Last week I chaired a meeting of Twickenham landlords - commercial property owners - to discuss the depressed state of local shopping.

Most of the local shopping centres have taken a battering in the recession, especially Twickenham, Whitton (and East Sheen on the Richmond side). Teddington, although relatively successful, has lost its Woolworths and Hampton Hill, the Farmers Market.

We have been relatively lucky though. Across the country around 1 in 5 shops have gone and some shopping centres in poorer parts of Britain have been devastated. And in Twickenham and Whitton there are active Town Centre managers attracting new business.

The landlords are crucial. They set the rent, maintain the property and decide what kind of tenants they want. An uninterested absentee landlord is a disaster. The Co-op’s lack of effort to utilise its Whitton store has damaged Whitton High Street despite the big efforts of local traders.

Although absentee landlords are not a national object of sympathy many landlords have lost 40% of their value in this property crash. We were also warned of problems ahead. Revaluation of commercial rates next year will hit shops across London. All the bigger shops in the capital will have to pay a levy to finance CrossRail even though it comes nowhere near our borough. Lack of easy parking is also a continuing concern.

The immediate concern is Twickenham town centre. Since I came to the area some 35 years ago much has improved - London Road, Church Street and most of Heath Road. But the heart - King Street - remains very sad. A few new shops - for good clothes; a butcher- would make a big difference. It is, at least, reassuring that landlords are now working with traders, the council and voluntary groups to turn it round.