Can High Streets be saved from extinction?

A LOT of the small shops in my area that closed during the pandemic have been replaced by Turkish barbers, vape shops, mobile phone cover stores, nail bars and takeaways. A friend who lives in Southampton says the same has happened there. Most of these new ventures seem to be manned by a single assistant who sits all day looking at their mobile phone. Other shops that closed during the lockdowns have been redeveloped as flats. I am unable to find what I need to buy locally and have to order online. It’s no wonder our High Streets are dying.

H. e. McARDLe, eastleigh, Hants. I DOUBT High Street shops will recover from the Covid hiatus. I have increasingly shopped on online sites such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy. They are easy to use, postage is often free, the choice of goods is extensive and delivery is to my door.

R. HAVeNHAND, Nantwich, Cheshire. WHEN I moved into the new town of Stevenage in 1981, it had an indoor market plus a fantastic outdoor market twice a week. That’s gone as is our only bookstore. The bus station and leisure centre are being moved away from the centre. The town is being ‘regenerated’ with empty shops turned into flats for commuters. But its heart is being allowed to die.

C. ROSeNBeRG-FOx, Stevenage, Herts. IN MY late teens, I visited my sister in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was surprised the centre was high-rise office blocks with all the shops in out-oftown malls. It was typical of U.S. cities and that’s the model that has been brought to Britain, resulting in the loss of our traditional bustling High Streets.

MARIAN PARSLOW, Norwich.