Localism and the Developer (alias David and Goliath) - Локализам и програмера (алиас Давид и Голијат)

A really good protest march in my home town against the proposed development of a modern shopping centre in a traditional market town. The market town I live in isn't particularly pretty, planners have already a made a dogs dinner of it in the past with Costa Coffee occupying a Germanic style building, while next door is the glass fronted modern architecture of a Bank and across the town square from there some kind of neo-classical town hall with Tuscan columns supporting a portico. So overall pretty well architecturally confused, without theme, reason or rhyme. Planners and developers want the residents to accept similar mistakes all over again with new proposals.

Planners do not seem to be aware of the internet. We shop on the internet. It is a powerful tool that decimates our high street shops. We shop in shopping malls (appalling though they truly are). Cities and Malls have the big brands and the smaller towns can not retain them any longer. My home town needs to do some serious looking in to the future, fill the small shops with local businesses and bespoke shops. Identify a theme and brand and stick with it.

They will of course fail because central Government keeps telling them different. That is the Government who are fat on the molasses of half truths from big development/building companies, preaching localism but ignoring the outputs of localism.

I hope the proposal to develop my market town gets kicked out, but for the time being here are some photos from local people performing localism, though it has to be said it was good to see an MP on a bench with a megaphone talking about only allowing brownfield development - time will tell if he can stick to his words.

 The Passive Mob of Concern

Fill these empty shops before building more

Local Small Retail Shops Supported the March (While one of the national brand shops was closing down - Early Learning Centre)

Planners and Councillors should be dealing with this....

...and this....

 ...and definitely this which has been empty for 10 years at least and a major detractor for inward investment.

David Rutley MP doing what MP's should do more of.

But David, the locals expect.

Is the message clear? Oh and by the way, where was the leader of the Council?