County Durham Vacancy Rates Rise Above National Average, Prompt Ghost Town Concerns

Several towns in County Durham are experiencing the highest rates of vacant shops ever recorded, with vacancy rates reaching 18.3%, surpassing the national average of 14.4%. Towns like Peterlee, Bishop Auckland, and Newton Aycliffe are among the worst affected, facing retail decline due to changing shopping habits and rising rents, although efforts are underway to revitalize these high streets through community involvement and new initiatives like High Street Rental Auctions. Similarly, Runcorn in Cheshire has seen its shopping center and local amenities decline, with a once-bustling mall now largely deserted and its only multiplex cinema closed, reflecting broader challenges faced by UK high streets. Internationally, China's ambitious £73 billion Xiong’an city project, designed to alleviate overcrowding in Beijing, has become a ghost town with only a fraction of its planned population residing there, largely due to a lack of social and leisure opportunities. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Frick’s Lock in East Coventry Township has become a ghost town after being vacated for nuclear power plant construction, with descendants preserving its history through tours. These cases illustrate a global pattern of urban and town center decline linked to economic shifts, planning challenges, and changing social dynamics.