“In the 60s it was a fabulous place to live,” sighed one resident of the north-east English town of Newton Aycliffe, in an interview published last week as part of our investigation into the state of Britain’s high streets. “The town centre was absolutely beautiful … You would be ashamed to bring someone here now. It’s unrecognisable.”
Similar perceptions of decline are now the norm across the nation. In postwar Britain, high streets became the thriving hubs of a more affluent society and a source of local identity and pride. But almost 13,000 shops closed in 2024 – an attrition rate of around 37 a day, which particularly affected the north of England, the Midlands and deprived coastal areas. The emergence of superstores and retail parks, and the post‑pandemic boom in internet shopping, has hollowed out the centres of towns and left a gaping sense of loss.
