It is a bit of an arms race. A war on pigeons and homeless people. At some point the space under those benches with too many arm-rests will look like a pretty

It is a bit of an arms race. A war on pigeons and homeless people. At some point the space under those benches with too many arm-rests will look like a pretty good place to sleep given the alternatives. So the next step will be some extra legs to prohibit sleeping under a bench. Then sleeping behind a bench will look pretty good given the alternatives, so benches will have to be located next to walls. It could do on until there is no such thing as street furniture and nobody dare put street furniture up just out of fear that it will attract homeless people. Our outdoor environment will then be entirely privatised, where, if you need a seat, you pay. Shelters clearly do not suit homeless people most of the time, maybe we need to think about using some normal benches in a 'honeypot' configuration, so the homeless community know there is somewhere that they can sleep rough without being abused and kept up all night.