I don't see how you can say so categorically that I am wrong, because we agree very much on what the problem is.
For instance, in this:
leenewham wrote:It works. Shopping malls have controls, they work. Regent Street has local controls. They work. Markets have controls, they work. It depends on good management. It shouldn't be controlled by local cllrs or politicians, it's nothing to do with them. It should be controlled by local people qualified to comment on such issues. Most landlords don't care. They just want rent.
I agree up to the point where you say "It shouldn't be controlled by local cllrs or politicians", and my disagreement starts from "it's nothing to do with them"; but only mildly - I'd just say it shouldn't be
that much to do with them. The difficulty is how you identify "local people qualified to comment on such issues", and what to do if there aren't any such, or just that there are outsiders with even better ideas than the local, self appointed, great and good.
Somebody has to make the decisions about how local shopping streets and markets are controlled, by which I mean having the authority to sign off the actual contracts which lead to someone getting paid for doing something. There are two possibly bases for such authority - political or commercial. In either case those making the decisions have an interest in listening to local opinion; in the case of politicians, because it makes a difference to how likely the are to be reelected, in the case of commercial landlords and business owners, because local opinion will include many good ideas specific to an area which an outsider will miss. That may be too cyncial - both politicians and business people can be normal, decent human beings, who subject to other constraints, will want to do as good a job as they can for an area.
Of course landlords want rents, just as policitians want votes, but it's no good just having a general moan about them.
leenewham wrote:Localising planning for high streets would mean a more efficient, leaner, more bespoke, better cared for, better looking, more attractive high street. It would free up planning departments.
This may well be true, but who are the locals who will be given the authority to make the actual decisions? Let's take Kirkdale as a test case. Should it be:
- The local councillors for the ward - Alex Feakes, Philip Peake and Anne Affiku?
- The local councillor of a neighbouring ward who also interests herself in the area - Chris Best?
- The Directors of a social enterprise set up with Council support - e.g. SEE3 - so Chris Best, Alex Feakes, Richard Hibbert, Annabel McLaren & Becca Leathlean?
- Representatives of local Amenity Societs, such as SydSoc, e.g. Mary McKernan, Pat Trembath & Annabel McLaren?
- The local business owners - e.g. Becca Leathlean, directors of Wooster & Stock, Sainsbury's, Ram, owner of the convenience store?
- Local commercial landlords - e.g. Wooster & Stock, St Gabriel Properties?
How do you decide, or do you just want to decide yourself what should happen, and hope for world in which everyone accepts what you say?
