High streets are crumbling across the country – this is what Brits really want

Researchers have been able to paint what the high street really means to the UK (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)

Looking back on the good old days,Brits have imagined their perfect high street.

From free parking to shops reminiscent of nursery rhyme ‘a butcher,a baker and a candlestick maker’,researchers have been able to paint what the high street really means to the UK.

And surprise surprise,vape shops and American candy stores do not make the top 10.

Instead,70% of more than 2,000 interviewed want a bakery,69% want free parking while 59% want an independent coffee shop (no Starbucks here,please).

Paul Grout,65,owner of MEAT N16,a butcher who started his store in Stoke Newington 15-years-ago,said: ‘It’s about being able to get a quality service that you just don’t get in big corporations. You get the professional knowledge and get to know your customers.’

Paul Grout,a butcher who started his store in Stoke Newington 15-years-ago (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)

But some chains are still essential. Some 41% of people can’t say goodbye to a Greggs’ sausage roll,40% still want an M&S and 39% want a Boots.

It comes as stores we thought would live forever have had to shutter,including Wilko’s,WH Smith and Topshop.

Even a once bustling town shopping centre has been reduced to rubble in Ashford,Kent.

Bosses said the shopping centre was ‘not financially sustainable’ amid a declining retail sector,the loss of anchor tenants such as Wilko and escalating maintenance costs.

A once bustling town shopping centre has been reduced to rubble in Ashford,Kent (Picture: Barry Goodwin/Cover Images)

Their decision to flatten the centre has sparked anger among traders,with many backing a petition calling on the council to only demolish part of the site.

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Buildings including a multi-storey car park are being torn down as part of a major residential redevelopment at the heart of Ashford in Kent.

The diggers moved onto the site on Friday and demolition is likely to take up to a year to complete.

Brits have made it resoundingly clear they do not want these to be replaced by the vape shops,gambling arcades and tacky American candy stores which seem to have popped up everywhere.

In Earl’s Court,west London,three betting shops sit within a minute of each other on the high street – William Hill,Silver Time and Admiral Casino.

Top 10 things people want to see less of on their high streets

Vape shops – 68%Empty / boarded-up shop units – 66%Gambling arcades – 52%Bookies – 45%Payday loan shops / cash converters – 41%Tanning salons – 36%Phone repair and accessory shops – 31%Fast food takeaways – 26%Charity shops – 23%Chain coffee shops – 19%In the last 12 months there have been 711 incidents of antisocial behaviour and 471 incidents of violent and sexual offences in Earl’s Court. These account for 50% of crimes in the area.More than a third of those interviewed are also wanting to ditch tanning salons.Charlotte Broadbent,UK General Manager at Faire,said: ‘For most people,their local high street is still the heart of their community,and what surprised us most is just how strong that demand remains.‘Over the last 20 years,retailers have faced constant challenges,from the rise of online shopping to investment shifting towards out-of-town retail parks. But despite that,shoppers are still choosing to support their high street,particularly independent businesses.’Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .