The state of the UK town centre.

What has become of your town centre? Once a place of small and medium sized businesses offering a choice of different shops and services. Interesting independent shops, independent pubs and bars.

Now the town centre is replaced with boarded up shops, cash for gold outlets a few fast food food restaurants. Pay day loan companies and a few betting shops. The only kind of shops that exist are either pound shops or shops that just sell what I can only describe as "stuff" cheap junk. Oh there's also a few charity shops. it's a sad reflection on our society that these are the only types of shops and services available. Appart from the charity shops, the rest prey on the most vulnerable in our society, ripping them off at every available corner.

A trip to your town centre is a depressing experience in th UK .

reply to post by woodwardjnr


I went to my own town center the other day and to be honest it made my partner and I weep.. not just the shops but the type of people milling around, to poor to even look like Chavs.. the change was heartbreaking.

I can go to *cough* nice towns a few miles away, but generally prefer spending any money closer to home.. it seems that option is becoming less and less possible without a huge bout of depression settling in on my soul.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


I guess there are a multitude of factors, not just economic, but changing habits in spending, like out of town shopping and Internet shopping. Just seems the town centre and high street have had the life sucked out f them, replaced by predatory industries and cheap food outlets and cheap tat shops. It's like the desperate last throws of consumerism. Sell any of the families jewellery or borrow against your months wages to buy some cheap tat that will satisfy the consumer addiction a little longer.

It's nothing unusual.

Every time there is a recession then most of the proper shops fold quickly to be replaced by those cheap pound shops and betting shops.

Most of the cheap pound shops only exist in one spot for 6 months and then move a few doors down.

This is because the local councils give 6 months free tax / reduced rent and then the shops get a new deal in another premises.

The councils want to see some sort of shop present instead of a boarded up shop hence lots of pound shops etc.

The last recession of the early 90's was exactly the same.

reply to post by woodwardjnr






Peoples incomes are so squeezed with escalating petrol prices, parking charges utility bills,

and food costs that there is NOTHING left over for the smallest treat..


There are a lot of 'coffee shops' (Costa, Starbucks etc) Seem to be doing OK, but then

i've read that they don't pay the correct taxes on their profits in this country!!


I'm partial to a coffee when i'm out BUT i don't!, i can't afford their prices as i can buy

a whole jar of 'top' brand coffee for what one carton of their coffee costs!!:

reply to post by woodwardjnr


my local town has had millions spent on it lately ,a new bridge that kids spray paint on and new lights throughout costing £50.000 each ,its going to look nice but for how long i don't know

reply to post by woodwardjnr


I can only speak for my town centre but that is doing rather well. Plenty of shops, no cash your gold outlets that i can think of, not full of coffee shops (well, no more so than the last 20 plus years).

Living in York, i guess it isn't a typical town though!

By the way ATS, what is with telling me i am spelling centre incorrectly?

Hull's town centre really isn't anything special either. Most of us use either Princes Quay or the relatively new St.Stephens shopping centre if any of you are familiar with it?

The rest of the smaller shops are either Poundland, Starbucks, Subway, Gregs or they're boarded up!

I won't even begin to go into detail the state of the people walking around Hull's town centre though, I'll leave that to your imagination!

reply to post by Just Chris


I didn't want to talk about the people for fear of coming across as a snob, but, seeing as you mention it. The over weight, lazily dressed empty eyed people cuing up for their Greggs slice of goodness. The single mothers siting outside the greasy spoon while smoking on a lambert and butler, while they swear at their poorly behaved children. Feeding them bags of haribo and walkers crisps. Sometimes I just look around and give up all hope.

Sorry this should have gone intherant section