Golden tickets for high street revival

Showbiz won't revive Britain's high streets

Everyone wants to be seen to have done something when it comes to local retailing. Local government minister, Grant Schapps is offering golden tickets to 12 local centres to become Portas pilots. This all makes great headlines but it is the people who are motivated to actually do anything that will actually make the difference and there, I can't see much happening.

Until we see the reality of what our high streets have become over the last 50 years, then we can't possibly work out a plan for what they should be in the future. We shouldn't be trying to revive our high streets into some sort of heritage experience, but rethinking what town centres actually provide to people who shop, travel and consume so much more widely than they have ever done before.

I don't for a second pretend to have the answer. I choose capital cities or tiny villages - everything in between frankly is soulless, boring, impersonal and unengaged.