Can people power save 'abandoned' town's High Street?

In common with many places across the UK, the Cumbrian town of Maryport has been hit hard over the last decade or more with shops shutting and council services pared back. Now, in an attempt to revive its fortunes, local people are taking a central role in regeneration efforts.

Expanding as a thriving dock on England's north-west coast during the 19th Century, Maryport's picturesque charms would go on to feature in the works of "matchstick men" painter LS Lowry.

But, like the tides in its harbour, the town's fortunes have always ebbed and flowed.

Previously devastated by the loss of heavy industries, recent years have seen it face familiar issues to locations across the nation.

Shops, banks and businesses closed their doors and government funding for the local authority dried up or came with strings attached.

"It felt like Maryport had been abandoned," says businessman Sean Parnaby ruefully.

"There were a few independent shops left that were doing reasonably well, but passing trade was limited.

"It was like a lot of other towns. They're run down, they're struggling, they've got big empty buildings and there's no vision for the direction of travel."

What, then, could be done to turn things around?

A dozen or so units still stand empty on Senhouse Street - the main shopping area - and another is boarded up after a fire two years ago.

But Mr Parnaby believes the first steps of progress can already be seen thanks to a new approach.

"What you're seeing here is the community taking more control over what is happening and working with Cumberland Council to deliver these projects.

"We've shown the community knows there's a better way to run the town."

Created at the suggestion of what was then Allerdale Council, the Maryport Business Group he chairs set about trying to fill vacant properties and provide support to existing and would-be owners.

"Part of the goal was talking to owners to find out what they were going to do with their shops.

"In some cases, we helped to get the businesses moved on and quite a lot of people who had been thinking of running one committed to taking on premises."

The town's inclusive approach is very different to many high profile regeneration efforts, where a large figure is publicised prior to imposed developments dragging beyond deadlines, busting through budgets and rarely hitting hyperbolic predictions.

Meanwhile, attempts to spruce up Britain's high streets over the past couple of decades have been marked by big announcements, big name endorsements and little change.

But in the last year or so, Maryport has seen the arrival of two clothes shops, a wellness centre, a fruit and veg shop and a banking hub.

Last month, Sarah Varty opened a skin clinic in a building vacated by the area's former MP when he was defeated in the 2024 general election.

Having relocated from a space run by a charity elsewhere in the town, she believes there is a "momentum" to the regeneration efforts.

"The changes have been gradual, but now there seems to be more pace behind it. It's really nice to see," she said.

Emblematic of the turnaround is a newly opened photography studio in a former cafe unit that had lain derelict for 40 years.

It is run by Victoria Scott and her sister, Samantha Cartwright, who have moved from the same charity building as Mrs Varty.

"It felt right," Mrs Scott explains. "The charity wanted its space back, we needed somewhere for the photoshoots and this fitted our needs perfectly.

"We've got an online presence, but it's always been a dream to have a shop front and now we've got a great spot.

"So many people have been talking to us about how long the building had been empty. It's great we've been able to bring it back into use."

Like several others in the town centre, the property is owned by Chris Peskett.

The London-based investor initially bought one site at auction, but later expanded his plans utilising a grant scheme to bring upper-floor living areas back into use.

Funded by the government and managed by the council, owners were awarded up to £60,000 but had to pay at least 20% of the renovation costs themselves.

Mr Peskett then put more of his money into refitting the shop units below.

He describes the scheme as "an obvious win" for the town, the council and his business.

"Yes, property [in Maryport] is cheap, but the bones of the town and the High Street are great. It has lovely buildings and is a special little place.

"I know there will be people who say, 'Landlord down in London, why is he benefitting?'

"But all the tradespeople who worked on the flats and shops I developed are local, so the money from the council has gone back into the community.

"And the shops are paying business rates and the flats above have occupants who are all paying council tax and using the High Street."

The grants were part of a wider £12m awarded to the town from the then Conservative government's Future High Streets Fund.

Input from residents has been key to ensuring it was maximised, Mr Parnaby says, with the money being used to kickstart projects including the transformation of a derelict former cinema into an arts and culture venue.

At the harbour, hopes for a new swimming pool fell through two years ago due to rising costs, but the building has since been redeveloped, while an ageing children's play park nearby has been replaced.

Further plans include an attempt to capitalise on the lengthy promenade which, on clear days, affords views across the Solway Firth to the green hills of Galloway.

A skate park has been constructed there, designed with help from those who use it.

"Previously, we might've had the former council saying, 'Aren't you lucky, this is what we're going to give you?'," Mr Parnaby says.

"Even though we probably wanted the investment, we maybe didn't want it in the particular way it was being put across to us.

"By forming the business group and a town board, the current council have committed to allowing us to be a critical friend to the process.

"If you look at what is now Maryport Activity Centre, it was previously called The Wave and was seen as a white elephant.

"People let us know what they would like to see inside [and] it's gone from six members of staff to 16.

"Everyone used to say it should be knocked down, now they complain it's too busy and they can't get in."

Although disputing Mr Parnaby's description of the area as having been "abandoned", Cumberland Council leader Mark Fryer agrees the partnership with the business group has "shown what can be done when people work together".

"There are hundreds and hundreds of towns like Maryport all over the country that are having problems.

"In every one of those cases, councils are fighting like mad to try to turn them around. Here, people have stood up and said, 'This is want we want'."

The current Labour government says "too many neighbourhoods like Maryport have been starved of investment" and highlights a £1.5bn plan it believes will spur a turnaround across the country over the next decade.

Mr Parnaby says such funding will be critical to help towns make steps forward, but giving local people a voice remains crucial.

"The more the government spends, the more private investment we can attract.

"But we've also created a social enterprise to run buildings rather than passing them to the town council or Cumberland Council.

"Other places in Cumbria are looking at how we're doing things here. That's the power of the community to be able to drive things forward."

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.