the last ten years, following central government’s first publication. In 2009, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published the ‘Meanwhile Project’ which was a support service for groups seeking to turn economic crisis into opportunity and transform vacant shops and light industrial units into vibrant community uses. This was at a time when the opportunities of meanwhile use in terms of social benefits and local wellbeing were referenced largely in the context of reviving town centres following the 2008 financial crash. Consistent with this view, meanwhile use was again referenced as a temporary solution in DCLG’s 2009 publication of ‘Looking after our town centres’ and latterly in the Portas Review published in 2011.
Ever since, a call for greater guidance on meanwhile use provision has resulted in the UK Government publishing further reports that begin to recognise a value of meanwhile use, albeit primarily economic in practice rather than social or environmental. This has primarily been in relation to the revitalisation of town centres. Most recently, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has initiated an ‘Open Doors’ project in partnership with the Meanwhile Foundation. This seeks to promote meanwhile uses as a mechanism for high street revitalisation by matching landlords to meanwhile tenants.”
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/meanwhile_use_for_london_final.pdf
February 2021
London Borough of Brent: Meanwhile Use Strategy
“Brent’s Meanwhile Use Strategy was approved by Cabinet in February 2021 and aims to increase the number of projects across the borough to support small businesses, diversify the high street and engage local communities.”
https://www.brent.gov.uk/business/regeneration/meanwhile-uses/meanwhile-use-strategy
Meanwhile Uses happen with interim occupation of vacant or underutilised premises, sites or spaces, during a period until a landlord secures a new lease, in advance of redevelopment, or in a long term vacant space. Meanwhile Uses take multiple forms and deliver against a variety of regeneration objectives.
For local authorities, meanwhile uses are opportunities for placemaking, enterprise, business innovation and jobs, creative expression, and community development.
For landlords, meanwhile uses can provide security, reduce costs and offer options to test out new uses.
For providers and occupiers, meanwhile uses accommodate flexible, low-cost space for start-ups, microbusinesses, SMEs, and community groups.
Brent supports meanwhile use through its Local Plan policies, and regeneration and town centre strategies and activities.
https://www.brent.gov.uk/business/regeneration/meanwhile-uses
December 2021
Arup: Meanwhile use, long term benefit
Could – and should – the use of popup shops, cafes and other temporary uses be seen as part of the normal response to regeneration?
https://www.arup.com/insights/meanwhile-use-long-term-benefit/
24 May 2022
People & Places: Strengthening local culture and community
“Empty shops are also literally a waste of space, and a missed opportunity to add to the retail, hospitality, leisure or services mix in your place. But – especially relevant to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) guidance on engagement in local culture and community – they could be being used by local arts & crafts, culture, creative and community groups and organisations who’d love a space in their town or city centre but are frustrated by the barriers.”
https://people-places.net/measurable-response-to-tackling-empty-shops/
28 June 2022
NovaLoca: Meanwhile Use Spaces
Although the retail industry is showing signs of stabilising there are still a high number of empty stores on the high streets, many remaining vacant for long periods of time.
This is where meanwhile use space can make a difference and be an aid for regeneration. Meanwhile use spaces are shorter term lets, (although they can range from a few months to years) at below market rates. They utilise empty buildings by providing a socially valuable space until the property can once again be used for commercial use. Not only does this ensure that there is still income for the landlord and area, they help keep an area attractive.
https://www.novaloca.com/blog/index.php/2022/06/28/meanwhile-use-spaces/
16 August 2023
Muse: Meanwhile use as a powerful catalyst for urban regeneration
‘Meanwhile use’ is a powerful tool we can use to connect with our communities, boost the local economy, improve safety and enrich the area’s cultural and social offer, all while we work hard behind the scenes to secure a place’s bright future.
https://museplaces.com/stories/meanwhile-use-as-a-powerful-catalyst-for-urban-regeneration/
14 May 2024
Rt Hon Jacob Young MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities:
New levelling up powers to fill empty shops across England
“New powers will come into effect this summer to help communities take back control of their high streets and revive empty shops to accelerate regeneration.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-levelling-up-powers-to-fill-empty-shops-across-england
8 August 2024, date of interview with founders Emily Berwyn and Eddie Bridgeman
Meanwhile Space cic:15 Years in Practice
Meanwhile use is the productive use of buildings or land while they are waiting for something else to happen. Meanwhile Space interprets this as rethinking underused space for community benefit, for as long as it is available, in a way that positively impacts a place and the people who live and work there. Equity and access to commercial space is a primary driver of good meanwhile use projects, and working in partnership with local people to inform, test, develop and grow ideas that create distinctive and unique places is really where the most impactful opportunity of meanwhile sits.
This is not flash in the pan animation; it is carefully considered activation of a place to achieve maximum social value and equality of access to property.
https://www.meanwhilespace.com/_files/ugd/c19fe3_e30def1e27844f86958964d4240dbeec.pdf
27 August 2024
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA):
Meanwhile Spaces (in-person workshop)
We will discuss how architects, developers, and local interest groups have used vacant properties and empty or forgotten land, to create shared and innovative schemes for temporary gardens, cultural events, play, and work. We will explore the possibilities of working with communities while embracing circular design and sustainable materials to develop sites that demonstrate new possibilities for architectural practice and urban space.
https://www.architecture.com/whats-on/skill-up-meanwhile-spaces-in-person-workshop
24 October 2024
People & Places, Teamwork tackling empty shops:
From pop-up to permanent presence
“The previously empty, possibly untidy, unit looks better, is fit to occupy and has a business or organisation or maybe several operating from it. They’re getting a realistic test of being on the high street, the confidence that they can do it and a track record they can present to future landlords. Very often we’ve seen pop-up businesses become long term tenants after their trial run, sometimes in the actual unit they started in.”
29 January 2024
City of Doncaster Council: ‘Meanwhile use’ lined up for Doncaster site
A report set to go before City of Doncaster Council’s planning committee on 6 February outlines proposals to take forward the redevelopment of Waterfront East, a 19-acre site where a gas holder once stood, off Wharf Road.
Officers said: “Remediation will assist in unlocking the site by making it more appealing and viable for future development. The site has potential as a large scale, mixed-use regeneration scheme, which is consistent with the allocation in the Local Plan for a mixture of flexible employment, commercial and residential uses.”
https://www.placeyorkshire.co.uk/meanwhile-use-lined-up-for-doncaster-site/
23 July 2024
Future of London: Meanwhile project transforms community space in Ealing
Unused garages become a “sanctuary” for Havelock estate residents with a growing sense of community ownership. Our Future Leaders went to find out why this meanwhile project aims to have a long-term impact.
Open Havelock is a meanwhile use project on the Havelock Estate in Southall that has transformed unused garages and undercrofts into community spaces. With Open Havelock, Peabody and Ealing Council have been able to incubate community and local enterprise during ongoing regeneration of the estate.
https://www.futureoflondon.org.uk/news/meanwhile-project-transforms-community-space/
17 October 2024 – University of Gloucestershire: Cultural Regeneration and Meanwhile Use on the High Street
This report highlights some creative innovations and persistent challenges in relation to cultural regeneration on the high street/urban centres. In particular, it focuses on temporary or ‘meanwhile’ use of vacant properties and public space by artists. The report argues that temporary cultural uses can contribute effectively to reanimating high streets that, in some cases for decades, have faced economic and social shifts resulting in vacancy, decreased footfalls and falling investments.
22 March 2025 – Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation: Meanwhile Use Opportunities
Stockport MDC has identified meanwhile use of land and buildings as a key opportunity to support the nurturing of new and existing communities in Town Centre West and trial new uses prior to permanent redevelopment.
2025 – Transport for London: Places for London
At Places for London, we understand that the spaces we manage today shape the London of tomorrow. That’s why we’ve embraced the practice of ‘meanwhile use’ as a core enabler of good growth in the city.
By transforming underutilized spaces into vibrant community hubs, we’re not just making the best use of land; we’re fostering inclusive growth that delivers social and environmental benefits.