For much of the past century, developers and architects told communities up and down the country that if they wanted to reinvigorate their towns and boost growth, the first thing they needed to do was knock down the old streets and buildings and replace them with new ones. Bigger roads, multistorey carparks and shopping centres usually followed.

The often-disastrous results became all too obvious to most ordinary citizens very quickly. Historic town centres, with their flexible fine grain of smaller, adaptable buildings, were gutted. Much-loved buildings were razed to the ground, independent retailers replaced by chains, and the distinctiveness and local pride that made places special were lost.

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