I’ve been following the debate around remote work and high streets for years: will flexible working save struggling town centres, or merely shift the problem somewhere else? After visiting three pilot cities that have experimented with remote work hubs—Bristol, Dundee, and Milton Keynes—I came away with a more nuanced view. These projects aren’t silver bullets. But they offer practical lessons about how local leaders, landlords, employers and communities can redesign town centres for a hybrid world.

Why remote work hubs? The questions people keep asking

Readers often ask me: what exactly is a remote work hub? Who uses them? And can they really revive civic life? In plain terms, a remote work hub is a shared workspace located in or near a town centre, usually run by a local council, a private operator or a community organisation, aimed at people who want to work outside the home without commuting into a major city daily.

Common follow-up questions I hear are:

  • Will hubs bring enough footfall to sustain cafes, shops and services?
  • Can hubs attract companies to decentralise roles permanently?
  • Do hubs simply duplicate coworking crowded in cities, or do they meet local needs uniquely?

    • Those questions guided my visits. I wanted to see who was using the spaces, how they were funded, and whether local businesses were noticing any difference.

    Bristol: grassroots activation and local partnerships

    In Bristol, a consortium of local councils, a university and an established coworking operator converted a vacant high-street bank into a hub aimed at freelancers and SMEs. What impressed me most was the deliberate, community-first approach: the hub hosts pop-up markets, evening classes and council drop-in sessions, creating a day-to-night rhythm that started to attract regular foot traffic.

    Key observations:

  • The hub’s programming mattered as much as the workspace. Events brought people who wouldn’t otherwise enter a coworking environment.
  • Partnerships with local cafes—offering lunch vouchers and joint promotions—helped convert coworking footfall into wider high-street spending.
  • Flexible membership models (pay-as-you-go, half-day passes) lowered the barrier for occasional users and local residents curious to try a different workspace.

    • Bristol shows that remote work hubs need to be porous institutions: part office, part community centre. They worked best where managers intentionally connected members to the surrounding retail and civic fabric.

    Dundee: public investment and targeted job creation

    Dundee’s experiment looked different. Here, national and local government funding helped launch several hubs with the explicit goal of retaining graduates and supporting tech startups. The strategy included subsidised desk space for early-stage companies and mentoring from university researchers.

    What stood out:

  • Targeted subsidies can jump-start ecosystem development, especially in post-industrial cities with a talent drain.
  • Co-location of research facilities, incubation services and coworking reduced friction for entrepreneurs who might otherwise relocate to larger hubs.
  • Cross-subsidies (where private bookings help pay for community-facing initiatives) proved vital for financial sustainability.

    • However, Dundee also highlighted a tension: public funding can sustain hubs initially, but success depends on converting that support into market demand. Hubs that remained dependent on grants struggled to maintain services once the funding cycle ended.

    Milton Keynes: corporate partnerships and commuter substitution

    Milton Keynes took a different route: several large employers signed corporate memberships to decentralise teams. Their goal was to reduce long commutes, cut carbon emissions and improve staff retention. The hubs were positioned next to transport hubs and integrated with bike-share schemes.

    Lessons from Milton Keynes:

  • Corporate buy-in can provide steady revenue and ensure regular day-to-day usage, which benefits nearby businesses.
  • Location matters: hubs placed near transport interchanges attracted hybrid workers who commuted part-time, creating predictable mid-week footfall.
  • Employers using hubs for team days—rather than full-time remote work—helped maintain social bonds while easing pressure on central offices.

    • But there are caveats. When corporations withdraw or reduce memberships due to cost pressures, hubs faced sudden drops in occupancy. Long-term viability requires a mixed user base: freelancers, residents, SMEs and corporate teams.

    What actually changes on the high street?

    Across the three cities, I tracked several indicators: daily footfall near hubs, lunchtime spending, new business registrations in the local area, and anecdotal reports from shop owners. The picture was mixed but instructive.

    Metric Bristol Dundee Milton Keynes
    Average daily hub users (first year) 70 45 120
    Reported lunchtime spending increase nearby +18% +10% +22%
    New local business registrations (12 months) +6% +9% +4%

    The most consistent effect was increased daytime activity during mid-week. Cafes and convenience retailers saw the biggest benefit. But fewer hubs produced large-scale, round-the-clock regeneration. That requires a broader strategy: housing, transport, and cultural programming all matter.

    Practical lessons for policymakers and operators

    If you’re a councillor, developer or operator thinking of launching a hub, these are the tactical takeaways I carried home:

  • Design for the ecosystem, not just desks. Programming (events, workshops, civic services) fuels footfall and builds ties with local traders.
  • Mix revenue sources. Rely on a blend of corporate contracts, flexible memberships and public funding to smooth revenue volatility.
  • Prioritise accessibility. Place hubs near public transport, cycling routes and amenities. People won’t use a hub that’s inconvenient.
  • Measure the right outcomes. Track not only occupancy but spillover spending, new business formation and social capital indicators (events, collaborations).
  • Plan for adaptive reuse. Converting vacant retail or civic buildings is cheaper and politically easier than new construction—and preserves the high-street character.

    • Who benefits—and who doesn’t?

    Hubs can be a lifeline for local freelancers, young entrepreneurs and people who want to work closer to home without isolating themselves. Small hospitality businesses often see immediate benefits. But hubs won’t automatically solve deep structural problems: areas suffering from long-term disinvestment, poor transport links, or insufficient housing require wider policy interventions.

    One recurring concern I heard was gentrification. When successful hubs attract higher-earning professionals, rental pressures can rise. That’s why complementary policies—affordable workspace quotas, rent controls for micro-retail, and support for local supply chains—matter if revitalisation is to be inclusive.

    In short, remote work hubs can play a meaningful role in town-centre revival when they’re part of a broader, place-based strategy. The three cities I visited showed that the most successful hubs are those that see themselves as civic actors—connecting people to services, supporting local businesses, and weaving work back into the fabric of everyday life.