British towns are fast becoming victims of 'clone town' syndrome - identikit high streets can be found up and down the country, with the same retail stores dominating every town high street. The growing rate of big-name coffee shops, supermarket 'express' or 'metro' stores, fast food outlets and fashion chains are all taking over every UK high street, resulting in British towns losing their local flavour and character.

'A monochrome strip of global and national chains'
The New Economics Foundation (NEF) define a clone town as 'a place where the individuality of high street shops has been replaced by a monochrome strip of global and national chains, somewhere that could easily be mistaken for dozens of bland town centres across the country.'

NEF Policy Director has previously told the BBC that "outside a few metropolitan hotspots we are moving from 'Cool Brittania' to 'Clone Town Britain'."

"Local shops tend to act like the social glue that holds communities together in a way that big retail giants can't. Clone Town Britain creeps up on you - suddenly you turn around and your town is looking the same as every other town."

How the law can help
But Britain does not have to become a nation of clone towns. Regulation across industries serves to aid our country's social and economic fabric, and there is no reason why the right laws can't be put in place locally for towns across the country to maintain their own distinctive feel. The appearance of Clone Town Britain has come about in part to planning and regeneration decisions that have created local retail infrastructures that don't encourage the growth of indpendent shops.

Friends of Portobello is determined for Portobello Road, Notting Hill, not to turn into another British identiket high street. Click here to find out what you can do to support Friends of Portobello.

Click here to see how Portobello Road is affected by the threat of Clone Town Britain

Click here to read more about the New Economics Foundation and their influential report into Clone Town Britain

Click here to read editorials from the London Evening Standard about their 'Save Our Small Shops' campaign