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Yesterday, I drove into Birkenhead which was the first time for a number of years.

What an absolute disgrace it is ! Shops borded up, run down shop fronts, a drab and most run down place I have ever set eyes on.
Parked on the once beautiful Hamilton Square, which displayed green and black bins scattered all over the place.

Chaps walking their bully dogs peeing and pooing through the gardens . I tried to pay for parking and the meter wasn't working.

I couldn't wait to leave, and I won't be going back again and wouldn't recommend anyone taking a trip on the ferry boat (once it's running again ) They might as well go to Liverpool and spend all their money there.

Very sad .

Pretty much the same in every decent sized town, less so in cities, Birkenhead is far from the worst. Shops have taken a massive hit from online shopping and in-town locations are too expense to use as dual online and in-person shopping.

Hamilton Square has tidied up enormously from a small number years ago when it was drop-out city. I still maintain that the killing off of the Woodside district was a mistake (Bus Station, Market and Station before that). We had a well functioning commercial line all the way from Grange Road West through to the Ferry terminal which was dismantled.

In general the shopping roads as opposed to shopping centres tend to fare better until too many services rather than retailers take over. Their biggest threat is often limited parking which is required more after we throw our skateboards away.

Being realistic, is it wasted money by Councils trying to prop up local shopping centres? Would the money be better spent promoting lock-ups, small call centres and delivery services for online/telephone orders?

I've noticed with the large housing developments, hardly any of them include a local shop, cafe or chippy despite a very captive market in many cases.

Pubs appear to be making a resurrection in many places, I guess people just want to get out of their house sometimes. I haven't checked to see if the large breweries are eventually losing their stranglehold on victuallers, its extremely difficult to make a proper go of it under brewery control.

The council are utterly clueless. The built two enormous office blocks in the centre only to find to that there were no companies who wanted to occupy them (What an enormous surprise! They were hoping that Microsoft, or Amazon or Tesla etc would find downtown Birkenhead irresistible.)

In despair they have now demolished the two perfectly workable building skirting the Town Hall in Wallasey and moved the staff into the new building in an attempt to make it look busy.

It is the Pyramids I find most dispiriting. I find even taking a shortcut through it leaves one contemplating the benefits of ending it all. The air of sheer hopelessness pervades it like the smell of burgers and chips emanating from the 'Food Court'.

The best thing to do with the whole commercial district in Downtown Birkenhead is to demolish it and turn it into Parkland.