What's it like to live in Brixton / Brixton Borders

Its not the gentrification itself that is the main issue. If that happens due to businesses dying on their own then fine. But a lot of the new businesses in Brixton are only there because the old ones were shafted with astronomical rent hikes. And the reasons for evicting the roti van are ridiculous.

This is just a "state of the forum" whine isn't it?
Isn't it?

Is Brixton going downhill due to numpty newbies?

Low blow insofar as, yes, I moved in from Clapham when my wife divorced me and I gave her the house we owned so she could live there and look after the children without financial worries. On the other hand, I was living in Brixton since the mid 80s when you were presumably at school in Surrey.

Did you know where the toilets were instinctively the first time you went to the Effra?

You love me really. And Bromley.

Oh and Roti woman is back btw, just not in her van.

^ Nice... Where is she?

In other news, I was told the other day that the River Effra runs right under our building... According to this old map, they may not have been lying...

You love me really. And Bromley.

I love everyone, I just try not to let it show.

We have two Waitroses in Islington now and another one not too far away in Farringdon. Islington is nicely gentrified and yet retains the cutting edge of poverty that you south Londoners appear to crave.

We don't even have a Waitrose in East Dulwich, bun dat, we get one first. Laner you couldn't afford to live in Brixton mate, sorry to break it to you.

The problem with knocking down the multi-storey car park in Popes Road was that it hurt a lot of market trader's pockets, some businesses are complaining of a 40% drop in business...

It's an often-repeated myth that traders in busy inner-city locations are somehow crucially dependent on car parking provision. All the evidence suggests that this isn't true:

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/London%20Councils/APPENDIX2HowandWhyPeopleTraveltoTownCentres31oct12.pdf

Shopkeepers consistently overestimate the share of their customers coming by car. In some cases, this is by a factor of as much as 400%. In London, as well as other cities, the share of those accessing urban centres on foot or by public transport is much greater. Walking is the most important mode for accessing local town centres; public transport is the most important mode for travel to international centres, such as Oxford Street.

I completely understand you taking the side of local traders, of course.

People are going to Tesco instead, which suits the council just fine... They're apparently opening another branch on CHL, in the unit where Brixton Cycles was BITD... Cuz the one in Long Acre is too far away, right?

It is quite clear that rapacious retailers/landbankers like Tesco are not a good influence on local business. However, one would normally expect Tesco to benefit from car parking provision more than other local retailers, and, if it's smaller 'Tesco Metros' we're talking about, to be on an even footing regarding parking provision. It's likely that people would have gone to new Tescos anyway, irrespective of car parking provision.

And, believe it or not, in London it can indeed work to have shops selling the same thing within a stone's throw of each other. It's just so busy.

Having said all that, the ice rink is a horrible building. Cheap and nasty. That's not how you develop this sort of location. No frontage, no activity, just a blank wall. There was lots more potential there.

I believe Tesco were to blame for Streatham closing down as that's being turned into a mega-superstore/ice rink/bowling alley/shopping centre... Conspiracy?

What closed down in Streatham? Are they building a Tescopolis there?

^^ So you don't want to live in my delightful townhouse?

.

It is quite clear that rapacious retailers/landbankers like Tesco are not a good influence on local business. However, one would normally expect Tesco to benefit from car parking provision more than other local retailers, and, if it's smaller 'Tesco Metros' we're talking about, to be on an even footing regarding parking provision. It's likely that people would have gone to new Tescos anyway, irrespective of car parking provision.

Having said all that, the ice rink is a horrible building. Cheap and nasty. That's not how you develop this sort of location. No frontage, no activity, just a blank wall. There was lots more potential there.

What closed down in Streatham? Are they building a Tescopolis there?

I think Joe's point is that, since Tesco in Brixton has a large car park, people who would previously have parked in Pope's road and done some of their shopping with the independents, now park at Tesco and do all of their shopping there. I've no idea if there are any stats to support this.

I believe the ice rink is temporary, while the one in Streatham is rebuilt, which would explain the dull design. It is, however, a cracking place to have on the doorstep to take the kids.

Talking to a couple of shop-keepers in and around Dulwich and Forest Hill the prevailing view is that shops with parking outside/nearby are more successful.

Even if this is not true (ref Olly's stats) the shop-keepers themselves will migrate to a location that has parking.

In some ways the perception is the reality- rent hike, no parking- stay or move?

Most would opt to move in that situation, even if the shopper footfall (according to the stats) remained the same.

I think Joe's point is that, since Tesco in Brixton has a large car park, people who would previously have parked in Pope's road and done some of their shopping with the independents, now park at Tesco and do all of their shopping there. I've no idea if there are any stats to support this.

It is perfectly possible that some people do this, but the numbers won't be very large and there's no way that this is the reason why traders may have suffered a 40% drop in takings/business. I don't necessarily doubt the latter, but there will be other factors in play if it's true.

I believe the ice rink is temporary, while the one in Streatham is rebuilt, which would explain the dull design. It is, however, a cracking place to have on the doorstep to take the kids.

That's a relief. I hope the site gets developed properly later. They should continue the frontage along with general environmental improvements.

We don't even have a Waitrose in East Dulwich, bun dat, we get one first. Laner you couldn't afford to live in Brixton mate, sorry to break it to you.

Isn't Iceland supposed to be transformed into M & S sometime soon?

Talking to a couple of shop-keepers in and around Dulwich and Forest Hill the prevailing view is that shops with parking outside/nearby are more successful.

Yes, usually based on anecdotal evidence. Every shopping survey ever conducted in the inner city shows the opposite--car parking can actually serve to make an area less attractive to people on foot. Cars take up a lot of space that could be used otherwise. Quite a lot of time, the people parking outside (without moving their car all day) are the shopkeepers themselves. I could imagine that many of the market stallholders would have used Popes Road car park when they were at the market, though, and so its closure, unless there was other car parking for them nearby, would certainly have affected them. As many retail locations in Inner London don't have any off-street access, space for deliveries is very important, and market traders need somewhere to park if they're carrying heavy stuff. Many market traders don't; I was surprised when we did a lightning survey of Broadway Market traders recently and found that most of them came by bike/cargo bike--many weren't selling anything heavy. One stall had a lock-up nearby.

Even if this is not true (ref Olly's stats) the shop-keepers themselves will migrate to a location that has parking.

They will go to a location with higher footfall first. It will be well-known to them which locations are more lucrative. Such a location may, of course, include accessible car parking, but it's very unlikely that this would be the reason for the quality of the site. It'll be much more important factors like proximity to public transport/high housing density around/good footways/good mix of shops/etc., but see caveat about business acumen below.

In some ways the perception is the reality- rent hike, no parking- stay or move?

Most would opt to move in that situation, even if the shopper footfall (according to the stats) remained the same.

Oh, I agree that people may well act on what they believe about these things, but it's usually prudent to believe these better-researched findings. Many of them aren't very good business people, which is why they run small shops. This is not to denigrate them--there are personal qualities required for running small shops that good business people often don't possess. You'll find that many are very conservative (not as in small-c conservative or large-C Conservative, just conservative) and don't, in fact, (want to) move around very much. Quite often, they're also stuck where they are for one reason or another. As ever, there are many factors to consider.

I'm not sure that perception becomes the reality; most of the time I'd say the reality is cold, hard economics.

Isn't Iceland supposed to be transformed into M & S sometime soon?

Probably global warming.

Kattiep isn't that the Iceland on Lordship Lane that's becoming an M&S?

Olly I thought this was about trying to keep small shop owners?

i.e. the kind of people who probably don't do extensive footfall surveys, but choose a location based on possibly ill-informed opinion.

Well, the footfall surveys are there to help them. It's up to them whether they use them. I think small shops are very important and I'd hate to see them make the wrong decision, but if a rent hike's reasonable, I believe most keepers of small shops would choose to stay. They are vulnerable from completely unreasonable and sudden rent hikes, of course, but again, the availability of car parking would only play a small part in their 'decision' to move/go out of business. (One reason why they often feel so beleaguered is because they can't move.)

That's a relief. I hope the site gets developed properly later.

As if LB Lambeth are ever going to let that happen. The recent SPD wants to 'refurbish' the Brixton Rec - ie. turn it into flats and move the remaining facilities elsewhere.

Even the Council building is up for rent at the moment.

Is that Clive's Canonbury house?

That's my place...
#movingnextweek

The area has a bad gang problem. But that is mainly because there is not much for young people to do in the area, as there are not many youth clubs etc.

Maybe we should enroll the kids in your PUA programme