SE23 Forum

Well, yes - the road is neither a great opportunity nor a huge threat and something that the community just has to use and accommodate sensibly. It's not about to go away. And whilst Pizza Express would indeed be better than Dominos it's better than having an empty shop. I think even snooty folks like me would accept that!
On the books theme, naturally I have no idea what demand is like here - and I do use Kirkdale and Village books in DV just as Robin predicted - but personally I think I'd be more inclined to go to a closer bookshop if there were one. On the Amazon point, it's actually a last resort for me - I think there's something rather special about the experience of browsing shelves of thoughtfully purchased and carefully arranged books for something you don't yet know you want. I'm not sure it's the same online - but I'm not sure I can explain exactly why it's more special. Maybe it's the combined effect of all of the personal choices of the bookseller that does it. Of course, other people may be more purposive than me in their shopping habits!

First of all I apologise that this bridges two threads but each has its own relevance.

Another thread and FHSOC's report on the planning application identify two out of three main objections as being noise and parking of mopeds - some of which would be mitigated by LB Lewisham's attachment to any granting of permission of a condition that the applicant must deploy Electric Zero Emission Scooters.

I regret also that my comment has been viewed solely as a "perception of class" issue - I feel it has much wider implication that might actually be blind to such labelling. It becomes essential that such traps are not fallen into whereby good prospects are rebuffed and only bookies, masssage parlours and worse are attracted to these properties in an appalling race to the bottom.

I travelled to Blackheath this afternoon and moved on to to visit the Olympic preparations around the Observatory and the park and then down into Greenwich itself. Two very differentiated areas with distinct characteristics which we in Lewisham do not enjoy. Both probably have as intense traffic volumes as we endure but both still have retained "islands" or pockets where a variety of commercial and social enterprises flourish. The dichotomy within each locus is very stark however and it only takes movement of short distance to see real - and stark - contrasts.

However there are far fewer opportunities for this area to develop in this pocketed style and hence my earlier comments about how threat or opportunity is viewed

Hmmm. I'm not altogether sure I agree with that last point. Forest Hill is pocketed or islanded by the roads and railway. And each pocket has its own little hub. Perry Vale, Honor Oak, Forest Hill on-the-hill. And on the point about opportunity it seems to me there is money here - hence skips, coffee houses etc - and there are empty shops. Why do you think there's a lack of opportunity?

I always go to the bookshop on Lordship lane, and from browsing the tables have discovered several of my favourite books by authors I'd not heard of before so therefore would probably never have unearthed them via Amazon.