I suppose there's two ways to look at this story from the BBC. They cite an Experian report that names the five Scottish towns most likely to be hit by the retail credit crunch. With Woolworths, Zavvi, and countless other chain stores going bust, or closing branches at the moment, it could indeed be a grim time for the likes of Cumbernauld.

These are the kinds of places that have found it hard to compete with 'out of town' retail parks and often suffer from that clone town effect, where every town centre is the same parade of chain stores running something like Greggs, Bookies, Chemist, Estate Agent & Pub repeated ad naseum. The current economic climate will hit these places hard in the short term, and so at first it looks as though this is a terrible thing. But on second thought, one wonders whether in the long run we might see some more independent shops taking over the sites vacated by the chain stores? That would surely be a good thing.

Places like Cumbernauld could certainly benefit from the choice, diversity and character that a wide range of independent shops brings to a place - not to mention the benefits to the local economy. Too often it seems hopes for the regeneration of a place are pinned on bringing one of the big multiples into a newly built shopping shed (or "retail destination/hub/attraction/leisure nightmare"). Yet these large stores siphon bucket loads of cash out of the local economy and if they fail, or lay off hundreds of workers, that place is scunnered.

It would be nice to see regeneration projects that focus on supporting a 'small is beautiful' approach to life. Our town centres need diversity if they are to be resilient, a bit like our ecosystems. It's notable that Peebles is not on the Experian list - it's the top independent retailing location in Scotland, the opposite of a clone town.