Sorry, this video asset has been removed.

by Nisha Chopra and Martin Jefferies

multimedianews@thekmgroup.co.uk

It seems even the Queen of Shops herself could be powerless to
save Margate's struggling retail sector.

Mary Portas visited the seaside town today and hinted that
replacing empty town centre shops with homes and business
premises could be the best way of reviving the high street.

She said: "I think many towns nowadays are over-retailed, so you
have to look at different options. If part of the solution is
residential, then that's a very clever option."

"you've got the top end of the town which is practically dying and doesn't not know where it's going, and then there's the regeneration elsewhere" – mary portas, retail guru and tv presenter

Meanwhile, Cllr Bob
Bayford, leader of Thanet council, which has spent thousands of
pounds on improvements to the town centre, admitted more of the
high street could be given over to residential use.

He said: "Mary's given us an insight into what we could do with
the high street. We may turn some of the retail spaces into
residential or business spaces - but they wouldn't be used for
retail.

"What we need to look now at is whether any parts currently
designated for retail could be put to residential use."

Ms Portas' visit - part of an independent review into the future
of the high street - came just weeks after the town was named as
among Britain's worst ghost towns.

According to the Local Data Company,
36% of shops are empty, compared to the national average of
14%.

However, it is a different picture in the Old Town, which has
undergone a major transformation in recent months.

Most premises there are now occupied, with a host of art
galleries, cafés and boutique shops opening in the shadow of Turner
Contemporary, the town's £17 million art gallery.

Ms Portas said: "You've got the top end of the town which is
practically dying and doesn't not know where its going, and then
there's the regeneration elsewhere.

"The Old Town is buzzing because Turner Contemporary offers so
much potential for people."