Not seeing the positives in the changes to the area I’m from

[Cricklely]

So,
I grew up just out of the central area of a city. It was a nice area, big park, small touristy area, then houses. There was some social housing, busy high street with useful shops etc. Good schools.
We moved when I was about 17, now 44.
DH and I moved back to the city last year having lived abroad. By chance we became friends with someone who lives in the area I grew up. Initially I thought they didn’t seem the type to live there, they are creatives but making good money.
We went over for lunch not long ago and after DH and I strolled around the area. It’s changed so much.
The high street is now filled with overly priced independent shops and coffee shops. There are only a handful of chain stores (M&S, Co-op, Boots, Sainsbury’s local and Tesco express). Everything else is independent and a Quick Look in a few overpriced, there are cocktail bars where pubs used to be etc.
The main through road now has a bus lane and cycle lanes which has made traffic awful quite frankly.
There must have been some investment into the high street as it’s all nicely painted and hanging baskets of flowers but it’s not useful. I couldn’t afford to shop there with any frequency.
The schools seem to have gone progressive, no uniform, teachers first names, child led etc. not a traditional education by any means.
House prices have shot up faster than most other parts of the city etc.
I got chatting to some old friends, apparently it now attracts those on 6+ figure incomes, especially the “Champagne Socialist”.
I had a look and the schools have very few pupils qualifying for free schools meals now (less than 10% closer to 5%), so what’s happened to the social housing?
They had to leave as they weren’t just priced out of buying a house/renting one. But with the closer big supermarket being an M&S, terrible traffic thanks to bus and cycle lanes and lots of other amenities gone (banks, clothes shops etc.) it no longer fit their lifestyle.
Our friends who now live there are the definition of champagne socialist, make ridiculous amounts each year, go on several expensive holidays and everything else but very left wing. They think it’s a positive, but of course they do, it now suits their life?!
AIBU to think these are necessarily positive changes?

I hate the term champagne socialist. The idea that you can’t be truly left leaning and have a high income is ridiculous. Not everyone with a high income is interested in a small government society with a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” attitude.

Champagne socialism doesn’t mean the above though does it?

One of my relatives is a classic champagne socialist. Works in an investment bank, obviously not on paye (less tax) & is a landlord of a fair few properties. Paid 1.5m to live in tiny catchment of excellent state school but super judgey of private schools (he went to one). Also loves a bit of coke, he’s such a cliche it’s unreal.

OP - the alternative to the small expensive independent shops (plus M&S food) isn’t the high street of your youth, it’s boarded up shops, charity shops, hairdressers and if you are lucky a pound shop, unlucky, a few betting shops. The high street in small areas of cities is dying unless it can find a way to cater to wealthy locals. The costs of running a physical shop are too high in comparison to a website and delivery or big supermarkets. Your friends are right, it is nice they have shops that are doing well. The alternative is grim.

pubs are shutting nationally. In nice areas with people who like to go out, some are able to reinvent themselves into cocktail bars or mid-price restaurants. But going down the pub has gone out of fashion. Not just in middle class areas.

And finally if you are in your 40s and moved away in your teens, the social housing would already have started to move to privately owned - perhaps you were too young to realise. It could be the council has kept ownership, but in a city, those social housing renters are more likely to use the bus and cycle lanes and very much appreciate the traffic calming. And like most people on a budget now, buy most of their items online or from larger and cheaper supermarkets further out of town.

Interesting the op hasn't been back

@LimeCheesecake very well put. I gave some friends who live in a very working class town in Lancashire. They like a nice wine bar and tapas as much as the rest of us liberal metropolitan elite. Fashions in retail and hospitality have changed.

The fact it's on the main route towards Ibrox Stadium makes it pretty gentrification proof.

HA!

I remember when I moved from Whitechapel to Walthamstow 25 years ago, I thought "Well it's a bit shabby and far out of town, but at least prices will never go nuts here. Limiting factors."

Nowhere is gentrification proof.

I get it OP

But banks are closing everywhere

I'm back in the place I grew up and the nightmare of cycle lanes hasn't arrived yet but it's creeping up, we're just outside it

The only supermarket being M&S though, yikes.

Nothing against independent shops though.

Schools, I don't know about. Generally I'm pleased the area doesn't feel like a PC nightmare...yet.

I got annoyed with a former contact who questioned my move saying "will you be okay? It's not very diverse". I think she means skin colour....I'm not white,
I grew up here and I'm happy with the diversity but she's only looking at it one way.

I did point this out to her and she went quiet.

the social housing has vanished from my previous area of London, they all got pushed out. Awful. We were on TV doing local demos in fact, but no luck.