Let’s face it, people have changed the way they shop and it means that the high street is basically dead despite continued regeneration and funding. There should be easy conversion of empty retail units into accommodation to help alleviate the housing crisis. Such housing would then better support the economy of the surrounding high street.
its empty because of the huge duties fees and taxes there are to operate one, that is why all that is left is charity shops which are exempt from these and obvious money laundering fronts (Turkish Barbers etc.).
The high street is vanishing because of mismanagement not because of other issues.
Additionally rents have tripled in recent years. A lot of small businesses have closed due to greedy landlords.
Then you see the shops being converted to barbers shops
Honestly, remove labour, scrap tax burdens that stop private businesses from forming or growing, inject life back into our towns and restore the community aspect of our towns and cities.
I find that I want to hold and inspect the item that I may buy, to not feel like I am buying some chinese knock-off and that I can hold a place accountable to get a reliable refund.
We gain social skills again with the restoration of markets and shops/cafes/other, we are becoming to private in our homes, albeit the labour party is tearing down our privacy as we speak, which they will deny, but our eyes and ears don’t lie, labour lies.
The internet has destroyed the towns, there is a need to turn them into flats.