Tell us about your high streets

Our local high street looks dirty and run down, lots of ethnic shops with goods overflowing onto the street, looks dirty and untidy. Very poor parking. High crime rate, dont feel safe, feel i'll be going to shop more online to avoid this. too many shops closing. The last butchers is closing. The only option is to go to major supermarket

I am left unclear about the definition of high street when questions talk about green areas, residential areas and doctor facilities. In my head the high street is the main shopping street in an area/ principle road through an area.

Pedestrianized areas and shopping centres, are not high streets in my mind but definitely fulfil many of the roles. 

In my head a high street for a suburb /local village should be the place where basic needs for the local population are met. So should include food shops (specialist and supermarkets), post office, chemist, hardware shop, haberdashery, toy shop and book shop plus a library and a cafe or two and a pub would make a perfect local focus. A nearby hall for community use would also feature highly as would a gym or other exercise facility. Seating areas would be great if set back from the road and don't forget bike racks and bus stops. Looking ahead for climate change considerations. Public transport, shared use vehicles and cycles should have priority on the street to discourage cars and to make it easier for people to buy from the shops and get purchases home easily.

High street design cannot be seen in isolation, we need to foster a sense of community by making them safe, well lit, spaces, welcoming for all ages. Those boisterous teenagers need space to meet and let off steam just as much as others need peace and quiet. We need our high streets to be places which encourage us to take a greener approach. Every local high street should have collection points for waste that is not collected from the home. Charity shops can also play a critical role with this. 

Pollution from cars has to be minimised but at the same time access is needed for those with mobility issues. This is quite a challenge but small changes introduced in a structured manner might snowball.

Apart from making Surrey Quays less of a hazard to shoppers with the "20mph" sign completely disregarded, it would be useful to have a few unbroken paving slabs & levelled stretches so that the more vulnerable could move with ease.

British Land is currently in planning to redevelop the whole area and my biggest hope is that they leave enough space for trees, planting them such that they aren't starved of light by the high-rise blocks they're proposing. This; making walkways wide enough for gentle amblers as well as rushing commuters with street furniture to punctuate, and allowing more pop-up use of retail space for entrepreneurs in the community would be a benefit to an area that has little maintenance since the 80s.

I like to shop for food in person as I want to see it before I buy.  Financial constraints mean that I have to shop in the bigger supermarkets.

However, I hate clothes shopping and I buy clothes online.  Clothes in the high street are mostly for younger slimmer people than me.

I am disheartened by the fact that all high streets seem to have the same shops and mostly look exactly the same, selling the same items.

Local shops and high streets are an opportunity to bring communities together. Also provide opportunities for initiatives such as zero waste shops, farmers markets etc. 

Also buying locally and in smaller amounts often helps to reduce food waste. 

For my local high street keeping it clean and please to reduce/ get rid of betting shops would be a great improvement. Thanks for the consultation. 

fewer nail shops and restaurants 

Need to be much pleasanter, less polluted places with plenty of trees and greenery and wide pavements.  Less street clutter, but outdoor seating.  

Welcoming pubs and coffee shops / bakery cafés with space available to hire are the new community facilities.  Arts venues would be good, too.  

 I work on a market stall which is just off my high street and everyone I have spoken to say there should be less barber and coffee shops especially in a smaller high street like Orpington, it is a running joke regarding the amount of them... even one coffee shop next to another and one small shop in between two barbers!.. ridiculous!   Whoever agrees to this in the Borough should seriously give other retailers a chance.  

Plenty of coffee shops and eating places [which is good and they seem to be flourishing] but no post office, most banks gone, no big-name retailers except Boots, lots of betting shops. Ridiculous parking charges from local council to dissuade as many people as possible. Still a good place for everyday top-up shopping, for anything more I go to out-of-town shopping centre or the West End.

I am concerned about the loss of pubs in my town.  They must be given greater protection from developers and not charged exorbitant rates.  They are a vital part of society doing great work combating lonlyness and encouraging community spirit.

Less chain stores, less coffee shops and less sandwich shops. More independent retail shops. In Waterloo we used to have a huge variety of independent shops until until chain stores and rising business rates forced them out.

Our local high street had the pavements widened and repaired and this has made a big difference. It now feels more spacious and attractive and you are not constantly being driven into the road by baby prams or big groups of people.

It is still an obstacle course sometimes with sandwich boards outside shops on the pavements - I think these should be reduced to make it easier to walk.

I also think that small retailers and pop up shops should be encouraged with reduced business rates.

More green space and trees make any area more attractive to be in - and some benches to sit on as well means that you can rest while shopping. And public toilets or a loo-sharing scheme from shops would also help!

The main problem locally is the reluctance of businesses and authorities to embrace change and to recognise the challenges. Why sanction retail parks when the High Street is deteriorating. People are forced into cars to visit multiple locations or to shop on-line. Bring all retail operations into one central area and provide the transport links to support it. This would also encourage the redevelopment of the boarded up buildings and sites that blight our town centres and further deter visitors. Reassign the retail park sites for housing  !?

Please work out a way of making freeholders and leaseholders accountable for the look of their building.  Our High St would be lovely if the owners didn't let the buildings rot.

for example:

https://goo.gl/maps/ftL5kPW4CZqSNsUf7​

and

https://goo.gl/maps/GZKBdZW73ZzuBRKu8​

Business rates are too high for local small retailers or startups. Limit the number of large chain stores in a high st. Get a wider mix of quality/product into the high st. For example, charge lower rates for fresh food stores, higher rates for coffee and fast food shops. Force landlords to let shops after a vacant period by imposing charges for vacant shops, this will encourage them to offer lower rents to get a tenant. Ban the use of upward only rent reviews by landlords. Make them take part of the risk.