Latest update October 14th, 2019 7:27 AM
Jan 18, 2012 Peter Rabbit Opinion Comments Off on Time for the High Street to move on
I am a nobody in the scale of things but I did sit through the parliament debate about the issues effecting our Town Centers and High Streets.
I have listened to many people talk about the problems that are addressed in the Portas report that cover issues regarding, out of town shopping complexes, car parking, vacant shops in the high streets , lack of foot fall in the town centre and the lack of money that circulates within the original shopping precincts.
Well, the council have already approved these Out-of-Town developments which have monopolize the shopping industry and provided a shopping experience in one area with every connivence including free car parking.
This is the reality of the situation, and it has left a large volume of retailers heading for these centers as the volume of shoppers flock to them and spend their money. As a result to varying degrees the high streets are left stranded, abandoned, empty and vacant.
How I view this; is that when the high streets were first designed, they were the shopping precincts of the area but also remember the population was lower, the volume of vehicles didn’t exist and no one walked around with a phone in their pocket and computers were unheard of for the local public.
We have evolved and now we can shop in large modern shopping centers and browse at our leisure. We can sit in the warmth our our homes and shop online and get everything delivered to our door, without ever venturing out of our comfort zone.
I believe the high streets have had their day and it is over……
So…. now the high streets have to re-invent themselves as a new identity within this day and age. The high street come with history, past interactions and transaction and social engagements. I believe that this should be restored instead of trying to revamp them to compete with todays technology and modern structures.
I believe different retail experience needs to exist within the high streets with a respect to the history that is at the heart of the place. Markets were once the only way of buying and selling products and produce, and they were the hub of society. Lets try and restore that….. A place that provides a social hub and a different retail experience to the larger shopping complexes. Lets acknowledge the History, the heritage and the uniqueness.
Close off high streets, fill them full of market traders, craftsmen, food masters, artisans , local musicians and provide a cultural shopping experience to shoppers that is opposite to the larger complexes. Encourage local people to try making, baking and selling products and produce. Change the planning laws, only have short leases in the high streets and free car parking is a must. Provide opportunities to a variety of people including our young. Give people the choice to decide who and how they spend their money. We are still social creatures and enjoy interacting which has largely been taken from us with technology. Bring it back..bring back the traders who first made the high streets. It is like restoring the history back into the towns.
This should not be in competition with the big guys but provide a unique experience which has been proven through some of the successful markets within this country already.
B.Boyd
Jan 29, 2014 Comments Off on Artisan market’s Sunday move sees sales drop
Aug 06, 2013 Comments Off on Revamped Newhaven market will have around 18 stalls
Aug 04, 2013 Comments Off on Councils to lose powers over high street planning under government proposal
Feb 11, 2013 Comments Off on Mary Queen of shops failed to save our stalls
Dec 07, 2018 Comments Off on Christmas Market overcrowding is not the only problem
Nov 15, 2018 Comments Off on John McLellan: Conspiracy theories under Christmas tree
Oct 03, 2012 Comments Off on Markets must be the lifeblood of any great city
Feb 20, 2012 Comments Off on Love your local market campaign
Oct 14, 2019 Comments Off on Venezuelan fast-casual dining opening in White City
HOSPITALITY & CATERING NEWS A new fast-casual dining concept from restaurateurs Gabriel and Jose-Luis Gonzalez. SABROSO!, will open at West London’s Westfield White City on 21st October....Sep 06, 2019 Comments Off on Leicester vegans are about to gain a new 100% vegan market, hitting the city this month
Oct 14, 2019 Comments Off on Borough Market To Open Sustainable New Street Food Area
Londonist.com BY LAURA REYNOLDS The eclectic stalls of Borough Market offer myriad lunch options — trust us, we’ve availed ourselves of most of them at one time or another — but not many places to sit and enjoy your nosh. Enter The Borough Market Kitchen, a new space in the...Sep 16, 2019 Comments Off on The end of an era for Smithfield market
Jun 09, 2019 Comments Off on More city dwellers connect with their food via street markets
Jun 01, 2019 Comments Off on Paris’s La Felicità is a style-forward food market bringing Italian flair and flavour to the culinarily-diverse 13th arrondissement…
May 10, 2019 Comments Off on Time Out opens newest market at Miami’s South Beach
Apr 16, 2019 Comments Off on Highway ban takes heavy toll on Sunday market
Apr 12, 2019 Comments Off on This Little Piggy Went To These 11 Street Food Markets
Apr 07, 2019 Comments Off on Dublin’s hidden gem: The Liberty Market
Dec 09, 2018 Comments Off on 12 magical Christmas markets from Chichester to Copenhagen