Cornmarket Street — where all of my stress melts away as I peacefully stroll amidst the other kindly shoppers, taking in the enticing aromas of bakeries and delicatessens, waving hello to the local shop owners, and enjoying the melodies of our community’s gifted musicians.

This central street epitomises the charms of Oxford.

Now a translation for those who don’t understand sarcasm: Cornmarket Street — where my blood pressure rises as I weave through crowds of loitering teenagers, catching a whiff of fried chicken as I wait for a family of five to check out the sale at Gap before I can pass them, and wishing I had earplugs to drown out the noise of a Robbie Williams cover being sung by an amateur on a synthesiser.

I’m not sure why I haven’t complained about this street publicly yet, but having my partner’s parents visit from the States recently reminded me that not all of Oxford is full of historic cobbled streets or butterfly-filled meadows like I often choose to think of it.

When they mentioned they’d love to stroll along Oxford’s pedestrianised street, he and I looked at each other and squirmed. Not only is it filled with unexceptional chain stores, we explained, but it’s also a generally unpleasant place to be.

After several trips to continental Europe since I’ve moved here, I always return to Oxford wondering why there aren’t more cafes with street-side tables for people-watching.

Sure there are loads of pubs with beautiful beer gardens, but there are few establishments that are not specifically drinking-related where people can meet and have a chat over a cup of coffee.

And let me be clear here: this is not me asking for there to be a Starbucks in Cornmarket Street.

No, in fact, it’s the opposite. What I’m getting at is that Cornmarket Street seems to me to be the perfect place for local bakeries, shops, and cafes to be located: think a pedestrianised version of the Summertown shops area.

Why can’t the McDonald’s and the Burger King be hidden away somewhere less visible? Why do we need 18 mobile phone shops in one place?

I simply don’t understand why these blotches on an otherwise beautiful painting are made so apparent.

Rather than having teenagers loiter on benches and showing off our fast-food chains to tourists, why not provide a space that celebrates more local establishments and can be enjoyed by people of all ages?

Or, at the very least, can’t the Oxford city centre be a space that the majority of its residents don’t try to avoid?

I understand that I’m probably the 1,000th person to express this unoriginal sentiment of dislike for the Cornmarket area, and I’m guessing nothing will change about it any time soon.

That said, let’s all do Oxford a favour and try our hardest to support more of its local businesses.

I didn’t move here so that I could eat a Big Mac, and I know that I’m not the only one.

Jane Messina is a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford University studying the geography of tropical diseases