Glasgow Fort is a huge shopping centre, for those not in the know.

Opened in 2004, next to the (notorious) Easterhouse housing estate, the developer's faith in the location, just off the M8 motorway proved to be well placed as it has become extremely popular.

They're now pursuing a £25 million planning application to increase its retail space by 40%, adding 175,000 sq ft to the existing 400,000 sq ft it already covers, adding more shops, restaurants, and parking spaces, with the addition of Marks & Spencers to the catchment.

So, we're supposed to be lamenting the demise of the High Street, the loss of the corner shop and small shops, and appalled by the growth of huge shopping centres, and the miles folk drive to shop in them. Yet we still seem to be clamouring for, and building more.

Go figure!

I've never been to Glasgow Fort, even though it's close enough so I could walk there (if I wasn't in a hurry, and didn't actually want buy anything bigger than a packet of plain biscuits). I'll probably never go either, as it's also too close for the hassle of driving there and negotiating a the motorway slip roads and large car park - available spaces are sure to be miles away from the shops, and I don't do the space-hunting thing to try and find one near the door.

To be honest, the thought of the place doesn't appeal to me (and I am actually a bit of a mall-rat, I used to really enjoy a Christmas trip to the Metro Centre outside Newcastle - until they made it 'better'). I visited the old shopping centre in Easterhouse once. I never went back, and couldn't get out of the place quick enough. If you know the feeling of being a stranger in a town where everyone knows everyone, and the stranger stands out like a sore thumb, you'll know what I mean. That's hard to shake once you've been to a place.

Am I being unfair? Guess I'll never know (think)

I went to the Fort once out of curiosity not that long after it opened. I have to say that I could not understand what all the fuss was about.  Certainly the car parks near the shops were full and it ended up in a long walk from the space I found.  

The main shopping area was designed to to replicate a street of shops layed out on a curve.  It was open at both ends and the roofing extended out from both sides with a gap in the middle. ( Apparently common in countries with warmer climtates - another foreign architect?)  It was a nice day but I could see the potential for this being a wind tunnel and when you add in driving rain ............  The final nail in the coffin as far as  I was concerned was that most of the shops seemed to be mobile phones or cafes. There was no B&Q or the likes although there was a large Morrisons at one side of the carpark.  Now I am the one guy in the world who does not have a mobile phone and I do not want one. Once you have had a cup of coffee what then?

So I never had the inclination to go back.

One memory of the visit was the junction back to the M8 westbound at Easterhouse.  I remember counting 42 individual SETS of traffic lights.  Far too much for a country boys brain to take in.

I used to go up to Glasgow to look at all the comic and sci-fi book stores, places like Obelisk books in the old Virginia galleries, not to mention all the wee independent traders that sold all sorts of stuff from movie memorabilia, to militaria to retro clothing and jewellery.  It was really something different.  These huge retail parks are all rather souless places.

Case in point in Ayr we had an Asda down by the riverside which was handy for the locals, near the centre but not right on the main street.  It shifted lock stock and barrel to the newer site at Heathfield and closed the other store.  The amount of people saying that the new site is too far out of the way, the shop is very 'souless' and so on is unreal.

What is to blame for the demise of the high street?  It surely can't solely be the fault of the chain stores.  I wouldn't be surprised if landlords are too greedy now and the chains are the only ones who can afford them.  Even Ayr high street is having its bottom end slowly abandoned much like what happened to Irvine main street.

Captain Brittles, that would be Newmarket Street, there was a toy shop there as well at one time called Scotch Corner (the same as the Kilmarnock one), then it was Beatties, now it's called Toytown.  There's a cafe across from it that is trying to do the pavement cafe idea but in my opinion we just don't get the weather for it.  A lot of the traditional fish and chip type places have tried to go upmarket and it's not been overly successful.