Rent-free revival: ‘dead’ Poole shopping street brought back to life

Tim Greenslade in his fishmonger’s shop. ‘It’s a brilliant community,’ he says of the revamped street. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Tim Greenslade lives close to Kingland Crescent in Poole town centre but it was the sort of street he used to make a point of steering clear of. “It was dead and depressing,” he said. “We’d avoid it at all costs.”

It is very different now. Thanks to a scheme aimed at reimagining down-at-heel town centre streets, there are a string of thriving independent shops, including Greenslade’s fishmongers, on Kingland. “It’s a brilliant community,” he said.