On every road and street throughout Britain, inequalities can be found; these often lead to unequal opportunities for different individuals in any defined group or groups as a whole in society. One Lane in Chippenham demonstrates this quite well, outwardly and deceptively, it appears to be fairly typical of all the other streets in the central area. However, when looked at more closely there is evidence of inequalities.
As larger multi-national chains open up on or just off the Lane, the smaller independent shops are closing. A number of these little shops are reopening as ‘designer’ or ‘niche’ speciality shops catering for a select portion of the community only, others are re-opening as fast food outlets, but many remain closed and boarded up.
There are indications that these changes are affecting the way people shop, as over time the number of people using the independent shops can been seen to reduce, whereas those going into the superstores can be seen to increase. Stock level and choice available in the independent stores are dropping, as owners reduce non essential items to maintain a liveable profit margin, consequently fewer people are using the independent shops; resulting in an ever increasing circle of change and inequality, for both store owners and shoppers.
Another aspect that affects the way people use the Lane is how it is laid out. In places it is very narrow, being little more than a car width, where it widens out that is where the entrances into the exclusive car parks for the multi-national stores are. This layout affects both pedestrians and car users alike, as most of the independent shops are located in the narrower areas. Cars can’t stop to easily access the shops due to the plethora of yellow lines, pedestrians have to compete for space on the pavements due to their extreme narrowness. The Lane is now also