Which part of the country would you rebuild and ‘start again’

I'd have all the huge, ugly flats that have been built on land that was once occupied by much smaller buildings, demolished. This has been happening an awful lot where I live and it's ruined the landscape, closed us in, and deprived us of the open land that once was. I saw photos of my area from the Victorian days and it was beautiful, with high hedges, open parks, brooks, over which small decorative bridges arced over. In its place we have busy roads with pot holes, ugly newbuilds, fly tipping in every alleyway, and very little greenery. Quite depressing 🫣😒

Callistemon21

nanna8

I certainly wouldn’t look forward to a plummeting population. I think that is a cruel thing to wish for. They did their best with Covid I suppose but couldn’t quite manage it, thank goodness.

I think it could be managed with contraception etc.

Who would want to be a woman in an area of the world prone to famine or conflict, trying to feed yet another baby that has been thrust upon her?

Oh dear, think I'd better log off before I blow a gasket!!

I would be there with you Callistemon, ready to hand out sewing kits to the women for their husbands trousers.

Northumberland with the Island and the beautiful natural landscaping and beaches.

I meant thats where id leave unchanged and start my life again

I'm in absolute agreement with M0nica about Londond. The way all the lovely City churches and little lanes, not to mention St Paul's itself, have been left to cower beneath the bombastic skyscrapers is a scandal.

The one thing i would flatten & change is preston bus station its a huge 60's concrete thing with parking above it that unfortunately they have now been stupid enough to make a listed building (some architect or other who was made famous designed it!) They tried to do it up a bit inside (new toilets & a couple of new shops) but they can't even change the dirty old rubber flooring due to the preservation order.Not only is it an eyesore thats not fit for purpose its a dirty germ-trap.I could bear it no longer and moved far away from it a few years ago.Try to avoid it now.

I'd like all then roads resurfaced with plastic pellets so they last forever!

Torquay town centre as it is hideous. (The seafront is lovely). There are far too many shops. Replace some of them with high quality housing such as smart flats and town houses with black railings in front and little patches of green. People would love to live there so close to the sea.

Do you mean managed by outlawing contraception?

I worked there too in the 60s. To get a parking space easily, I used to go in around 7am .I'd walk around gazing at the orderly facades of respected institutions and expecting Night's Templars to jump out. No, I understand you have to pay some Godawful amount just to be allowed in. Don't know about parking but now we know the City is bankrolling the Mafia (that's not new) and Russian Oligarchs, it doesn't make you proud of your heritage. I don't know who dishes out building permits these days but they should be shot!

Mamardoit

Smart motorways. They should never have been allowed.

Totally agree with you. They are dangerous and should be removed, especially the M25, but they are not safe anywhere

Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire would be my choice. Soooo ugly, all of it!

I would undo some of the badly created developments in the Adelaide Hills. Such a beautiful area and so much farmland totally destroyed.

Box Hill (Australia) is pretty frightening now. Not recognisable anymore, it feels like high rise hell, just so like Beijing. I think of George Orwell and 1984 when we drive through there. Glen Waverley is going the same way and Doncaster. Horrible, where are the town planners ?

All the ‘dark, Satanic mills’ which were a familiar sight during my childhood. Luckily many of them have now been demolished, but some of the chimneys have been preserved - God knows why! We can see one from our house. Even worse - some apartment blocks have been designed to resemble the old mills! 🙄 Obviously by architects who don’t remember the originals.

Yeovil town centre once a busy market town but council have closed off the middle to suppose make it better(wasted millions)shops have closed down it was bad before No one wants to go there as nowhere to park and n wonder Somerset County Council are in a financial mess Doesn’t anybody negotiate contracts anymore

Unfortunately the bombing raids of the SecondWorld War ruined the city I live in and the local authority have been trying to put the city right ever since without much luck.

My husband and I sometimes travel for work and without doubt the worst of the city/town centres we visited recently was Swindon. In fact my husband was actually worried about leaving me there whilst he did a site visit. It’s a depressingly grim place.

grannyactivist

My husband and I sometimes travel for work and without doubt the worst of the city/town centres we visited recently was Swindon. In fact my husband was actually worried about leaving me there whilst he did a site visit. It’s a depressingly grim place.

A friend and I used to go to a 'designer' shopping outlet there, I presume it's still open. Probably better than Swindon town centre.
Town centres are becoming increasingly depressing nowadays, but I suppose if we don't use them, we'll lose them.

Smart motorways - death traps

I would bulldoze this ugly shrine to concrete.

petra

I would bulldoze this ugly shrine to concrete.

It is truly dreadful, isn't it!

How long before it crumbles?

Callistemon21

petra

I would bulldoze this ugly shrine to concrete.

It is truly dreadful, isn't it!

How long before it crumbles?

I really like this development and enjoy strolling round it.. agreat example of brutalist architecture.. and of course because the flats which started as social housing are now privately owned and valued at over a million each, the place will not slowly crumble..

brutalist architecture

It reminds me of architecture in ex-Soviet countries. Sometimes the old buildings remain, as you leave the beautiful, old centre of a city the brutalist grey concrete blocks take over.

Monica I couldn’t agree more. All those beautiful ancient buildings dwarfed by glass and concrete monstrosities.