A few months ago my wife and I visited some friends who had recently moved home. They are both in their 70s and had made the decision to downsize. They had bought a smaller, but still three-bedroom home on a new estate. When it’s complete, the estate will have 800 new homes.

The first thing to say is that our friends are delighted with their new home. It’s manageable for them, has a small garden and is at the centre of a new and seemingly very friendly community. There is open green space not far away and it is walkable to the centre of the town. The developers are highly regarded with a good local reputation. And yet, by the time we left I was feeling angry and depressed.