Enough with the beige boxes – let's make our towns feel like *places* again

I was walking through the town centre the other day, past that new block of flats they’ve built. Honestly, it’s just a big, bland rectangle. No character, no soul. It reminded me of all the conversation about "placemaking" that seems to go nowhere. Developers just churn out these identical, uninspired buildings that could be anywhere. It’s depressing and frankly, it’s a missed opportunity to create something that actually adds to the community.

My proposal is for a "Community Character Contribution" fund. Instead of just slapping more generic housing or shops wherever there’s a gap, developers would be required to contribute to a fund earmarked for enhancing the local character of an area. This could pay for public art installations, planting more trees and greenery, restoring historic shop fronts, or even funding local craftspeople to create unique street furniture.