Is the UK High Street Dead? | The Bastani Factor

[@peskyparttimers8239]

Rates too high, rents too high, roads too clogged, parking too expensive. When you get to a shop they "havn't got it but can order one". High street FAIL. White van man win...

[@CzornyLisek]

I mean with "haven't got it but can order one" for most kind of shops can't be other way around. For one physical retail can't have one of every kind things they might sell or even have somewhere in their storage. For second having anything on site that they aren't almost certain to sell is just big risk.

[@Srikchik]

Sad but true

[@darkwoods1954]

Exactly. Half the time they don't have in stock what's advertised on their website anyway and tell you to order it in. Well if I'm ordering it I'll do it online and have it delivered to my home saving me the trouble of driving on the awful UK road systems and endless roadworks, avoid the speed traps and parking restrictions there to rip people off. Usually cheaper online too.

[@peskyparttimers8239]

@@darkwoods1954 And you get free quibble free returns and don't have to argue the toss with some shop keeper. Last thing I bought from Currys PCworld was cheaper online than in the shop and had better return policy.

[@bluebear6570]

TRhat´s it - in a nutshell, but with a devastating long-term effect on cities and the overall economy. Shifting money to Bezos just makes him richer - and us a lot poorer, in many ways.

[@dowlingthebakuninbot7691]

By boarding up the shops we have handed the world to Bezos; low overheads, no taxes have dealt nasty blows to the high street.

[@balloonsystems8778]

Amazon is great. Local shops never seem to stock anything that I need. Also, I remember the trips to London to just to buy a book or VHS...

[@dowlingthebakuninbot7691]

@@balloonsystems8778 No problem with the idea of Amazon. My dislike is its taxes, negligible, and business rates. Local businesses cannot compete. Also certain shops, at present, are subject to COVID restrictions and cannot open because they are deemed unnecessary-my local bookshop for a start. Yet Amazon can sell any manner of items. So the playing field is uneven and will remain uneven. Small businesses like bookshops and clothes shops struggle in small towns, such as Spalding, yet provide necessary service in terms of providing work and goods.

[@balloonsystems8778]

@martin corderoy What monopoly? Are you saying that Amazon is the only website?

[@dowlingthebakuninbot7691]

@martin corderoy All good points. I am not defending Amazon. Businesses should be free to expand or fail. Amazon existing business model is ugly and enabled by this government, and this government's response to COViD. The states unwillingness to pursue taxes. Also the fact that the government has rewarded Amazon with gov' contracts. Amazon's business model is anti competition. This highlights the failings in the capitalist structure. When we decide not to buy goods from Amazon, it will be better for all.

[@PeterWarren1971]

@martin corderoy Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Lidl, the nearest petrol station. None of which is a game changer for the high street. But fine for your tin of beans & Chewing gum.

[@DM-it2ch]

When you ask people if they'd be prepared to spend a little more to buy locally, ALL of them will say yes. And then go and buy from Amazon.

[@person.X.]

Not always. I shop online for most things other than groceries but I do so through the websites of local businesses. Amazon is overrated - it is not even cheaper a lot of the time. People just need to spend a little time to investigate the alternatives on the internet.

[@riyadougla539]

It's a bit expensive to buy local but now I do, it's very important.

[@Nickelodeon81]

Well, Amazon deliver for free for the things I want, at a great price. Spending more money one something, that I can get cheaper elsewhere doesn't feel like capitalism.

[@vixen1143]

The people askesnif they buy locally are the ones there buying locally so of course they will say yes. It's the people sat at home or at work buying off the internet.

[@mimzzamimz]

The issue isn't just shopping on the internet. In recent years every highstreet looks the same, geared towards big chains. It is boring. Further still smaller exciting businesses can't afford to be on the highstreet and all these new retail complexes being built are just massive stores for B&Qs, Boots and big stores like that. Don't you think?

[@davidfernandes1608]

When you're working 12 hour shifts all week and still can't pay the rent; it becomes more convenient and cheaper to shop online as opposed to the high-street...

[@grysndotwav]

Thus

[@terrorbilly1]

This is sadly a reality lots of people found themselves in.

[@markgiles6720]

Like Amazon and the numerous complaints

[@nepalihercules]

@@SNOUTxTOUT I work 60 hr a week, it's not easy when you make minimum wage and have to rent a two-bedroom apartment.

[@davidfernandes1608]

@@SNOUTxTOUT It's the reality for many people who are living in London on a minimum wage. In many circumstances, rent and expenses would exceeded ones wage. Housing/Rent can actually be quite affordable, comfortable and feasible living on a minimum wage outside of London however it becomes very different when children are involved....

[@hobbyable1]

You see, there needs to be some context here. The high street was in decline way before the internet and it started with what was termed "out of town shopping centres". And here's the thing, this was instigated by many of the same companies who are now talking about the death of the high street. I live in Portsmouth and outside of the city centre, there are supermarkets and developments all built by some of these very same companies, who encouraged people to get in there cars and leave. My sympathy is limited as a result.

[@TheCloudhopper]

This. The high street has been dying long before Bezos founded Amazon.

[@balloonsystems8778]

Yes it's the other way round. Amazon saved shoppers from overpriced shops with abysmal service. Reminds need to go into town to return something that the shop assistant mis-sold me (and they say not to believe on-line reviews!).

[@TheCloudhopper]

@@balloonsystems8778 There is truth to what you say, but i would add that in Amazon's case we have a an obvious "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" situation. And Amazon has outlived its consumer friendliness imho.

[@homosexualpanic]

Interesting. Back in the day Tesco's was what Amazon is today, i.e. blamed for the high street's decline. In my local town residents pushed hard to prevent a massive Tesco's being built back in the early 00's but the local council ignored them. The high street in that place started going down the shitter as soon as that place opened.

[@hobbyable1]

@@homosexualpanic Agreed, this is the story high street chains won't tell you. Portsmouth city council also allowed a huge shopping development to take place just a couple of miles away at the docks which further killed the town centre itself. On-line shopping accelerated a change that was already taking place, high street chains lost control of that and with it there own market.

[@kagewilliams4475]

This is a new high in Novara reporting! One of the best videos on local economy's interconnectivity with global trends!

[@MetalRocksMe.]

Big US corp is killing the UK retail vibe. As long as they’re here local businesses will continue to fail, very sad really. Nowhere looks original anymore, just big corporate holes of the same companies everywhere you go.

[@nuriben7910]

Don’t forget extortionate business rates, Tied to the bloated corpse of the property market, which means that like a sexually transmitted infection pandemic from financial rape , everything eventually dies and becomes a Pret A Mange.

[@MetalRocksMe.]

@@mizofan and the money 💰 they make from it. They Moan about us being overweight but then allow billions to be spent on unhealthy food advertising. They have to pick one, they can’t have both. They’re setting us all up to be obese gambling addicts with no way out.

[@CameraMystique]

"You'll own nothing and you'll be happy"

[@SlobberySlob]

Amazon are saving the high street. Such competition give councillor's pause for thought before they set their extortionate business rates, at a level just shy of decimating all shops. Half the tax funds raised goto pay fat final salary pensions not services. If Amazon wasn't there, the rates would be set even higher and the shoppers purses left even more empty!

[@MetalRocksMe.]

@Heloise O'Byrne I’ve noticed that a lost of the coastal cites/towns still have a bit of their own vibe but the cities are just horrible repetitive corporate holes which is a big disappointment. 🙁

[@eldesso]

Great piece Aaron, Lost my retail job after 10 years in August as soon as furlough employee contribution came in to effect.

[@karimtabrizi376]

Sorry to hear that

[@cybase23]

lol

[@sweetpea221000]

City centre shopping is like the bbc. It’s a thing of the past.

[@charliethegooner8729]

Sad but very interesting piece, liked how you intertwined your own personal story as well Aaron.

[@allandavies1642]

I agree ! I would add though, that a documentary like this needs relentless national coverage across all media. What Arron illustrates is a reflection of what is happening right across the country, from villages, to our regional and small country towns, as well as our cities. It reflects how those in government have completely disregarded the need for the urban environemnet being a healthy place to live. Those in national and local governments responsible for policies that have shaped things this way need to rethink what they are doing ! Our town and cities did not have to be like this ! But like out neighbours across the Atlantic, our politicians have pandered far too much to the large corporations,whose only goal is profit, without consideration of the impact on the physical urban invironment and the social and mental welfare of the citizens. We need more humane policies that respects the need for development of healthy communities, as advocated by Social economist , Shumacher (hope I spelt his name correctly) in his book "Small is Beautiful."

[@goldleaf9324]

What will Boris leave behind. The master crisiz in the high street is what we will remember when we think Mr Boris.. Is it covod, is it Briexit. It is Boris. Fingers pointing at the im alright Jack guy the lad.. Pint of beer in hand.

[@allandavies1642]

@@goldleaf9324 ,I agree with you too. But once again I would raise a question : When do you think the High Street traders started to feel the pinch on their business , and in turn deprive our communities of their social hubs ? I would add that it was long before Boris's name was even heard of. We need to go back to the days before the High Street Zhars or managers were being invented to curp our discomfort at seeing our shops closing down. Do you remeber when they came up with the idea of pasting large posters in empty shop windows to give the impression that it was 'still in business' ; to create and retain a more 'vibrant feeling' that would encourage people to continue shopping in the high street, whilst behind the scene our government's policies being rolled out were solely for the benefit of the Superstores and new shopping malls ? There was no such realistic policies being rolled out to help retain the small high street trader ,or even for the like of John Lewis or Debenhams as they were also seen as 'old style' because of their loyalty to the high street. Thatcher's, and Reagan's neoliberal governments trending to Globalisation paved they road that we now see the results of today playing out in the town and cities across the world. It may not have been what they had in mind, but those that followed after them either could not stop the it,or had actively promotted it. Can we roll back thing ? I think we could if the will was there but, it would take several generations for that to take shape and out of the hands of "Corporate Conglomerates" to return our high streets to the communities that live in them and serve.

[@mitsterful]

This is excellent, it shines a light on what the UK has become: a Rentier's paradise. I'd really love to see Novara to continue more of these videos where you guys talk to regular people, that's what the left movement should be about, bringing working people together. As for austerity, I've heard both Yanis Varoufakis and Mark Blyth say on repeated occasions that the UK didn't even have austerity! Apparently George Osbourne tried a little bit of it, then realised it didn't work and stopped. However, the Tories continued to shrink the state regardless under the guise of being 'austere' and balancing the books, when in fact debt to GDP was around 80% even before Covid19. It was the austerity that never was. That's the sickening thing about UK austerity, it wasn't even real austerity, and was just a ploy from the Tories to shrink the public sector.

[@mikemurray2027]

@@basilfawlty123 Why? Who and what benefits from a small state? It's obviously not ordinary people and small businesses, as the film demonstrates.

[@gee_emm]

Damian Skelton Isn't the solution to bad government simply better government? Deregulation only leads to companies cutting corners and taking liberties.

[@gee_emm]

@@basilfawlty123 We don’t have free markets - we have crony capitalism. Monopolisation regulations should be employed to make the playing field more even, but sadly the lobbyists put paid to that. I shudder to think what companies like BP or Pfzier would get up to if there was less regulation. Competition is not the only thing that matters. Some aspects of society need to be socialised and not bound to profit models. Nobody would argue that we need to stop managing sewage because it isn’t profitable. Society needs this service, and whilst we should aim for efficiency, we can’t just give up on this issue because it’s not profitable! Perhaps an overly simplistic example, but I hope the point is made.

[@mikemurray2027]

@@basilfawlty123 I can only point to the evidence and hope for the best: we've had a decade of 'shrinking the state' (and two decades of it before that) and almost forty years of tax cuts for business, and the result is empty high streets and people unable to buy. Of course, your ideology may allow you to see things more clearly than the mere human senses of people watching the video, but you need more than declarations that seem to counter lived experience to be convincing.

[@mikemurray2027]

@@gee_emm Tories want 'bad government'. It happens too often to be a mistake even for such notoriously unbothered and unvinvoled chancers.

[@oshs5755]

Living in Pompey as a student right now so really appreciate Novara shining a light on issues that no one else is reporting on.

[@Bukmanpoderrojo]

Same in Spain. Welcome to Amazon

[@radicalprolapse9807]

These mini docs are great

[@alexjaybrady]

Agreed. Excellent.

[@CarlBurnss]

When you lower the rent of a retail space the propertie goes down in value, when you let it stay empty it doesn't, here is your problem, its own by the bank

[@cuckingfunt9353]

Stop business rates and bring back property rates. Problem solved. This was all Thatchers doing. Same goes for housing... If the landlord was responsible for the council tax on empty properties he wouldn't leave them empty for long, just lower the rent until someone moves in .

[@cuckingfunt9353]

I work for many landlords and most of them have more than half of their properties empty, they only pick the best high paying tenants since even with a mortgage the property accrues value just sitting empty. This would stop the moment they make the owner responsible for the tax. (Instead of the poor tenant)

[@flybobbie1449]

The reason why the gov. wanted students back, they wanted them in the rental properties paying rent. And then forget about the covid risk they were banging on about.

[@D1Snr]

I got the same impression it was absolutely vital that the student accomodation rent was being paid from the start of term. Who knows? Perhaps the universities collectively lobbied for the exemption? It seemed odd as rather than telling the students to stay away, they instructed them to attend and then quarantine in the accomodation.

[@Sazilla]

They didn’t forget

[@ciaranglobel784]

We finally get to meet Aarons dad, God bless him!

[@MoebiusUK]

Maybe people just don't want 'stuff' anymore. Is rabid consumerism coming to its natural end? As humans we haven't always been motivated by purchasing anything and everything we can. Why should it go on forever?

[@jacobarcher1097]

Where just buying from bezos' instead of shops, it's cheeper too as Amazon doesn't have to pay the same taxes as shops on the highstreet

[@princesspinkblue]

😂😂😂 who are you kidding?? The majority of people are as consumerist as ever... if only they had the money to spend, that is...

[@karimtabrizi376]

This is commonplace. I think Internet has changed it a lot. And rent costs.

[@Ocinneade345]

Rent definitely

[@Lord_Falcon]

The solution is to adjust how businesses are taxed because the old methods of evaluating land are dumb. Traditional shops are taxed into the ground whereas out of town warehouses that cater to online retailers have cheap rates. Online shopping is big business and should be treated as such. Raise rates for warehouses and lower them for shops.

[@mundokabaso9240]

"Rather than having the stores shut for 3 or 4 years, give them a lease that tenants can survive". That quote hit the nail on the head.

[@cuckingfunt9353]

Stop business rates and bring back property rates. Problem solved. This was all Thatchers doing. Same goes for housing... If the landlord was responsible for the council tax on empty properties he wouldn't leave them empty for long, just lower the rent until someone moves in .

[@cuckingfunt9353]

@Baby Boris Til the government replaces their lost taxes from shops with an online shopping tax.

[@leebritnell2405]

Tories have made England look like East Germany in an old movie.They have made the public fearful,neurotic and submissive.And(of course) poor getting poorer,rich pigs prospering.I truly pity the young people of this pathetic country.

[@artistsometimes2729]

It's like a mirror image of my home city Southampton. I've never loved my city because we've never had any identity. Places like London and Brighton where people have the money to spend on independent shops/charities/cultural activities benefit from a richer community; the poorer coasts just don't have the cash and so lack the altruism and community inevitably suffers as a result. Sure I've loved certain people, certain communities (I have belonged to a few churches, clubs, ensembles) but there's nothing really rooting me here. It's a complete absence of the feeling of belonging, which is why I'm so keen to travel, to find a 'home' where I feel welcome, respected and loved. This isn't inevitable and Southampton and Portsmouth aren't past saving, but it's gonna taking putting an enormous amount of money *in the hands of working people*, not landlords, private contractors etc, to set it right. That's why so much new development seems so soulless; it's made to kick people out with sky-high rents and prices, not encourage them back into the community hubs. I blame the lack of funding principally on the collapse of the union movement for that reason. High productivity, rising wages and rising living standards hugely benefit any community, and when you take that away (only cover *temporarily* with tax credits) and then deregulate the rich's largesse you get the modern high street and collapse of much else. That's why we need labour organisations more than ever :)

[@leehumphries7696]

Online shopping decimates the high streets coupled with reduced wages to spend in shops other than coffee shops and nail bars = ghost towns.

[@SmokeandSteam]

Gone for the Danny Dyer look I see Aaron?! More seriously, this is a really welcome and informative video. People’s sense of themselves, their community and society is massively informed by what they see around them. It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by melancholy as you walk a British high street. The ennui created by late capitalism and the emptiness of consumerism is palpable and overwhelming. Some really good points here on the collapsed nature of the British economy, the substitution of student debt for other forms of disposable income and the proliferation of empty boarded up stores raised here. Great stuff. More of this type of stuff please 👊

[@leonpalmer2429]

Yes high street is dead homless begging for money paying for parking parking attendants every were gangs of kids loitering about. Same generic shops independent shops closed down . I could go on but the high street is void online and Westfields have killed it

[@jsamways5337]

im a student living in bournemouth that just moved here for my first year of uni into one of those student high rises featured. the high rises are way too expensive for students in my opinion but we didnt have much choice due to the dorm booking system operating like youre almost trying to buy concert tickets. barely any on-campus options so we're quite forced to stay in them at least for the first year. i know theyre scamming us but theres not much i can do about it i guess. took a walk down to the shore this morning and yea everything is just quite grim and boarded up

[@antony558]

I love these mini docs, they are such a good format! Thank you for the insightful look into this topic

[@meko98743]

It's not dead, just on life support. IMO one big thing that wasn't mentioned is that internet shopping giants like Amazon are able to undercut high streets in part because they get away with paying virtually nothing in taxes. Closing loopholes won't save the high street but it would help it compete with the corporations who use their vast resources to undercut them. I also find it funny that student accomodation wouldn't be suitable for private renting... but the point wasn't raised that students are living in those conditions now. If those flats aren't good enough for the average person, why are those conditions fine for students? Isn't the almost victorian conditions students live under, pack together so tightly in such a small space, part of the reason why COVID has torn through university campuses?

[@simongrey5058]

I get your point but student halls aren't meant for "normal" living. A flat of 4 students will all have 4 rooms with a bed, desk and ensuite and will share a kitchen. That sort of flat wouldn't translate into an instant flip for the developer into the rental sector. I can only imagine if the mentioned nightmare or shared student and private residents comes to fruition, that they'd need to knock through and re-plan spaces to suit families as opposed to single students.

[@meko98743]

@@simongrey5058 They wouldn't if they could get away with it. And when we've got a government that is still rugsweeping Grenfell, I think they might have a chance. Not every student gets an ensuite. There are some halls where you have 5+ students to a bathroom. I could absolutely see developers in London selling 5-10 bedroom shared kitchen and bathroom apartments to 'young working professionals' or some other bullshit. Hell, you see worse on The Worst Room and Rental Opportunity of the Week.

[@mikemurray2027]

Yes, it's an established and accepted injustice that small businesses have to pay up, while the big boys dodge it all. Leases and rates are also just too high. Only the bigger companies can afford it. One of Thatcher's 'reforms', the UBS, put a huge barrier to business in retail trade.

[@nimanixo]

London is always grey

[@jcbanbury]

We had an AMAZING last summer and looking forward to the coming!

[@stevewiles7132]

Shops closed and shuttered never to reopen ever. They will be turned into low-cost housing.

[@hummuswithpitta]

Brilliant work. So well put together. Aaron has consistently and uniquely been talking about Britain's high streets for a while. I don't know why it isn't looked into more often, because it speaks to such a wider range of issues. Really good work, Novara. Please pursue more of this style where you can.

[@Jack-xd7rh]

This is the type of content I love. Prefer this over livestream interviews.

[@Nickelodeon81]

Retail might be dying, but Brits love going out on the high street, there must be something there. Maybe the future is all coffee shops and restaurants...and other entertainment. Rather than places to buy stuff you don't need.

[@bunglebongbunglerungle3725]

And all the building will be bought out buy millionaires . As for you, "you will own nothing and be happy".

[@boots41096]

Novara Walk'n'Talks are a great idea, But pls remember to keep your distance, esp if you're not wearing a mask.

[@dottieland7061]

I live in Tokyo, used to live in Stockton on tees, I came home last year I couldn’t believe how decimated the high street was. In Tokyo companies are queuing up to replace the next empty shop. But what actually shocked me was when I spoke to employees was shoplifting. That doesn’t happen in Tokyo. I feel sad when I come as I have lived in Tokyo in for 16 years and I feel less and less interested in coming homes.

[@waleed8530]

16 Years is a long time, we have a saying in Arabic "“Stay among people for 40 days and you will become one of them", you probably had a reverse culture shock.

[@Ocinneade345]

Money needs to be put directly into the hands of the working class

[@robwat94]

Great doc this. I work in architecture and have had plenty of jobs which epitomise this cannibalisation of the high street by private investment. It's sad to see, and no matter how hard we work to make these new developments good for the local people you can't change the fact that the entire economic system is working against the good people of this country.

[@AA-hi6os]

Brilliant content! More like this please! Talking to locals about locals issues which feed into national issues. Loved it.

[@the500mphtortoise]

honestly business rates in the age of the internet are insane. Many internet businesses put just as much or more pressure on road and rubbish disposal yet pay none of the cost.

[@orangesaregood1428]

In some countries you can open up shop where you see an empty space - its atrocious that we have all these empty building yet increased homelessness & loss of livelihood for the self employed. Sometimes I think Britains upside down boris.

[@petermanuel5043]

Such a similar story with so many towns. I wonder how the old Northampton bus station plot is doing?

[@henrydemonfreid1985]

It's still an empty gravel lot. We were promised a new bus station, but no sign of that so far.

[@alexanderjones1265]

Well we do now have a much smaller bus station but lacks capacity. Doesn't compare to the good ol' mouth of hell that was the old one.

[@alexanderjones1265]

But yeah the plot just stands there like a load of rubble. There were plans for another cinema and flats but they fell through years ago.

[@wallywaldo5638]

Really great video. I went to uni in Bournemouth haven’t been back in a while, very sad to see all those shops closed.

[@mohammadayub2760]

Amazon is taking all the business

[@fubar.1]

Mental health and depression is becoming a major concern. Myself is now starting to struggle, people are close to there limits of being locked up.

[@antoniospanayiotou8619]

am sure Assange would agree. The city of London will thrive since it relies on money laundering.....

[@umark7442]

I blame the highly inflated UK housing market that keeps people in a state of financial desperation and needing to pinch every penny along with many other factors you could probably write a thesis about. I remember in the early noughties from 2000-2004 when rents/ houses etc were cheap that working-class people could go out on Friday night, spend Saturday shopping to then go out again partying and topping it off with spending Sunday out with the family etc. Ok, they burned through their wages but at least people could do it but now it's madness. I think I read somewhere that 75% of children in Manchester are currently raised in poverty and if this is right, I blame the house prices as they have gone through the roof in recent times without the jobs to back it up. If this continues, our amazing country will be drained by the hands of big developers, lobbies and a silly government housing policy. Today it's our high st dying, tomorrow it'll be our schools, hospitals, transport etc.

[@umark7442]

@Alan Roberson what on earth are you talking about? What point are you trying to make?

[@bamalam5762]

Interesting you mentioned the risk of what would happen if Portsmouth's student numbers dropped. This has already happened in Plymouth, where student numbers have halved in the last 10 years, and the effects have really been felt.

[@opanike87]

Finished from Uni of Portsmouth over 9 years ago. Very sad to hear about the decline. It was always obviously while I was there that the student population kept areas of Southsea, Fratton and the city centre alive. Once the students left demand for goods and services plummeted. On another note Novara have to make more of these types of docs, plus end them with possible leftwing solutions.

[@adamdanilowicz4252]

As a university student, I can tell you that this is commonplace for almost all small cities with a uni in them. It's all entirely post-industrial decline and boarded up shops, where the only thriving sectors are the pubs and clubs catering to student. Almost everything else is purchased on Amazon (my university houses the largest Amazon locker in the world), and the source of all this 'wealth' is either government maintenance loans or international students bringing in 'new wealth' from abroad (most of whom are Chinese). What makes me particularly worried, is that 90% of this borrowed money which students use, is spent on rent and foreign manufactured good, further exacerbating the rate at which wealth is leaving this nation.

[@betrousaltaweel]

Which uni has the largest Amazon locker?

[@adamdanilowicz4252]

@@betrousaltaweel University of Warwick, in the west Midlands.

[@SendyTheEndless]

Dis town, is comin' like a ghost town...

[@Patrickjwalsh1976]

It’s interesting how you’re in Portsmouth. Last time I was there, about 3 years ago, It was an absolute dive. However, most of the footfall was in Gunwharf quays. It was like a different world.

[@Wilksey75]

Died a long time ago! along with common courtesy and morals in this country

[@antoniaf1886]

Really appreciate Aaron’s dedication to this issue!

[@markhgn]

As a 'recovery' of the high street looks unlikely based on current trends it would be good to think about this in the longer term on the basis of commerce not dominating the public spaces at the heart of our towns. Historically the marketplace did not used to be a permanent fixture at the centre of communities but one that has instead come to dominate. The encouragement of the presence of local organisations whose primary function is serving the community and locally owned / run businesses could change the function of town centres, alongside planning that places the development of space beyond that simply of trade; to places where people want to gather, organise and participate. It isn't simply about 'business' or zoning but the freedom of communities to be able to organise the space and activity of the places at their heart.

[@tapfraudis8801]

Mark, since when was the local economy not the engine of civic life?? C'mon, if there is no trade there is no life, no transaction between people. And what are these 'local organisations?' Who runs them?

[@markhgn]

@@tapfraudis8801 nowhere did I say 'no trade' - the point is ensuring locally owned businesses can operate so, as the video points out, commerce isn't extractive from the community. As to 'who runs local organisations' well, who runs the food bank, the theatre group, the book exchange - local people who see a need!

[@eatshtanddie4168]

Years of austerity and neglect from lib-dem and Tory governments has left many people helpless. The mental state of the UK population is at an all time low.

[@mhkpt]

The high street went from all of them looking the same - your Vodafone/EE, your Starbucks/Nero/Costa, your 2 banks, and your local Sainbury's/Tesco, to them all looking the same with closed shop fronts all long.

[@Lanosrep]

People are willing to go to shops still. The problem with town centres is that you have to step over a homeless person when going in a store, you can't breath because of the amount of smokers, and you feel like you're going to get stabbed by the gangs of people hanging around there

[@verygoodbrother]

No talk of customer experience for shoppers. Some shops are terrible with stock levels, some even tell you to order online if you can't find your size. It just defeats the purpose of going to the shop in the first place. There's also problems with infrastructure. If people could get into the city/shopping area easily with public transport then the shops will thrive. The focus on cars has meant you cut people off from shops and are forced to online shopping. Furthermore, so much space has been dedicated to car parking that it means less space for shops which in turns drives up the costs of leases. What we now have are imitations of USA where we have large out of town shopping centres that only benefit large companies.

[@sbIvanov]

One problem that I see is the quality of the products on the high street never match the price. Example, M&S is 3 times the price of Primark, but a substantial number of their products is the same quality. Now, when you go to the real specialised shops in London, that is a different ball game.

[@bilbobaggins5752]

Watching this from abroad and shocked loads of people have not got masks on

[@antoniaf1886]

We don’t have to wear masks outside, unless it’s really crowded. Also lots of people have exemptions. Not sure people that work in shops have to wear them either. Enforcement indoors in general could be better though

[@iamrocketray]

I am shocked at how many people ARE wearing masks out in the open, masks have been proven to be detrimental to health and not very good at stopping viruses.

[@edwardoneil3962]

I dislike seeing this happening it's definitely devastating for people. Everyone's lifes are ruined.

[@stequality]

That's the plan

[@AnimalStomper]

I am so envious of Boomers. They got to live through the best time in History. We get this shit...

[@unicorntomboy9736]

That's not true

[@unicorntomboy9736]

@Deceiver Worse in what way

[@bunglebongbunglerungle3725]

@@unicorntomboy9736 don't worry according to the World Economic Forum, they will "build back better" and "you will own nothing and will be happy".

[@unicorntomboy9736]

@@bunglebongbunglerungle3725 I don't know what you mean by that, but ok

[@bunglebongbunglerungle3725]

@@unicorntomboy9736 not a conspiracy, its all there to see on their website and KZbin channel. They are planning for you and I, I don't know if you have heard of it already but they want a reset and covid pandemic was their perfect opportunity to implement their agenda. They even said it themselves.

[@mattjosh69]

The biggest hit to small businesses is high rent,business rates, an all the over charges business have to pay before you can pay staff. Most of the largest internet companies don’t have to pay.

[@rogermanvell4693]

There needs to be a reform of the planning laws to make it easier to convert former retail sites to residential accommodation this will save some countryside and help revive the businesses that remain as more people will e living in the CBD.

[@BukowskiLech]

First time I've watched your channel. What an excellent and insightful piece of journalism, laying bare the reality without any overt agenda...very refreshing...if not a bit depressing.

[@samanthahardy9903]

I saw a HSBC bank boarded up with a notice on it "CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT". That was 3 weeks ago! Yeah right!

[@Rybo4]

Really liked this format. Look forward to some more mini docs in future!

[@leopold7562]

The death of the high street isn't a new phenomenon. It's been a point of discussion since the mid nineties - long before COVID, long before Internet shopping, long before austerity, long before the market crash of 2008. It's been a long, drawn out death that started pretty much around the time the car became something that people could afford. Without going into a long, drawn out analysis of why, the fault lays squarely at the feet of the town councils, who have done very little to move with the times. When out of town shopping centres, with their ample free parking, became a thing, town centres increased parking charges and reduced on-street short term free parking. When shops were struggling with the financial crash, town centres reacted to the lost income of empty units by increasing rates. And when Internet shopping became a real thing, town management reacted by opening units up for charity shops, Cash Converters, homeware stores selling moderately expensive goods for an extortionate weekly rate, pound shops, Greggs, phone repair stalls, nail bars and Costa. There's very little reason to go into a town centre any more, unless you're in the market for second hand goods, cheap tat, pasties, overpriced coffee, a phone repair or to have your nails done. Town councils need to take a long, hard look at this issue. They've caused the problem by reacting to changes instead of encompassing them. It may well be too late now, but they need to make town centres a destination again, or else continue to watch them disintegrate further into some dystopian nightmare.

[@stephenpower8923]

Excellent Aaron. Shine a light on this issue, maybe engage with the planning system, local architects and urban designers and you could prise the lid further open on the demise, not just the high street shops, but the for profit model of, in this case a university that is driving a local economy, but also acting as property developer and landlord and how distorted it is

[@simongrey5058]

Portsmouth Uni does own halls of residence but the shiny new builds that are the focus of the doc are private ventures with no links to the university as I understand it.

[@liamnugent6534]

rarely see a bookies or a fast food chain closing

[@deancompcomp866]

The usual brilliance of Mr Bastani.

[@elariovende2575]

Here I am wanting to open my own shop because I believe I have a special product. Look online and the rents a sky high! It’s mental everything is boarded up

[@alanmcguire9389]

Great to see you out and about!!

[@foamige]

Im not surprised to be honest. Most of my shopping trips end up with staff not being able to help, or know nothing about what they are selling. I do my reasearch and find exatly what I need. Retail workers should know exactly what the customer needs.

[@alpal482]

It was dying and then the coof started and killed it off, Amazon however are doing very well.

[@strega1380]

I love this documentary. Novara Media, you outdid yourselves again!

[@thornbird6768]

Every high st in every city looks like this !! A lot of the small shops couldn’t compete with the cheaper prices of the big chains !! Pedestrianisation hasn’t helped either , not enough car parks !! and the ones that there are charge a fortune 😡 so people drive 20 mi s out of town and buy everything they need under one roof with free parking !! England’s high streets have been in decline for 15 years or more !! It’s sad to see ,. My local city centre is full of coffee shops , take away’s , hairdressers and nail salons and not much else !!

[@ghostcat5303]

Great work here comrades, actually going out and speaking to real people about real issues instead of trumped up culture wars or the latest Westminster court drama. More like this.

[@jacobfield4848]

Business rates closed more businesses than COVID 19

[@dancollins3999]

Great video, I realise it may be hard to do more of these types of walkabout interview on location short docs but they’re very good and would love to see more in the future

[@0211brucetube]

13:27 fuck me student high-rises are god awful buildings everywhere aren't they? I thought they were bad in Cardiff but christ alive

[@Cruyff-qt8gl]

The liberty living highrise in Cardiff looks like its straight out of ukraine lmao

[@zatarawood3588]

Fascinating how the big business of student education is now considered an industry which can replace another industry) So the government and parents pay for their kids to get an education (cough cough faffing around for three years then memorising answers to past papers and collecting a certificate) and not have a real job at the end of it bar those right at the top in a few select areas. Its tragic, really something needs to be done to regenerate the whole economy and reform the education systems while we are at it.

[@djghoul6782]

love the format aaron, would be great to see you do more docu style pieces to go alongside the podcasts

[@info_bot]

The accent of his dad gave it away- he's of Persian descent. Great people!

[@ProgrammerInProgress]

I really enjoyed this documentary, very well put together. Hopefully one day we'll come up with a formula for the high street that's fit for purpose in this decade and beyond.

[@Loppy2u]

Educational and informative about the issues you often walk past in your town or city. Glad video was recommended.💯👍🏾📽

[@anthonysteel6877]

Change always happens,always has,always will,the problem is we have been absolutely useless at managing change.

[@bosvegasboscombe388]

As someone who works in bmth town centre (literally right under your flat you grew up in) I can say over the last 10 years the decline has been scary we got shops that have been closed around us for like 5-6 years and more and more shops closing I can’t see a solution to this to be honest , by 2030 we won’t have high streets anymore

[@kirishima638]

Over expansion of greedy chain stores and franchises using dated business models - my city had duplicate GAME and Primark stores literally faching each other on the same street at one point. Unsustainable business rates. Repeated failures to redevelop town centers and aged shopping malls. The death of 'anchor' stores - you need something other than a brand to keep people coming to a mall. Over reliance on cheap foreign produce and limited seasonal product ranges. But most importantly of all, the sharp decline of spending power for most people. Too much money is going into increasing rents, mortgages, bills, contracts and petrol. We've had decades of austerity and frozen wages and young people locked into student loans and credit; they leave university with huge debts and few prospects. People have too few assets (property) and too many liabilities (debts, contracts etc). Internet shopping and Covid lockdowns have only accelerated the underlying decline. We are living in a 3rd world country with the facade of wealth. We produce nothing but consume everything.

[@pd2564]

It mostly just comes down to people not having enough money to spend in high street shops. Thats why people go to the budget shops as mentioned in the video. Minimum wage never kept up to inflation and rising living costs. UBI needs to be introduced to supplement peoples income so they go out and spend. Taxes from big corporations need to claimed so local and national government and lower business rates for local businesses.

[@Mr.Zoomy.]

It was dying before corona lockdown, now it is dead.

[@rufdymond]

I recently bought a laptop online from one of the big manufacturers, it was an horrendous experience, the laptop arrived faulty but I had to jump through hoops to eventually get my money back. I would have loved to buy it from a retail store but not one single store I tried had it in stock, and none could tell if, or when they would have that particular model. This is often the problem, bricks and mortar shops just cannot compete with stores online and their ability to provide you with almost anything instantly.

[@milnrowoafc]

Great video Aaron! The only issue I had was that the background music didn't really match the content of the video. Asides from that, can't wait for more content like this.

[@Gs-zs7bb]

It's online buying from Amazon eBay cheep and delivered and rental prices for lots are astronomical and ever increasing .

[@TheGlassman14]

The government killed it

[@robsmith6644]

Excellent reporting, more of this please.

[@5688gamble]

Apart from all the ugly abandoned buildings, the streets look the same: Semichem, boots, chippy, William Hill, Ladbrokes, Chinese, another Chinese, McDonalds, Greggs, Wilkos, Argos if you're adventurous oh wow, we got a KFC, we've made it now! Boring, homogenous, ugly corporate dumping grounds, the same storefronts EVERYWHERE, no real choice, no friendly local business owners with a vested interest in keeping people happy, all underpaid chain store workers who cannot be bothered because while you enjoy your bridie they can't heat the house.

[@funkyhomosapien1]

Yes definitely. I used to love going into town shopping. Sometimes I would take public transport sometimes drive because I pay monthly for my car. Due to our current Mayor of London Mr Kahn I no longer wish or want to travel into London due to the C charge and the absolute liberty he has taken with Londoners.

[@monarchist1838]

High street has been dead for years. My local’s so bad the council once proposed turning them into flats.

[@JimmyTheGiant]

amazing report - thank you