Today in Focus A broken high street and its billionaire owners
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Feb 9, 2026 
Josh Halliday, North of England editor at The Guardian, brings on-the-ground reporting from Newton Aycliffe where billionaire brothers own the whole town centre. He outlines the town’s postwar founding, the high street’s decline, how ownership traces to reclusive Freshwater brothers, and the debate over why properties are left to decay and what powers might revive local high streets.
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New Towns Were Built Around High Streets
- Newton Aycliffe was designed as a postwar ‘new town’ with a thriving, walkable high street at its heart.
- That original civic vision explains why residents feel the decline so personally and urgently.
Residents’ Nostalgic High Street Memories
- Long-time residents recall a packed high street with shops like Jack and Jill and a toy shop with weekly payment plans.
- Those memory-rich details underline how dramatic the decline feels to locals who lived through its heyday.
High Street Decline Has Tangible Local Costs
- Today Beveridge Way feels like a ghost town, with almost half the units empty and only basic services remaining.
- The decline has practical consequences for people who cannot easily travel elsewhere for essentials.