With the realities of Brexit and living with Covid-19 becoming the new normal, 2021 is likely to be eventful.
So what will 2021 bring? We are hoping for recovery and a return to prosperity for the South West economy.
What we know, perhaps more so than ever before, is that predicting the future is a thankless task, but here are some of the biggest questions for the new year.
1. How many companies will go bust and will there be a recession?
The 海角视频 dipped into and out of recession in 2020, and there is a strong likelihood it will be back there again in 2021.
Economists predict that the new Covid variant and further lockdowns are likely to cause even more damage to the nation’s economy. And there is also Brexit to consider.
The more areas that head into Tier 4 territory, the worse it is going to be for the economy, However, if the example of the first lockdown is followed, there is a chance the economy could grow quite quickly once restrictions are eased. Vaccines could play a very important part in that.
As for firms going belly up, a study by Professor Marc Cowling, of the University of Derby, and Professor Ross Brown, from the University of St. Andrews, revealed that 496 businesses in Plymouth and 1,574 businesses in Bristol are at immediate risk of failing as they run out of cash.
The , found that nationally only 39% of businesses were bolstering their cash balances leading up to Covid-19 which suggests that 61% of businesses may run out of cash, including 8.6% that had no retained earnings whatsoever with micro firms at particular risk.
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In the summer of 2020, leading business recovery expert Andy Pinchin, of South West restructuring practice Lameys, predicted a surge in the number of companies becoming insolvent in the South West.
He said the firm was busy with inquiries from companies worried about insolvency, and whether they will end up in administration or even being liquidated.
Many of these were in the hospitality and tourism sector or businesses that supply the sector, such as food and drink producers.
He warned the situation could become even worse as Government support packages, such as the furlough scheme, came to an end but stressed that for many firms that will actually go under “Covid-19 is the final nail, rather than the driver”.
2. Will there be further lockdowns?
The South West is now in either Tier 3 or 4, which means it is nearly as restricted as during the full lockdowns.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomed the new year by placing Cornwall, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, including Plymouth and Torbay, and Bath into Tier 3 on New Year’s Eve. Parts of Somerset and Gloucester jumped up into Tier 4, while some areas, including Bristol, remained in Tier 3. Swindon is shoved into Tier 4. Only the Isles of Scilly remains in Tier 1 or 2.
As for a full lockdown, well, there is already speculation a “tier 5” could be created, as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said even putting the whole of England into Tier 4 for all January might not do the trick and reduce the R number.
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There has been speculation inside Whitehall that current measures are not working, and some scientists have said lockdowns do not work either.
But the question is now what other options does the Government have? Until it has been proved the vaccines are effective it seems the nation, following the test and trace fiasco, is stuck with only one option: a continued lockdown of some sort, either via tiers or totally. Happy new year.
3. What will happen to house prices after the stamp duty holiday?
House prices climbed across the 海角视频 in December, with annual growth reaching a six-year high of 7.3% in 2020, according to the latest data from Nationwide.
Housing demand was buoyed by changing preferences in the wake of the pandemic and the stamp duty holiday. In the South West, average house prices stood at £264,512 in Q4 of 2020 - up 6.6% on the year.
But Nationwide said the outlook remained “highly uncertain” moving into 2021, with much depending on how the pandemic - and the measures to contain it - evolve.
The mortgage lender said housing activity was likely to “slow” in the coming quarters - and perhaps sharply - once the stamp duty holiday ends.
Estate agency Hamptons International also expects the market to stall over the next 12 months - and predicts house prices in the West of England could fall by 1.0%.
Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons International, said: “The real challenges won’t be felt until 2021.
“The economic consequences from the Covid-19- induced recession will pull the housing market from its long-term growth trajectory.
4. Will construction boom in 2021?
Building sites were among the areas of the economy least hampered by the Covid menace in 2021, and there has been a stronger than expected demand for housing and refurbishment work since the mid point of 2020. Large infrastructure projects are least effected by social distancing restrictions and seem likely to progress in 2021.
So here are just some of the construction projects schedule for delivery or progress in the next 12 months:
North Quay, Hayle, Cornwall - The transformation of the Cornish harbour intoreached a crucial stage with the topping out of its five-storey apartment building in late 2020/
North Quay is being created at Hayle Harbour, and will eventually feature more than 300 homes, a hotel, cinema, and open spaces, set within a stunning waterside location just yards from the Hayle Towans beaches with their three miles of golden sands.
Skypark, Exeter - Global stove and fireplace manufacturer Stovax Heating Group is to development near the city’s airport.
Stovax will move into a new, purpose-built 196,037sq ft manufacturing unit at the site. Construction of the new plant is scheduled for the second half of 2021. Stovax will leave its nine sites at Exeter’s Sowton Industrial Estate by 2022.
Mount Wise, Plymouth - The construction of is on track for completion in 2021. Work began on the eight-storey pile on the former Royal Navy base at Mount Wise in 2019 and continued despite the challenges thrown up by the coronavirus pandemic and the tower, previously known only as Area D, has been given a name: Teesra House, named after a type of off-spin bowling delivery, because it overlooks a cricket pitch.
Harbour Arch Quay, Plymouth - The company which owns a huge swathe of Plymouth’s waterfront, Sutton Harbour Group, is to start work on in 2021. SHG intends to begin building the Harbour Arch Quay tower and even start marketing the flats by the spring of next year.
The firm said it is expected that, subject to completion of finance arrangements, work on the 14-apartment, nine-floor building “will start during 2021, with marketing of the units to be launched in the springtime of the new year”.
Halo, Bristol - Work on the Grade A office, which will be one of the greenest in the country when it opens, is set to continue progressing in 2021, with plans to open the building in 2022. The office is being built on the site of the former Avon Fire and Rescue headquarters in the city centre and will be able to house around 1,000 people. Developers Cubex secured a £70million investment from Tesco for the property this year.
Fort Bovisand, Plymouth - Work is due to start on into homes and businesses. Construction of new dwellings is due to begin in January 2021 at waterfront Fort Bovisand, at Wembury, on the fringe of Plymouth.
5. Will unemployment hit record levels?
If the Government’s own economic watchdog is to be believed then 海角视频 unemployment will hit a staggering 2.6million people by mid-2021.
That would mean 7.5% of the working population would be idle. And the Bank of England is making a similar prediction, saying that unemployment could peak at 7.7% in the middle of the year. It even says there is a slight chance it could top 10%. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has predicted a rate of up to 8.5%, which would be 2.8million people.
In the South West, the situation could be relatively worse, with it being recognised that the sectors most affected include hospitality and retails, key employers in the region.
In December 2020 it was revealed that since the coronavirus pandemic struck - with 183,000 officially seeking jobs.
And the Alternative Claimant Count (ACC), the Department for Work and Pensions’ figure which shows all the people claiming Universal Credit (UC) who are actually seeking employment, hads swelled by 103,000 in the same period.
But, of course, the Chancellor has extended the Job Retention Scheme to the end of April now. So will this help? It might, or it might just delay a huge wave of redundancies as the initial furloughing of staff did. There was a record 217,000 海角视频 redundancies in the quarter to the end of October.
Other factors which will come into play include how effective vaccines prove to be, lingering health concerns in the population and whether consumer demand will recover, and the impact of Brexit and the 海角视频’s new trade arrangements with the EU.
6. What will happen to the region’s aerospace industry in 2021?
The 海角视频’s aerospace sector was hit hard in 2020, with the industry giants such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry heavyweights, which are major employers in the South West, and have sites in Filton, South Gloucestershire, have made significant reductions to their global workforces this year.
According to analysis by Deloitte, slow recovery in passenger travel could continue to impact the 海角视频’s aerospace sector in 2021, including aircraft deliveries and industry revenues.
Deloitte said the development of a vaccine could result in short-term growth in passenger traffic, driven by pent-up demand, but is “unlikely” to offset the damage to lucrative business travel.
ADS, the aerospace trade body, has also warned the aviation and aerospace industries are facing a “deepening crisis” - and said “urgent action” was required to prevent longer-term damage.
“The latest travel bans, fragile consumer confidence and little success so far in achieving resilient travel protocols, leaves airlines, airports and aerospace manufacturers uncertain about future demand and the route to recovery,” said ADS chief executive Paul Everitt.
A no-deal Brexit - previously a major concern for the sector - has now been avoided however. And Airbus has welcomed the news.
The aerospace giant said it would "analyse the consequences" of the Brexit deal on its operations.
An Airbus spokesman said:"We need to analyse the consequences on our business, but we are pleased that the potential disruption from a no-deal scenario has been avoided.
"A strong partnership will generate benefits right across Europe."
7. Will Flybe take to the skies again?
There are hopes that regional airline Flybe will start up again in 2021 after its sale to former shareholder Thyme Opco Limited, headed by hedge fund boss Lucien Farrell.
The airline after its business and assets, including the brand, intellectual property, stock and equipment were sold to Thyme Opco Limited, a company affiliated with investment adviser Cyrus Capital.
Cyrus was a shareholder of Flybe, along with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic in the Connect Airways deal, before its collapse in March.
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A spokesman for Thyme Opco said that while it plans to start off smaller than before, it expects to 'create valuable airline industry jobs, restore essential regional connectivity in the 海角视频, and contribute to the recovery of a vital part of the country’s economy.'
There has been lobbying by economic leaders to return it to Exeter but there has been no mention of it once again being based in the city.
Flybe employed more than 2,000 people, half of them based in Exeter and was the operator of 80% of flights from the airport before its collapse.
8. What's happening to Bristol's YTL Arena?
Plans for a major arena just outside Bristol are still on track, the developers have confirmed.
YTL said its programme of construction work would start in mid-2021 as originally planned, with the doors of the arena expected to open in 2023, adding that the timeframe had not changed.
The YTL Arena will become the third-largest arena in the 海角视频 - after the O2 in London and Manchester Arena - when it is built at the former Brabazon hangars at Filton Airfield.
The long-awaited arena, which was given the Secretary of State's approval in April, will have a capacity for more than 17,000 spectators when built.
"The first few months of 2020 promised an exciting year ahead when in March we were granted planning permission and just as we all headed into lockdown and a new world, the Secretary of State rubber stamped that approval," a spokesperson said.
"While inevitably the Covid pandemic has had an impact on us all, we have continued to be busy and productive throughout the year.
"We have made significant progress with our technical design in preparation for construction; we also managed to bring some outdoor events to the airfield, including three drive-in cinema events in July, October and in the run-up to Christmas. We will continue to explore opportunities to hold live events next year."
The developers also said they are "determined" to work with local people, organisations and businesses following the pandemic.
9. Will cinemas recover and reopen?
Cinemas, and cinema-going, have been among the biggest economic casualties of the coronavirus pandemic. Across the 海角视频 all movie houses shut during the first lockdown and its been a chequered picture since with some chains open and others closed.
Vue, for example, is operating, but only has a mixed bag of festive favourites, and Love Actually, on its menu, , having obtained a financial safety net and slashed costs.
Even smaller chains are wallowing in uncertainty, with , most of which are in the South West, until Easter, partly because of a lack of new releases.
That chain was among dozens of independents handed cash by the Government to see them through the pandemic, and the lack of audiences. In the South West alone the Culture Recovery Fund has provided £2.7million for 44 outlets.
But will the movie industry recover in 2021? The decision by Warner Bros to release all its 2021 fare on streaming services on the same day as in cinemas is seen by some as a harbinger. The likes of Netflix, Amazon and Disney have already made inroads into movie going, and with no idea when restrictions will end, or if he public will regain an appetite for trips to the cinema, home viewing could see off multiplexes and even smaller independents for good.
But then, they said that about TV, video, DVDs, Blu-ray and the initial arrival of streaming.
10. Will Exeter's Royal Clarence Hotel finally get re-built?
There are hopes that Exeter's historic Royal Clarence Hotel will be revived more than four years on from the devastating fire that left a shell of the building.
In August, owners Andrew Brownsword Hotels announced it had completed sale of the landmark to South West Lifestyle Brands Limited, a company indirectly-owned by James Brent and his wife.
And there are expectations that the hotel will be re-built because it was sold with planning permission in place for the creation of a 74 bedroom hotel.
James Brent said at the time: “We are delighted to have acquired this important site in such a stunning location.
"We look forward to working with the city, the Cathedral and other partners to replace the historic building”.
The hotel in Cathedral Yard was severely damaged by a fire in October 2016.
Restoration plans have been in the pipeline ever since but progress has been slow.
Brownsword said the site is passed on to its new custodians with preliminary enabling works completed, and the site’s historic fabric restored and protected.
11. Will Plymouth’s Civic Centre remain derelict?
It’s currently sitting derelict with boards all around it, but Plymouth’s towering Civic Centre building with flats above designed to be rented by the day, as part of a bold plan to reinvigorate the city centre.
Urban Splash, the Manchester-based development firm which bought the city centre tower for £1 in 2016, has dropped the idea of using the lower floors for shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, and hot food takeaways in favour of creating an “international conference centre”.
The plan, being worked on in partnership with the University of Plymouth, would see creation of a conference space that could hold up to 700 people.
The declining fortunes of high street retail and leisure are being seen as a key reason for the change, with new ways of enticing people into the city centre being explored.
Urban Splash will also look to create flexible office space on the lower floors on the Royal Parade side of the block.
But they would retain the plan to contain 144 flats on the upper 12-storeys, though these will only be for rent, not sale, on very flexible terms which could see them hired by the day, in some cases.
But where will the money come from for such a vision? Along with Plymouth City Council, Urban Splash bid for £17million from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund. In the end the city was handed £12,046,873.
The bid was for cash to be split between the redevelopment of the Civic Centre, into what will be renamed The Civic, and a major upgrade of Plymouth Guildhall, just opposite the skyscraper, into another conference and events centre, also usable as a weddings and graduations location, and even doubling as a music venue too.
Urban Splash, which has successfully regenerated Plymouth’s historic Royal William Yard, has it wants to continue with redevelopment of the Civic Centre even if there is no cash available from he fund. It said it would explore other funding options for a scheme estimated previously as a £40million project.
But, in the current economic climate, will there be the finance and appetite for such a large-scale development, particularly with the uncertainty Covid brings to conferences and events?
12. Will the South West get a free port?
The government has committed to creating up to 10 free ports in the 海角视频.
The model allows companies to import goods tariff-free and only pay once sold into the domestic market, or export the final goods without paying 海角视频 tariffs.
The government issued a prospectus in November this year inviting bids from coalitions from across the 海角视频 with a submission date of February 4, 2021.
Bristol has brought together a strong coalition to submit a bid that is being led by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), with a range of public and private partners including The Bristol Port Company; Bristol Airport; West of England LEP; and supporting partners including chambers of commerce Business West.
The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP) and South West Business Council (SWBC) have also been working on plans for a free port bid that would cover Plymouth’s docks and Exeter Airport.
James Durie, chief executive of Business West, believes Bristol and the West of England is "very well placed" to gain free port status in 2021 given the area's geographical position, deep-water port, land availability and cluster of universities.
He said: "The objectives of establishing free ports are to create as national hubs for global trade and investment across the 海角视频, to help promote regeneration and job creation and further drive innovation including funding into R&D and increased productivity.
"These align very closely with the city regions’s ambitious industrial strategy to drive long term sustainable growth."
13. What's happening to the derelict House of Fraser in Exeter?
Work is underway to create a boutique hotel run by one of the world's leading companies - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
House of Fraser closed in November 2019 - since then wealth management firm Prydis, has had control of the building and in September confirmed it had struck a franchise deal with IHG for its boutique brand Hotel Indigo.
How a rooftop terrace would have views over Exeter, when the former House of Fraser store becomes a Hotel Indigo
IHG operates the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands, among many others, and already has the Holiday Inn Express in Exeter city centre.
Prydis said the deal emphasises the robustness of the hotel market, and will capitalise on the staycation market trend post-Covid and the positive growth potential for the South West region.
The £30m redevelopment scheme was given planning permissions in 2019 to convert the department store building into a luxury hotel with rooftop bar and terraces and ground floor upmarket shops on the High Street.
14. Will universities be hit by a decline in student numbers?
The University of Plymouth returned to profit in 2020 but saw its income fall by £13million as it faced a decline in student numbers.
The institution’s newly published accounts show it has made an after-tax profit of £4.1million for 2019/20, after posting a loss of £17million a year earlier.
That loss was partly explained by the university having to pay out £21.9million in “restructuring costs” associated with redundancy payments and pension costs for 566 staff who left during 2018 and 2019.
This figure turned out to be more than £6million more than the university previously reported. A further 44 staff left in 2020, costing an additional £167,000.
The university’s accounts showed its income dropped from £241.5million to £228million, , which the university said “reflects the decrease in student numbers resulting from the demographic dip and competition within the sector to attract and retain new students”.
The fall in student numbers across the 海角视频 was hurting before the pandemic struck – in 2018 nearly 20 universities had a 10% decline in admissions over the previous six years.
This is partly because of demographics, there are simply fewer teenagers at the moment, and it will stay that way for a few years, before an increase before 2030.
But there has also been a sharp drop in the number of older students applying to go to university, in particular to study nursing, which saw a 10% decline in applications after a switch from NHS bursaries to tuition fees.
There is also intense competition in the higher education sector as lower and middle-ranking institutions in particular battle it out to attract students to fill places.
Then there is the effect of Brexit and whether EU students will be hit financially as they are not classed as international students. EU students applying to study medicine fell by 8%, prior to 2018, possibly due to the Brexit effect.
And then there is the effect of Covid-19 on young people who may not want to run up huge university bills when faced with online learning and a loss of the traditional university experience.
15. Will the Stonehenge tunnel get built?
The Government gave the green light in November for the £1.7billion upgrade of the A303 at Stonehenge.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps granted a Development Consent Order for work to start on the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge) scheme, which includes a two-mile tunnel underneath the World Heritage Site.
Since then, Highways England has out a call out to South West SMEs to .
The A303 Stonehenge project team recently awarded contracts to construction firm Osborne for the preliminary works and Wessex Archaeology for the archaeological excavation work
According to a report commissioned by local authorities and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, improving the A303 corridor will help to create 21,000 jobs and deliver a £39billion boost in the long term.
Preparatory work is due to begin in spring next year, with the five-year construction phase expected to start by 2023.
But campaigners have launched legal action against the decision.
The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site, a new organisation set up by The Stonehenge Alliance, is looking into the lawfulness of the Secretary of State’s decision and has launched a £50,000 fundraising appeal to cover the initial costs of the legal action.
Tom Holland, Stonehenge Alliance President, expressed his backing for the legal action: “ There is still a chance to stop the bulldozers moving in and vandalising our most precious and iconic prehistoric landscape."
16. Will the tourism and hospitality sectors recover?
There's no doubting that tourism and hospitality has taken a massive blow this year and with the South West economy heavily dependent on the sectors - the region has been a big loser on the Covid-19 pandemic despite relatively low case numbers.
The Boxing Day blow of tightening restrictions in much of the South East cost holiday bookings in the South West with predictions that the curbs on travel were costing the region around £2million a week in lost revenue.
Wet-led pubs have been forced to close and some of those that do serve meals found that they had no option but to stop trading because of a downturn in trade.
Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall said in December - in the winter months - to save the 2021 season.
But with a new fast-spreading variant of Covid-19 bringing fresh disruption to daily life it is too early to predict what the reality will be next year.
But it seems that there is still a desire to travel - though it is expected that the number of passengers will be lower than normal. Holiday firm Jet2 has annouced a new base at Bristol Airport and .
And budget airline easyjet recorded its first loss in its 25-year history and predicts that it will in the first quarter of the financial year.
The perilous state of the hospitality industry has led to from leading restaurateurs and hoteliers.
Robin Hutson, co-founder of the Pig Hotel chain, which has hotels across the South West, said that the sector deserves representation at the highest level and is leading an online petition called #seatatthetable to lobby the government.
17. Will Cornwall’s spaceport help start a new space race?
Will the 海角视频 become part of a new space race in 2021, thanks to its spaceports in Scotland and Cornwall? In 2020 the 海角视频 and US governments have signed a new agreement paving the way for US companies to operate from spaceports in Cornwall and Scotland and export space launch technology.
Plans were approved in 2019 to , from where Sir Richard Branson plans to launch his Virgin Orbit satellites.
A horizontal Spaceport Cornwall is now to be developed in Newquay, with official reports saying the site is to host 13,000 commercial satellites by 2030.
Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic’s spin-off, is geared towards deploying satellites by using a Boeing 747 to launch satellites from mid-air. The company has partnered with ExoTerra, a smaller firm, to develop solar-powered upper stages for the rocket, which has the potential to allow these craft to soar beyond Earth’s lower orbit.
It has been estimated that the three planned spaceports in Cornwall and Scotland could contribute up to £1.407billion to the 海角视频 economy if the wider spillover effects are taken into account, new research shows.
The study revealed the planned spaceport in Newquay could provide £80million to the 海角视频 economy, based on the average return of £4 per £1 of public investment into the project.
As well as providing up to £80million - or £240 million with spillover - to the 海角视频 economy, Spaceport Cornwall is also expected to create 448 jobs and £200 million of GVA.
18. Will the gin and craft beer boom continue?
Despite lockdown the craft beers and spirits boom seems set to continue with new firms operating and many finding they can sell successfully online.
For example, Tarquin’s Cornish Gin’s Southwestern Distillery, based in the hamlet of St Ervan, three miles from Padstow, doubled credit times for its smallest customers to 60 days, scrapped minimum order quantities, and provided 2,000, free, hand sanitiser stations for small retailers.
It is diversified into rum production, but the biggest change at the firm, named as one of Britain’s fastest growing before the coronavirus pandemic struck, was that it received a huge boost from online sales. It had no online market before the pandemic lockdown forced founder Tarquin Leadbetter to reassess the business’ model.
As recently as December 2020, a - shining the spotlight on the region’s finest drinks and distilleries. Based in Exeter, Azu Spirits is a premium spirits tasting brand, delivering a “blind tasting” experience straight to customers’ doors.
The company’s gin tasting box features selected gins from Atlantic Distillery, Conker, Curio, Papillon, Pothecary and Wrecking Coast, showcasing some of the South West’s finest distilleries.
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As for rum. It is now a £1billion industry in the 海角视频. In April 2020, Mutley Distilleries revealed in the Mutley Plain area of Plymouth.
And craft beer is more than small beer too. BrewDog continues its rapid growth and is, and that is despite the effect lockdowns have had on its bars.
Plymouth’s Steel Brew Co, which started in a shed in 2019, moved to larger premises in the Royal William Yard during the first lockdown, and the city’s Bulletproof Brewery, also born in a shed, opened its Taphaus in Mutley Plain.
Yet, alcohol sales fell during 2020, beer by 10% and wine by 5%, with online orders not making up for pub and bar closures. But retail gin sales surged, topping £1billion for the first time, although they dipped overall due to bar closures. Sales of no- or low-alcohol drinks rose too, up 30% on 2019, as young people especially forego getting sloshed.
19. How will Brexit impact the South West economy?
The Brexit deal was approved in Parliament on Wednesday (December 30). A total of 521 MPs voted to back the agreement, giving Prime Minister Boris Johnson a majority of 448.
But Britons are being warned to prepare for “some disruption” when the 海角视频 leaves the EU on January 1.
According to cabinet minister Michael Gove, there will be “practical and procedural changes” despite the country agreeing a free trade and security deal with the bloc.
According to Matt Griffith, director of Policy at Business West, the agreement of a trade deal between the 海角视频 and EU will bring more "clarity and certainty" in the short term to many of the region's businesses.
But, he said, the economic impact of coronavirus will "continue to dwarf anything that Brexit can throw at it".
Mr Griffiths explained: "2021 will be a year of adaptation for South West exporters, as they adjust to the new relationship with Europe and the new processes it brings, such as Customs Declarations. These will involve extra costs, particularly for integrated supply chains.
"On the brighter side, the 海角视频 has never been so focused on promoting export growth, and we will be working closely with companies to capitalise on new opportunities beyond the 海角视频.
"A vaccine will lead to a return to growth, allowing domestic sectors to pick up the slack from any bumps in the road. Reform of agricultural subsidies, freeing money for other investment, will be another Brexit bonus that could benefit our non-agricultural firms."
20. What will happen to our city and town centres?
The question over the future of the High Street was happening long before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Out-of-town retail parks and the birth of internet shopping had taking a slice of the footfall that the High Street and city centres used to enjoy.
The pandemic has accelerated the trends already there - and working from home has emptied commercial spaces in city and town centres.
It has cost us some of our biggest brands like and The Arcadia Group - though there still to come.
What is clear is that those stores that have failed to adapt have fallen.
But it's not the end for the High Street or the town centre - but it does need to adapt, offering shoppers an experience that they can't get from a cookie-cutter roll out of shops selling the same thing.
for bricks and mortar stores and online competitors is one of the biggest issues.
Some have predicted a return to the 1970s High Street of family-run shops while others say that a vibrant High Street has to have a mix of .
What the pandemic has shown us is the value of our small shopkeepers - they are the and found ingenious ways to .
But it is clear that if they are to survive, they have to embrace ecommerce too - and many have turned to social media to showcase their shop windows even when the doors were closed.
The Government has pledged to help the High Street - and . Investment to encourage other private investors to join the party could see a resurgence in our public spaces that is more in keeping with the way we live now.
21. Will the Cornish lithium industry take off?
It’s been called the 21 st Century gold rush and 2021 is set to be a big year for the nascent Cornish Lithium industry with two key firms expected to advance towards production next year.
Cornish Lithium Ltd, the mineral exploration and development company based in the Duchy, said it will following the successful production of nominal battery-grade lithium hydroxide.
This was achieved using technologies, supplied by Australian Stock Exchange listed company Lepidico Ltd, on lithium mica samples obtained during its maiden hard rock lithium drilling programme within a china clay open pit earlier in 2020.
Cornish Lithium has now paid £2.3million for a technology licence from Lepidico which provides it with an innovative and environmentally responsible metallurgical processing solution for the Trelavour project.
Meanwhile, another company, British Lithium, was . The grant from Innovate海角视频 will help it work rapidly toward establishing the 海角视频's first quarry and refinery, to produce the lithium required for the transition of the 海角视频 from hydrocarbon to electric mobility.
The company is a pioneer of novel technology for the concentration of lithium mica from Cornish granite and the sustainable extraction of battery-grade lithium.
It was the first company to drill a hard-rock lithium deposit in the 海角视频, and the only lithium developer with its own in-house laboratory in Cornwall.
Roderick Smith, chairman of British Lithium, has said could lead to a huge boost for Cornwall’s economy – the epicentre of the lithium mining industry in the 海角视频.
With lithium being vital for battery production the firm behind the only “battery-grade” lithium mine in Europe said that the 海角视频 needs to start an electric vehicle (EV) industry or lose momentum, and jobs, to China and other nations.
But if up to eight gigafactories can be built in the 海角视频 to produce batteries it could boost the country’s automotive industry, creating up to 246,000 jobs and lead to a windfall for lithium-rich Cornwall.
Are there questions you would like to see answered in 2021? Let us know in the comments section below