I think most town centres are like this at the moment, declining. With the rise of online shopping and shopping centres most towards the suburbs i think it will continue to lead to a decline. However, there is always value in having shops and despite the decline, i can see shops in the town centres opening in a few years time reopening as land prices get less! I think its a wave and theres not much the council can do except keep trying to encourage people to use the town centres.