I've been driving around the Scottish Highlands for a few days and I've noticed a big difference in towns compared to where I live in Devon.
In Devon, whenever you drive into a town you have to pay to park. That's before you spend anything in shops, bars, cafes etc.
Councils consider car drivers as the enemy. A mere cash cow. If you park - YOU PAY.
Hence, many people now avoid town centres like the plague or they severely limit the number of times they visit.
For the past few days I've stopped off in many towns across the North of Scotland. I've parked in council car parks and not once have I been confronted with a ticket machine, a barrier or an ANPR camera.
And guess what? I've actually been into shops, cafes, restaurants etc and spent money. In so doing, I've helped the businesses to do what they do best - Providing goods and services to their communities.
Communities free from paying extortionate amounts of money to local councils for the "privilege" of being able to park up and visit businesses who rely on their custom.
Councils "down South" should take notice.
If you price drivers out of towns, they stay away, businesses close and the town dies.
The evidence is everywhere.
(And yes, I know Internet shopping is another enemy of the High Street so I don't need to be informed about that).
@proptechpioneer Allow them to virtue signal, they need to live with cheap chipped plates.
My beloved and I however have invested and may truly lament…
We will be screwed if we want replacements 😢
Because realism is not the enemy of ambition.
Unrealistic targets often discourage people, especially when they are presented as “average”.
Aspirations are useful when they stretch people.
Benchmarks are useful when they reflect reality.
Owning a home, having a £250k pension and a £100k portfolio by 40 is an excellent achievement, but it is not an average baseline.
We should encourage people to save, invest, build skills and plan ahead, but we should also be honest about wages, rent, childcare, housing costs, debt, illness, divorce, caring duties and regional inequality.
Hope matters.
So does truth.
@csljohnkirby@hewantswealth Most sense I’ve seen here all day.
Very true and perfectly put.
Hope a lot of people read it and set realistic goals instead of losing hope due to codswallop about “average”.
Lewisham council has shortlisted four development proposals for the Grade Il listed Playtower. More details are to be released in a few days, councillors said at a Ladywell Society event. Full details will be given ahead of a consultation in the autumn. https://t.co/36kHTVDQLw
@proptechpioneer 🤷♂️poor financial decisions from person with history of poor relationship decisions.
Could have overpaid mortgage monthly from day one when interest rates were low to ameliorate position once on the ladder.
Or couldn’t afford to buy and shouldn’t have.
@FinanceTiger I bought in 1989 for £77.5k and sold for £63.5k in 1995. During the time I owned it mortgage rates fluctuated between 8 and 15%. We couldn’t afford it on 4 times joint salary. We had to move back to parents. Nothing new here. Suck it up people.
On the topic of ‘just get on with it’ this is one of our smaller nature reserves. From finding the land for sale, buying it, planting 100,000 trees and digging 6 ponds it took less than 18 months to create a new haven for nature. @paulpowlesland
@paulpowlesland We make use of the granting system when we can, get a lot of tree donations but the primary source is my partner’s business https://t.co/rmbcqeUhYn that gives 10% of profits. We have no staff, all volunteers apart from some planting contractors that are very hard working.
@proptechpioneer@a_cooper17 Beautiful blue lake. That is small town Oz! Maybe I just knew their Queensland equivalents.
I spent some time (a long way) either side of you for a few months with Adelaide and Melbourne but didn’t sample small town SA.
@proptechpioneer@a_cooper17 Selling encyclopaedias (remember them) door to door way off the beaten track is my point of reference for small town Australia.
I may have met your mates…
@SteveCaple4 Still flowing with fresh water from the ground.…and sadly locked up!
Derbyshire they celebrate the water that comes out of the ground.
Here it’s hidden away 🤷♂️
@proptechpioneer@a_cooper17 ‘Small town UK’ not entirely different to Wagga Wagga or Rockhampton as far as small town and drugs goes.
Many that started like that are very sadly passing away now they’re in their fifties…
I wouldn’t be against it here, would like to see the Bali photos…