A report by the thinktank Create Streets argues that cheap changes – ripping out clutter like pedestrian guardrails, curbing motor traffic and repurposing kerbside parking for bike share or dining – could revive struggling UK high streets better than multimillion-pound revamps. It cites Altrincham, where retail vacancies fell from over 30% to 7%, and says Andy Burnham, the prime minister, has pledged to reverse the decline, with most of his £210m regeneration fund going into buildings.