Deptford Market Yard launch event

Get yourselves down to the official launch of 'Deptford Market Yard' tomorrow night (Wednesday) - for a 'fun night of shopping, food, drinks and entertainment' as the shop units under the former carriage ramp finally throw their doors open to the public.

The event runs from 6-11pm and promises hot food, mulled wine, fire juggling, DJs and lots of money off (or money of, whoever wrote the blurb can't quite decide) from the new occupants of the arches.

Want to know who's in the arches? The list is here. I've been to most of those that are already open - like most places, a mixed bag. Keen to try the rest out in due course.

You might also have noticed that things are happening in the other units under the station itself, with Mousetail coffee finally relocating and Kickslove London (a 'sneaker' shop for women, who'd have thought it?) making themselves known too. It's good to see so many independent businesses setting up in these units, rather than the tired old chains that you see in so many other stations.

I'm still a bit dubious about Dirty Apron, I suppose I need to get it straight in my mind that the apron is presumably dirty after the cooking takes place. I just can't help being reminded of my nan refusing to ever go back to a favourite pub after the chef came out in an apron smeared with what looked like fresh blood.

But I digress.

Eat, drink and be merry.

Costa to open on Giffin Square

Costa Coffee has put in a planning application for signage on the shopfront of the new units on Giffin Square in Deptford.

According to the planning application it intends to occupy the whole of the ground floor - potentially three individual units - of the new block of flats built by property agency Kallars next to the famous 'His & Hers' mural.

I'm as disappointed as I'm sure many of you will be that Costa is opening in Deptford, signalling another move towards the homogenisation of our high street. One of Deptford High Street's main strengths as far as I'm concerned is the fact that there are so few corporates present. If we lacked coffee shops then I might take a different view, but as I've pointed out before, we are already blessed with a wide variety of excellent, independent coffee outlets; the Waiting Room, Deli X, London Velo, Mousetail, Lomond Coffee, Dungarees (on market days) the Greenhouse, plus franchises in the Deptford Lounge and the Albany. I may even have missed some.

There's no point wasting any energy moaning about the council 'allowing' this to happen - the council has no authority in this matter. As long as the business fits the planning classification specified for the shop unit, then the council can do nothing to prevent it.

The developers have no affection for Deptford anyway - earlier this year they put in an application to stick another storey on top of this very building, clearly wanting to wring as much profit out of the site as they could. No surprise there. This application has thankfully now been withdrawn.

I will be continuing to support the independents with my business. Maybe I'll even ramp up my coffee intake so I can spread a bit more love.