There are a number of interesting points in this thread, however I would like to correct a few inaccuracies.

• There have been offers for the empty units opposite the underpass on Perry Vale, but the agents are demanding £22,000 pa in rent. This cannot be justified by the business plans of those seeking to open a business there after factoring in the cost of fitting out the space, so the units have not yet been rented.
• There are 188 retail units in Forest Hill town centre, of which at least 24 are not operating as businesses. We already have contact details for many of these spaces and are working with Lewisham to see if they can assist us in tracking down the remaining landlords, so would not require £2000 to get all the details. Councillor Best and Kirkdale Village are building the database for Sydenham and Kirkdale respectively.
• If you have any questions or ideas regarding SEE3 (the Portas pilot), please email info@see3.co.uk to ensure that you are not duplicating effort - they can use all the help on offer, but we need to make sure we work together. The core team is trying to keep people informed via the website, Twitter and Facebook, but they are all volunteers, so their time is limited and it may take a while to respond.

One aim of SEE3 is to remove barriers to business. Making it easier to find the landlord is just one way of doing this. Other ways being developed by central government include model leases and licences which will be available for free.