A tale of two high streets that should really shame the Church Commissioners

The landlords who own Marylebone High Street are good at planning and have created a haven in London

- Dylan Jones

IT WAS the great Fleet Street legend Keith Waterhouse who said you should never write a column based on personal grievances. You hate your local greengrocer? So go and buy your salsify, candy beetroot and romanesco somewhere else. Having a massive beef with BT? So what, most people I know think they're useless anyway. Sick to death of your neighbour leaving his bins out all week? Well, tell it to the judge but please don't put it in a newspaper article.

Planning issues, though, or problems with landlords, public services or managing agents? Well hello.

To wit: for decades now, the Church Commissioners have been unsuccessfully attempting to turn Connaught Village into Marylebone High Street. They have wasted years trying to reimagine our little part of the Hyde Park Estate as a rich mix of restaurants, high-end retailers, bakeries, food shops, florists and hardware stores. Just like, er, Marylebone High Street, which is only a postcode away. The area isn't exactly starved of bold-faced names - Tony Blair lives here, as does Claudia Winkleman, Jennifer Saunders and hip art duo Rob and Nicky Carter (who have produced a number of front pages for the Evening Standard).