Be realistic about future of city centre

DEAR Editor, In the Birmingham Post (August 20) there was an article by Nicola Fleet-Milne pleading for companies and people to return and revive the dormant city centre.

We all wish to see more hustle and bustle, but I think we have to realise it will not happen rapidly and it will not simply return to where we were when the Covid pause button was pressed.

At the beginning of lockdown there was a lot of discussion on how the situation was having some benign effects, particularly regarding traffic pollution levels and some people liking the flexibility of working from home.

The conclusion was that our personal and work lives would re-emerge with new priorities and directions.

However, the main desire now seems to be an urge to turn the clock back to exactly where we left off. If we look at current business news in the papers and other media it will take some determination to revive confidence and positivity.

In the retail world shops are still suffering in the face of online purchasing and this will hamper places like the Bullring, Merry Hill etc getting back up to speed. How many units now stand empty in these flagship centres?

Many companies renting city office space have announced they have no intention of recalling all their staff to these premises.

Add to this the woes faced by theatre and concert venues, plus the surrounding bars and clubs, and the uphill struggles are clear.

Unfortunately a lot of people will not be returning to their furloughed job roles, leading