From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

Third letter down.. <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Nick
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down.. <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Nick

Good to see she's as bolshie as ever.

john
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down.. <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.
--
Kate B
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 10.2.26 22:30, Kate B wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-
vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

Watching "Patience" (a C4 detective series, other channels and other detectives are available) the police seemed to consider it normal to
shutdown an investigation when challenged by the legal beagles of a
local (supposedly important) employer.

When did this become normalised in the same way that Rosie refers to the supermarket cartels imposing destinations on us in place the will of the
local electorate.

The current government is making ever more changes to planning processes
to "drive growth" and yet espouses net zero at huge cost. Are these not contradictory aims so backing both is unachievable?

OAIAM?
--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 10/02/2026 22:30, Kate B wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-
vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

True, and I lament the death of the High St as much as anyone.

But practically, how do you prevent supermarkets opening out of town ?

And many people, myself included, find doing all my shopping in one go
in about 30 minutes is extremely convenient. I still use the specialist butcher and fishmonger in town when there's something special I need and hopefully they will keep going.

Rosie doesn't mention Amazon as a town centre killer as well...
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:30:50 +0000, Kate B <elvira@nospam.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

...and umrats everywhere must be flocking to the Guardian to read
them: that letters page briefly rose into the Grauniad's most read top
ten earlier.

Nick
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 11/02/2026 13:00, Nick Odell wrote:

On Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:30:50 +0000, Kate B <elvira@nospam.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

...and umrats everywhere must be flocking to the Guardian to read
them: that letters page briefly rose into the Grauniad's most read top
ten earlier.

BLlmey things must be worse at the Grauniad than I thought if the 5-10
extra umra readers of the Letters page sends it so high.
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 2026/2/11 11:20:3, BrritSki wrote:

On 10/02/2026 22:30, Kate B wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-
vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

True, and I lament the death of the High St as much as anyone.

But practically, how do you prevent supermarkets opening out of town ?

And many people, myself included, find doing all my shopping in one go > in about 30 minutes is extremely convenient. I still use the specialist
butcher and fishmonger in town when there's something special I need and hopefully they will keep going.

Rosie doesn't mention Amazon as a town centre killer as well...

The way we shop Has Changed; CoViD accelerated it, but it was going
that way anyway.
I too would like to look round the high street - but in my local town,
you have to pay to park - it's not only the price (which is probably
similar to elsewhere, though still seems a lot), it's that the fact you
are always aware of the time pressure mostly destroys the pleasure of
ambling round the shops - or does for me. (Public transport -
infrequent, expensive [unless maybe I do away with a car altogether,
which I don't think is practical [and would certainly affect my
lifestyle in a negative manner], and no good for a big shop.)
I don't know an easy answer. But I think if they're honest most people
would say they _do_ use big supermarkets. (Perhaps _slightly_ less so in
UMRA.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 11.2.26 13:11, BrritSki wrote:

On 11/02/2026 13:00, Nick Odell wrote:

On Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:30:50 +0000, Kate B <elvira@nospam.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-
vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

...and umrats everywhere must be flocking to the Guardian to read
them: that letters page briefly rose into the Grauniad's most read top
ten earlier.

BLlmey things must be worse at the Grauniad than I thought if the 5-10
extra umra readers of the Letters page sends it so high.

Umrats are very valuable readers.
--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:20:03 +0000, BrritSki <rtilbury@gmail.com>
wrote:

On 10/02/2026 22:30, Kate B wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-
vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

True, and I lament the death of the High St as much as anyone.

But practically, how do you prevent supermarkets opening out of town ?

And many people, myself included, find doing all my shopping in one go
in about 30 minutes is extremely convenient. I still use the specialist >butcher and fishmonger in town when there's something special I need and >hopefully they will keep going.

Unfortunately, they can't really live on the something specials - as
the specialist cheese shop in a nearby town shows. Especially when the
big boys get them in their sights.

I used not to visit that nearby town and I didn't know that it had a
specialist cheese shop: all I knew was that, on those occasions when I
would stop off at that out-of-town Tesco, I found all their fancy
cheeses far cheaper than in other branches of Tesco and couldn't
understand why.

I suspect that there's some typically French law requiring French
supermarkets to support, not strangle the little shops because
whenever I visited a French supermarket there seemed to be a line-up
of local shops and produce under the same roof. The bigger of the
French-owned supermarkets in Argentina seem to do the same and it
doesn't seem such a bad idea.

Rosie doesn't mention Amazon as a town centre killer as well...

...and of course Amazon doesn't have to undercut other products (IME
it's often much more expensive) it just has to be one click away from
delivery.

My only regret about eschewing Amazon is that I didn't wait a little
longer and make it a protest against the owner toadying up to the
Orange Emperor or wait a little longer still and make it a protest
against his evisceration of the Washington Post.

Nick
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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

Nick Odell <nickodell49@yahoo.ca> wrote:

Third letter down.. <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Nick

Thanks Nick

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From Newsgroup: uk.media.radio.archers

On 11/02/2026 13:11, BrritSki wrote:

On 11/02/2026 13:00, Nick Odell wrote:

On Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:30:50 +0000, Kate B <elvira@nospam.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

On 10/02/2026 19:36, Nick Odell wrote:

Third letter down..
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/10/we-need-a-fresh-
vision-to-save-our-high-streets>

Excellent points.

...and umrats everywhere must be flocking to the Guardian to read
them: that letters page briefly rose into the Grauniad's most read top
ten earlier.

BLlmey things must be worse at the Grauniad than I thought if the 5-10
extra umra readers of the Letters page sends it so high.

Don't forget the millions of lurkers who support us by email.
--
Sam Plusnet
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