I don’t operate like I used to; the way my parents used to live is long forgotten, and the next generation have their own spin on life that in turn makes me look and feel positively outdated. But the world we live in isn’t keeping pace. I’m not talking about new technologies, the iPhone X or any other ethereal change; it’s our physical spaces that need a comprehensive reboot.

The places we shop, eat and drink are being left behind - following old rules for a different world. I’m talking about the single-purpose, one-stop shops that litter high streets up and down the country.

No wonder people keep talking about a retail apocalypse; I certainly don’t want to shop in half the high streets I walk past. And even if I did want to; they’re not open when I need them to be. Why do you think most online shopping is done outside traditional high street shopping hours – on commuter trains, in bed at night, as you’re slurping down cereal thinking of what to get in your next day delivery.

But, why should it be like this?

We need to sweat the asset that is our high street. Corporatized developments that open at 9.00 and close at 19.00 are a thing of the past – and good riddance. We don’t live our lives like that; so nor should our public realm. High streets should be open from 06.00 to 01.00, change through the day, and maximise the essence of what it is to be human – a place to meet, to look, to touch, to work, to strut, to drink and eat, to love to play oh, and to shop.

Look at the success of Granary Square – this isn’t a place where people go to vegetate, browse shop windows and waddle home. This is a place where people go to live – families come together, mums in between school runs stop for a coffee or lunch, social types can sit by the fountains at night while they’re mate runs off to see if he can dodge the water spouts. No one would ever dare call it a high street; because it isn’t. It’s a place, a destination, with a name and a character.

So let’s go out and change our high streets, our retail, and the places we shop, eat, drink and more importantly live. And remember, there is nothing wrong with people sitting in their high streets, spending money, and shopping on their iPads.