Turning on to Dawes Road from the bustling Broadway, it is hard to imagine that, just about 100 yards around the corner, you will find yourself in what can only be described as an urban desert.

The first part of the road is quite busy, with people milling around and a number of shops open, including a hairdressers, Dorothy the dressmakers, a large flooring emporium and European Heritage, a tiling and flooring shop.

But walk round past The Mitre pub and the landscape changes. Shop after shop is boarded up - Tony's, a bespoke shoemakers; Mansour, an exotic food shop; the cavernous looking Cabin Grill, which has been empty for years, and depository firm Malcolm Taylor, which has just moved to another part of town.

And then there are the shops that have been empty for so long that their signs have faded and give no clue as to what was there before. Many buildings have been reincarnated as flats to cater for the burgeoning population of young professionals, who find the area a less expensive alternative to Parsons Green.

They certainly haven't moved in for the amenities, though - there are at least 35 buildings of shut down shops or converted flats.

It wasn't always this way, according to Noah Abdurahman, who has run his Day's Cycles for 36 years.

"There were lots of different shops," he recalls. "We had Molly's, which used to sell great bread, a quilt shop, a busy old Co-op, to name a few. But it has just got worse over the years. There's a totally different feel to the road."

Mr Abdurahman said the area began to change when the Fulham Broadway Waitrose was built - he thinks maybe 20 years ago - and Jerdan Place was pedestrianised, cutting traffic along Dawes Road and, consequently, passing trade. Business rates, now nearly £7,000 for Mr Abdurahman, have risen, meaning that, for many shop owners, closing or selling to property developers is the only sensible option.

"Most of the shops still open don't make anything now," he said. "I know one trader who is in the red but can't bare the thought of selling. Business rates are just ridiculous."

Parking, a common bugbear for shop owners, is also keeping people away, according to Franco Zarrad, the owner for 14 years of Dawes Glass.

"We have restrictions outside my shop all day," he said. "And 99 per cent of my customers need to park very close as they are obviously carrying glass. It really badly affects us. I just wish there was a bit more flexibility."

Among the remaining businesses, which include a vet, a wax studio, a hairdressers, art galleries Studio 6 and Iain Armstrong, a key cutters and a couple of pubs and takeaways, are familiar high street brands Nisa, William Hill and the obligatory Tesco Express, often blamed by shopkeepers for declining trade. But Mr Zarrad says, without them, the road would be even quieter, while Sarveen Mann, who runs the Fulham Dentist surgery, also refuses to blame the food giants, instead pointing to the road's unfortunate location as the root of its problems.

"We are between Fulham Broadway, which has had major investment, and Munster Road, which has become very popular, so it's not surprising Dawes Road has become more residential," she said.

"There are more and more people living here, so in a sense it is not too bad, but we could desperately do with what has happened in Munster Road, which is full of shops and has got a real following,"

Hammersmith and Fulham Council is well aware that Dawes Road is a blot on the Fulham copybook but the tone of its statement suggests change will be difficult to implement.

Nick Botterill, the leader, said: "Small businesses across the country are struggling due to the economic downturn and Dawes Road is no different.

"The council is acutely aware of the run down properties in parts of Dawes Road and is very keen to see improvements. However, the physical layout of the street and the fragmented property ownership present particular problems and significant changes can only come from the various property owners.

"In the meantime, the council has changed its planning framework so that we can be more flexible about how the individual buildings can be used. We realise small businesses are at the heart of a thriving local economy and are eager to work with the landowners to regenerate Dawes Road and make it fit for the 21st century."

For the struggling traders, change can't come soon enough.