Without big retail brands, what is a town centre? It is a question playing out across the country as the retailers' exodus from the high street continues. Over the past century or more, town centres have come to rely on retail for vibrancy and economic activity. But in many cases, shops have provided a veneer of success to places that have seen connections, character and community fractured by successive waves of policy and development. Look closely and you'll see the evidence: roads that divide or pass around the centre, heritage or natural assets that are underused or neglected and uninviting pedestrian routes.
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