“ I have lived in Barnet all my life and seen the town slowly deteriorate. The new frontage for the spires is out of keeping with the area and will only look good if the whole of the High Street is demolished and rebuilt with modern concrete and glass.
The only thing wrong with The Spires and the rest of the High Street is the lack of decent and useful retail outlets. The only useful shops in the area are Waitrose, Savers, Robert Dyas, The pharmacy and occasionally the toy shop. The cafes and restaurants are all similar and so can't be visited too often, because they become boring. Maybe more seats, a few flower tubs and more tlc of the whole area would make it more attractive. This could be sponsored by the shop owners so not put extra cost on the Council and would be worth their while if it increased the footfall. It should be a shopping centre for local people it can never be large enough to attract people from outside the area. Better parking for the buses, utilising the wasted space behind Waitrose and the market would be a huge improvement and would relieve the congestion along that very narrow road. ”