Goodbye High Street.

[cromwell]

I think that out of town shopping centres and trading estates have been killing the town centre for decades.

I agree. Go to a retail park and park for free. Go into a town centre, pay to park..... no brainer for many people.

Wakefield has two shopping centres (one, the Ridings, is half dead.The other Trinity Walk has some empty shops.) The "old" town centre is a sad sight now. Bookies, charity shops, coffee shops and pound land shops. Interstingly I went to Selby the other day. Not a place I'd want to have a drink in a night by all acccounts, but it still has a recognisable High Street. What it doesn't have is any just out of town supermarkets or retail centres.

If the High Street is dying, convert all those old shops into flats and get people living in the town centre again, thus bringing it back to life. Or is that too simple?

[medsec222]

Liverpool has a very good city centre with plenty of shops but it is very expensive to park. We have a small retail centre within a mile or so of where we live. We have a Morrisons and a Lidl within a mile and we pass Asda on the way to the retail park, which has a good range of shops, M&S, a large Next, Furniture Village, Boots, Laura Ashley, TKMax, B&Q,JD Sports, Sports Direct, The Range, as well Frankie and Bennys and Nandos. There are other shops as well. Parking is free. It is so near our home we go several times a week.

[JoM]

Same with Birmingham medsec, although parking is free on some streets on Sundays so we tend to go then. Otherwise it's ridiculously expensive. Saying that though, it's £1 for an hour in Cannock which is a big reason why people don't visit.

[cruiser2]

Here in Wigan, they are closing the market which was redelevoped in 1988. There is only one butchers and two veg stalls. Six cafes a hardware stall three stalls selling cards.
There is one stall which sells food-freshly cooked meat, cold meat, and cakes. It is always busy.
Have heard the market is being closed and a wall erected to split it into two parts.
There was a Morrisons opposite which has closed. The nearest one is now out of town only accessible by car. M&S, Wilko, WH Smiths are on the main street with B& M SpecSavers and banks.
There is a new shopping area with Debenhams at one end. You have to walk past Boots Superdrug and other shops as it is at the end of the pedestrian walkway. We only go into town to buy food.
Sometimes there are stalls on the main street selling continental food and non food items.
We always go in by bus for free as parking is expensive.