Nigel

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Our High streets are in crisis. According to the Centre for Retail Research there are around 50,000 fewer shops on our Shopping streets as only a decade ago, and some analysts predict it will only get worse.

It is part of a trend that has been seen to fight big names and the broke - including Thomas Cook , Mothercare, Bonmarche and Jamie's Italian in addition to many other

It's not only the shops and the customers are affected. High streets are traditionally The Heart of the communities, but as the shops close, it can all areas, repellent.

As fewer people come to The High Street, it can worse The Cycle of decline even. To lose some of its charm, especially After Dark . So, the problems for The High street, the problems for all of us. sick and tired with all the hassles of going into the city, so we let our fingers go. Online it goes better and better, and you can see why; One -click Shopping makes the purchasing of things, the so-pain-free. But Shopping on the internet is still only around 20% of the total cost. That's not the whole reason for The High street decline.

Thomas Cook is just One of A Number of well-known High-Street-brand-name, close, had, in The Last few years, Professor Cathy Parker co-Chairman of The Institute of Place Management (IPM) is, and helps The High streets Task Force , lead Set Up by the government last year to support the transformation of the city centres. She is an expert in the development of Retail - and in your view, it is an integral part of the city-centers, but they are much More Than Shopping .

"the trade has so far only part of the tasks of a city and the city. In the 1980s and 90s, we have a bit fixated on the Retail sector and we just thought, that the whole city and the entire city was all about the Retail . "

As we became more and more fixed, so High streets began to lose their individuality. Many of the once distinctive town centres has been home to the Same old set of shops in the possession of a limited number of powerful chains.

And, like any road, he came to the Same - so it lost much of its appeal. On top of that, we leave you in favor of the comfortable visit to the out-of-town Shopping Centres . The Number of visitors to The High Street fell by 20. 5% over The Past ten years, according to data from Retail analyst springboard.

to survive and adapt to thrive, High street. But before you do that, according to Prof Parker, "places need to keep their function and the things that Draw People into The Town centres".

Prof Cathy Parker: "the trade has yet to revive only a part of the functions of a city and the city" again, we have to, what a Martian might call-bar-approach; development of city-centres, which is not only about buying things, but the places you can "work, rest and play".

In Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend, purchase house Havens, suffered the fate of many similar brick-and-mortar shops.

when you save a destination, visited by generations of families, the economy has always tried to keep step with the changing Shopping habits. But she saw the writing was on The Wall for The Shop itself, if the online overtake started selling those in the store.

Havens family, ran The Business for generations, took the bold step, your business is purely online. The could have left the great monument-protected building is empty and neglected.

has now taken over But a resourceful head of a local aid organization, two floors of The Building , in The Hope of reimagining the store and The Local High Street. Age Concern Southend chief executive Lin Boulders idea, giving The Building a new life, with a completely different purpose.

Age Concern is Lin Boulter is the conversion of tax havens has changed in Southend, a hub for local services, they showed us around The Building , as it was. "We have our podiatrist Here , the Public Health , flu jabs, and Smoking cessation. We have a kitchen, which is going to serve for The Cafe . And we are working with a local day care provider for up to 15 people A Day ," she says.

Lin Boulter has converted the store into a hub of local services for older people, and now the sound of belly dance-courses and the quieter hum of different providers - including hairdressers and social services jump.

Age Concern Southend of The Building leases from the store owners, and in turn, the fees, hire the services of the move. It is early days, but Lin Boulter, to bring The Hope of the people back to The High Street and provide footfall for the other shops in the area. Tax havens-store, the online business is now on The Top floor.

The owner of Nigel Havens is a pragmatic One - is satisfied The Building could be saved for a new purpose: "The High Street is important, but it needs to be changed. The thinking is still very much in The Past . High street were built for an era 50, 60, 70, 80 years.

Unfortunately, the thinking is still in this era, and what we need to do is, to reasons to The Public , again in The High Street. It is not driven mainly by Shopping . "

Nigel tax havens: "The High Street is important, but it needs to change" It is not only people that make a difference, the councils have also involved always.

Stockton-on-Tees High Street there are problems, typical for many cities around the country. In The Last five years, the city Centre has lost More Than a hundred branches, according to The Local Data Company. M& S shut up shop in The Last year and Debenhams is due to the proximity of This Week .

The city has a reputation for proactive in your approach, and is new to the Centre , how it should look and what it should offer, and the consultation of The Local community about this. It is also investing heavily in the Regeneration of the area.

Richard McGuckin Stockton-on-Tees Council, Economic Growth , and development director. He was One of the leaders of a movement to change the whole profile of The High Street.

"We have created what we describe as a big free space, so that we have places for performers and our great sporting events, we have The Right , during the whole year Here . "

Richard McGuckin: Stockton-on-Tees Council is investing heavily in the Regeneration of its High Street-The Council is the renovation of the world, an Art Deco Theatre with the aim of generation of visit frequency and an increase in the financial resources for The Local economy of £18m a year. An expansion of the original, smaller, scheme, and the Structural Problems on the construction work, have pushed the budget up to £26. 7m. The Council of the proportion. of an initial £1 15m to More Than £22m - £18. 65m is borrowed.

in addition, The Council has the most important sites - including a large, old Shopping Centre , and considered bought, as the new development of the area, in consultation with The Local community. It is on the list of 100 cities of The Future offer for money from the government's High streets Fund for the implementation of these plans.

The Council says that although these acquisitions will make money the main motivation is to regenerate the Centre of the city.

In The Last five years, Stockton-on-Tees town Centre , More Than a hundred branches, has not lost Stockton is not alone. Councils around the country have Spent £775m on the purchase of Shopping centers in The Last three years - One in five of those who have changed - according to a study by Retail property organisation Revo and property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton. Some worry about The Risk to the taxpayers of the councils borrowing money to buy Real Estate .

But David Renard, President of The Local Government Association ' s board of the economy, the environment, housing and transport, says, in The Right circumstances, it is The Right approach.

"I think each location needs to make their own choices and decisions. Some authorities have been quite clear. You feel that The Right thing is, in the situation of his property," he says.

"There is No Doubt that if you own something, it is a lot of regenerate your life easier and do what you want. So, I think it's a case of horses for courses. "

The High Street is not in decline", because we shop there", says the BBC's Adam Shaw , It is certainly not true that the property will give the councils a much greater say in what The Future will look like our High streets.

Who is the owner of the pages - it is clear that our needs change. To survive when the UK's High streets, you need to change, as well.

We could whine about The Decline of The High Street, but it is not happening in part because we buy them there.

back leads us, and rejuvenate The High Street with its shops, planners, and dealers work together to a much more tempting offer to us, from our computer screens and bring us back out of town Shopping Centres .

Business reporter Adam Shaw presents on Bbc One on 8. 30 o'clock Tonight ,

life, westcliff-on-sea, uk economy, online shopping, retailing, uk high streets, lifestyle, stockton-on-tees, economics

Source of news: bbc.com