Another one bites the dust

I noticed today that another shop had closed down in Stroud - this time a decent wine shop.

To be fair, I also noticed that elsewhere in the town a couple of shops had actually opened, but these are 'emergency' shops - hastily put together and using closed-down premises for a temporary period.

I've lost count of the number of times over the years I've lived here that people have spoken optimistically of the future of the town centre.

It's probably the same story in towns up and down the country.

But this is a new era and I believe we will end up buying everything we need from the comfort of our own armchairs at the cheapest prices our web browsers can find.

Town centres are becoming less and less relevant and even if you do fancy a browse around the stores for old times' sake, you have no chance of beating the bargains produced by the 'net.

Ironically, Stroud is shortly to take part in a BBC series called Turn Back Time, looking at the town centre in years gone by. Part of it involves recreating a shop of the Thirties.

Perhaps they should also look into their crystal ball at the town of the future.