“High streets are the heart of towns and communities. They have been for centuries. People are passionate about high streets.” Mary Portas (2011)

As the quote from Mary Portas above suggests the British high street is something cherished by communities around the country. Built up over hundreds of years in towns and cities the country over they are a quintessentially British thing. Yet despite this fondness high streets have struggled to keep pace with the rapidly evolving economy of the 21st Century. They have been withered away by the enormous growth in online shopping and the near omnipresent out-of-town retail developments which are more accessible and free of many of the physical constraints of town centres. This is demonstrated through government statistics which show a clear decline in high street sales since the turn of the millennium. Continue reading →