The changing face of the British high street
They say that progress is always a good thing, but there are many people who would heartily disagree with this. The constant march of time makes life today very different from how it was thirty years ago, for example, and for some of us there are several drawbacks involved. The present day isn't always a bed of roses.
The technological age has changed the way we live, without doubt, and computers and the like have made many things easier. Communication, for example, can take seconds now instead of minutes or even hours, and the Internet has made it so much simpler to access information, perform work-related tasks and even order our weekly shopping.
But one aspect of modern life that has certainly not changed for the better is the gradual homogenisation of our town and city centres. Take a walk through the high street in almost any area of Britain nowadays and you'll see there are few differences in the retail outlets from one place to another.
Although there are plenty of people who will feel this is a trivial complaint, it's a valid one nonetheless. The same clothing shops, bakeries, betting offices and department stores seem to appear everywhere, only interspersed by the occasional independent estate agents, restaurants and hairdressing salons.
One of the reasons for this gradual homogenising involves the business community. In recent years, many non-retail companies have moved away from high street locations, usually because of the more expensive property prices in town and city centres, making empty shop space freely available to national chain stores.
The one exception to this rule may be in the heart of the capital city, but that's only because in London commercial property isn't just restricted to high streets. You are just as likely to find stores dotted about in roads that have a plethora of office blocks and public buildings, for example, so the picture there is sometimes a little different.
Needless to say, the companies that moved out haven't simply disappeared, they have generally just relocated to areas which are less expensive for rental costs and which can play host to larger, non-retail organisations. In many cases, this means they are now found on the edge of towns in specifically-designed business parks and industrial estates.
Often called enterprise zones, they are ideal because they have larger sites and are usually more accessible for incoming and outgoing transport. Take a look around any industrial estates and the chances are you'll find pharma companies, logistics specialists, storage warehouses and distribution centres all doing a thriving trade.
Whether we approve or not of the way our high streets have changed, the fact is they are unlikely to ever go back to the old days. Progress, for better or for worse, is something that very few of us can ever prevent.
The technological age has changed the way we live, without doubt, and computers and the like have made many things easier. Communication, for example, can take seconds now instead of minutes or even hours, and the Internet has made it so much simpler to access information, perform work-related tasks and even order our weekly shopping.
But one aspect of modern life that has certainly not changed for the better is the gradual homogenisation of our town and city centres. Take a walk through the high street in almost any area of Britain nowadays and you'll see there are few differences in the retail outlets from one place to another.
Although there are plenty of people who will feel this is a trivial complaint, it's a valid one nonetheless. The same clothing shops, bakeries, betting offices and department stores seem to appear everywhere, only interspersed by the occasional independent estate agents, restaurants and hairdressing salons.
One of the reasons for this gradual homogenising involves the business community. In recent years, many non-retail companies have moved away from high street locations, usually because of the more expensive property prices in town and city centres, making empty shop space freely available to national chain stores.
The one exception to this rule may be in the heart of the capital city, but that's only because in London commercial property isn't just restricted to high streets. You are just as likely to find stores dotted about in roads that have a plethora of office blocks and public buildings, for example, so the picture there is sometimes a little different.
Needless to say, the companies that moved out haven't simply disappeared, they have generally just relocated to areas which are less expensive for rental costs and which can play host to larger, non-retail organisations. In many cases, this means they are now found on the edge of towns in specifically-designed business parks and industrial estates.
Often called enterprise zones, they are ideal because they have larger sites and are usually more accessible for incoming and outgoing transport. Take a look around any industrial estates and the chances are you'll find pharma companies, logistics specialists, storage warehouses and distribution centres all doing a thriving trade.
Whether we approve or not of the way our high streets have changed, the fact is they are unlikely to ever go back to the old days. Progress, for better or for worse, is something that very few of us can ever prevent.
