I’m particularly interested to find out if there’s the potential in planning to go a step further and in some streets not allowing speculative developers to sub-divide family homes into flats for example, as well as protecting against over-development (high density, poorly designed, poor quality, tiny, over-expensive flats that seem to be going up everywhere). Cooperative (low rise) self builds would be nice to encourage too, allowing locals to stay when they have a family.

My second area of interest is the visual environment: street signage might be greatly improved (coordinated and made more pleasant) and even shop front rules on size, type and position of signs could be tightened to avoid/disallow broken, dirty and unsightly signs. Perhaps the size and position should be the same for all shops (not just max size & height from ground specified) so there is some coordination there as well?
Perhaps it is the sort of thing a traders association could get together to decide and implement?

Not allowing big rubbish bins on footpaths at the front of shops would be high on my list as well. They often stink, look really unsightly and are left out for days.
In other areas they are not out for more time that a collection takes, eg from 6am to 7.30am, before the shops open.

Small things that would make a huge difference.

I believe pleasant and clean visual environment, with well designed signage and other public street furniture (and street art) should be the right of everyone to enjoy.

BTW, By the above suggested minimum requirements and standards I do not mean gentrification.

PS: I’ve got used to short tweets, so no longer post everything in one comment. Sorry about that…