It is a transformation which will make the northeast town of Stockton-on-Tees almost unrecognisable – and which may, advocates say, signal a new future for British towns and cities.

Next year, the sprawling Castlegate shopping centre, which has dominated the high street here for half a century, will be demolished and replaced with a vast public park three times the size of Trafalgar Square.

The mall’s multi-storey car park and dozens of shops, as well as an adjacent hotel, will be bulldozed into history. In their place will come one of the North of England’s biggest urban oases: five acres of grassed lawns, wild habitats, play areas and picnic spots.

If the £37m vision – set to be officially approved next week – is unequivocally bold, it is only the most notable of a whole raft of similar projects currently being green-lit by various local authorities.

Across the UK, such outdoor spaces are being planned on sites previously earmarked for commercial development. In Sheffield, the 1.5-acre Pound Park is to be created where a car park and offices were previously pencilled in. In Leeds, the proposed Aire Park – part of a wider development of apartments and hotels – will become the city’s biggest new green space since the Victorian age. In Manchester, readjusted plans to regenerate the old Mayfield railway depot will now see a 6.5-acre oasis at its heart, albeit one surrounded by high-rise towers.

It all raises an intriguing prospect: after decades when the prevailing trend has been one of loss, could we now be seeing the first signs of a new golden age of park building? And could such facilities be key to transforming the flagging fortunes of our urban centres?

A vending machine containing essentials for rough sleepers has been installed in Nottingham in what is believed to be a world first, with the inventor hoping to put one in every city with a homelessness problem.

The machine was unveiled at the Intu shopping centre in Broadmarsh on Tuesday. It dispenses water, fresh fruit, energy bars, crisps, chocolate and sandwiches, as well as socks, sanitary towels, antibacterial lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste packs, and books.

Much of the fresh food comes from redistribution organisations seeking to reduce food waste, according to the inventors at Action Hunger, a new charity. Other items are bought with donations.

Use of the machine is exclusively for those in need, and items can only be vended with a special keycard, which Action Hunger’s partner organisations give to users. In Nottingham the cards are given out by the Friary, a drop-in advice centre for homeless people.

The keycards are programmed to permit up to three items being dispensed per day. The limit aims to stop “dependency” on the machines, the charity said.

“We want our low-cost solution to complement other services that are available, as engagement with professionals and local support services is instrumental to breaking the cycle of homelessness,” it added.

Marks & Spencer is launching a string of cafés designed to provide a space for people to escape the bustle of daily life, share stories about their mental health and be reminded that it’s “ok not to be ok”.

The retailer is teaming up with author, comedian and mental health awareness campaigner Ruby Wax to launch a ‘Frazzled Cafe’ in eleven existing stores across the UK in the next few months.

Three will be based in London with others opening in Brighton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cambridge, Nottingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Canterbury and Norwich. More are expected to be opened throughout the year.

However, these statistics do more than just push social mobility back up the agenda: they also change the way we must think about it. In particular, they highlight that place – meaning where someone is born and brought up – is an increasingly pervasive dynamic in the social mobility story.

This is demonstrated most clearly by analysis from the Social Mobility Commission that ranks every local authority in Britain based on its record on social mobility. This shows that the UK is increasingly divided between social mobility ‘hotspots’, which are overwhelmingly located in a small number of urban areas and their wealthy commuter belts, and ‘coldspots’, largely to be found in (often post-industrial) rural, costal and satellite towns.

People in places like Blackpool, Derby, Great Yarmouth, Middlesbrough and Doncaster increasingly face low-paid and precarious work; poor housing; less effective schools; and, ultimately, shorter lives.

While, the idea that the place in which you are born impacts your ability to get on feels intuitive, there has been a big debate in the academic literature about whether good neighbourhoods nurture success, or whether they just attract those who would succeed anyway (and vice versa).

Plans to move 350 public sector jobs out of Northallerton have been described as an “absolute blow” by the town’s mayor.

The Rural Payments Agency announced on Monday it intended to transfer the jobs to York and Newcastle.

Mayor John Forrest said the move, coupled with other recent job losses in the county, would be “detrimental” to businesses in the town.

The agency has said it would work hard to “ensure a smooth transition”.

Speaking to BBC Radio York, Mr Forrest said: “It’s an absolute blow to Northallerton.

“We’re absolutely gutted on the council to receive this information.

“The businesses will feel it. Without those people going to the town during the day the retailers are really going to find it hard.”

Town halls face losing significant powers over the future of their high streets under Whitehall plans to allow shops to be converted into homes without planning permission.

In a move that signifies the widening acceptance that changing shopping habits and the economic downturn have sent the British high street into rapid retreat, the planning minister, Nick Boles, will this week propose scrapping existing rules protecting shop units, including banks and building societies, and allowing them to become housing.

He wants owners to have “permitted development rights” to make the transformation, in the same way that the government has allowed residents to build extensions of up to eight metres without applying for planning permission.

Local authorities will be asked to decide which shops should be considered “prime retail frontage” while the rest could be scrapped. There are around 7,000 empty shops in London alone and last year one senior retailer, Phil Wrigley, chairman of Majestic wine, admitted the high street was in “a death spiral”.

Plans to grant motorists a 15-minute grace window allowing them to park on double yellow lines whilst they pop into a shop came under fire yesterday from local authorities, road safety campaigners and even drivers’ groups who described them as dangerous and flawed.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is backing the scheme, which he believes could help regenerate high streets where decline is often blamed on ruthlessly efficient traffic wardens and costly parking.

Councils were urged to rein in what was described as an “over-zealous enforcement culture” which has seen illicit parking generate more than £1 million a day in fines for town hall chiefs.

Mr Pickles floated the idea in an article in The Daily Telegraph, prompting speculation that it marked a split within the Coalition after the Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker said the idea was “unworkable”.  However, Business Secretary Vince Cable later expressed “sympathy” for Mr Pickles’ plans.

Under the proposal those who took longer than a quarter of an hour would face fines of £130. Currently motorists who flout restrictions must pay £70 outside London and £130 in the capital

1) How can we make a £10,000 government grant go further (a recent grant off the back of the Portas pilots to many rural towns)? It is essential that this funding is not used as a one off but helps to pump prime longer term sustainability. Some of the ideas discussed have included: establishing membership schemes; providing sponsorship opportunities; grant applications and other fundraising streams; income generation schemes; crowdfunding; and, for the more established partnerships, developing a business improvement district.

2) How do we engage businesses with communities? One of the big problems with partnerships is getting people around the table. It is important that the group is representative of all people that use our town centres, not just retailers and business people. The people who choose to get involved are often members of several other groups and do not have the necessary time to commit to town team projects. We have held some interesting discussions around attracting new blood and creating excitement and ownership in our towns.

3) How do we structure town partnerships? Once partnerships are in place it is important that the right structures are created to enable the group to achieve its objectives and to grow. Proper structures also protect the members of town teams. In Halifax, our membership scheme became a company limited by guarantee, meaning we could take out insurance for our events. The ATCM is currently reviewing its guidance on governance.

4) Property ownership Many towns face a problem with vacant properties and have trouble contacting landlords who do not live locally. This problem was highlighted a few years back when the government granted local authorities the funding to tackle vacant properties. The ATCM has created a network of areas in receipt of high street innovation funding and will be bringing them together for a second time in January to share councils’ experiences in bringing old properties in the town centre back to life.

There is scope to do something similar for England at the local or national level if someone can find the modest resources to support it. In essence the index found:

“People living in settlements in accessible rural areas, such as Newburgh, can more easily find alternative employment if they lose their public sector job, for example, and are less likely to be left relying on a low income or unemployed.

“In contrast, remote settlements offer a more limited choice of employment, with many relying on public sector jobs or a declining industrial base.

“Continuing vulnerability may lead to a decline in service provision and the out-migration of the local population, putting the future sustainability of places such as Campbeltown and Dunoon at risk.”

The town names are Scottish but I think they have a powerful resonance in terms of the English experience aswell.