I am coming at this a bit late so apologies if I am covering old ground but I wonder whether we're all being a bit over aspirational? I should say that I absolutely love HOP, other than the recent crime wave that seems to be hitting us I really wouldn't live anywhere else in London. I am sure we'd all like an East Dulwich style grocer, butcher or similar but can HOP really support such a business?

In part due to the abundance of green space, HOP is not a particularly densely populated area (not when you compare it to the areas surrounding Lordship Lane) and there are already at least three very nice restaurants within a couple of hundred metres of the site so you'd have to be VERY confident pub / restaurant owner to go for the Old Bank site. If we accept that within reason, the landlord has the right to rent his property to whomever he wishes (and for whatever price) can't we accept that HOP could do a lot worse than a Dominos? I agree it could do a lot better but in the current climate I really doubt anyone is going to put the kind of money into the place that would be needed to turn it into a thriving local and independent business. Surely having it filled would be better than having it be another empty unit?