Empty shop landlords in Penrith face a council crackdown that could see their properties rented out without their say-so – while some of the council's own vacant buildings around the Town Hall have been left outside the firing line.
Westmorland and Furness Council's Cabinet is set to approve the new powers next Tuesday (10 November), allowing the council to auction leases on long-term empty commercial premises without the landlords' agreement.
The scheme will cover most of Penrith town centre, including Middlegate, Devonshire Street, King Street, Burrowgate, Angel Lane, Market Square, Cornmarket and New Squares.
However, the proposed boundary excludes the Town Hall and neighbouring properties, including some vacant buildings owned by Westmorland and Furness Council itself.
That means privately owned shops within the designated area could face compulsory rental auctions, while vacant council-owned properties around the Town Hall would remain outside the scheme.
The move follows a seven-week public consultation earlier this year that attracted just 185 responses across Westmorland and Furness, including 69 people who identified Penrith as a town centre they regularly visit or use.
The consultation also saw 28 respondents highlight Penrith as having a high number of empty shops, while New Squares was singled out by 11 respondents as an area needing action.
The council's latest figures show 13.1% of Penrith's commercial premises are vacant, with the consultation resulting in an expansion of the proposed scheme to include Castlegate, where seven of the 11 commercial properties were empty in June 2026.
The expanded area will also include additional properties in Great Dockray, along with Musgrave Hall and Penrith and Eden Museum on Middlegate.
Under the new powers, properties empty for more than 12 months, or at least 366 days during the previous two years, could be offered to new tenants through council-run auctions, with leases lasting between one and five years.
Landlords would first have the opportunity to find tenants themselves before the council could intervene.
Almost 72% of those responding to the consultation backed the proposed areas covering Penrith, Kendal, Barrow and Ulverston.
If Cabinet gives the go-ahead, council officers will be authorised to identify qualifying properties, issue legal notices and arrange rental auctions.
The council says similar powers elsewhere in England have already encouraged landlords to bring more than 60 empty properties back into use without auctions taking place.
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