How to be made to feel small

I had to laugh. We went to see Prince at what used to be the Dome last night. I always thought the Dome was an amazing place, its scale and the feeling you get inside it were quite awe-inspiring.

Now, however, it looks like an American High Street. There are lots of food joints (and you know which ones they were as well) in a narrow street with fake trees; insipid, pushover architecture and restrictions to views that make you wonder why you are there.

I wonder what more cultured visitors would think. We appear to design like this because it is a low common denominator, easy to do and not insulting to anyone.

Well, I'm insulted. Where is our aspiration to high culture? Good design? Celebration of space? Ambitions to go beyond the bland?

You cant smoke in the dome, you cant take your plastic pint outside, you cant take cameras into the auditorium- but you can take in your phone (which is a better camera, but they 'trust you' not to use it!). If you buy a bottle of water they remove the plastic lid, presumably so you cant throw it( but you can do what you want with an empty plastic bottle!) . When I went to get my camera back, the lady handed it to the person next to me!

I find myself dumbfounded. I'm not a Tory, or an anarchist. I believe in a mixture of rules imposed for the common good and self-imposed restraints for the same reason. Stupid rules annoy me and whenever I fall foul to one, I always ask 'Why?' (usually loudly). We should all do this.

All in all, Prince was great and the arena is brilliant- big, yet cosy with well raked seats and brilliant views.

The chance to turn the fortunes of the Dome around has, however, been squandered by a lack of imagination and the desire to make as much money as possible.