Christmas fairs, open studios and other festive things

As usual Deptford is awash with Christmas fairs, open studios, special events and other festive things over the next few weeks. It's a great way to support small businesses, local artists and designer-makers and you can get a unique gift, spending money that goes directly into the local economy rather than buying mass-produced items that have been shipped halfway round the world and only generate profit for distant share-holders.

Here's a few choice items - feel free to add others in the comments box. And don't forget you can also visit the new businesses in Deptford Market Yard!

Cockpit Arts Open Studios
2nd - 4th December
One of my favourite places for a pre-christmas buying spree. Get to see what our local makers have been up to over the last few months and snap up some great offers.

2-4 December
Fri 11am-9pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm
18-22 Creekside London, SE8 3DZ
Full details here.


Deptford Wives Vintage & Craft Fair
Saturday 10th December
Fashion, crafts, ceramics etc including Deptford is Forever t-shirts and bags, and The Lenox Project fund-raising gifts.

10 December 10.30am - 4pm
Albany Theatre
Douglas Way, SE8 4AG


Winter Fair
Saturday 10th December
Lots of handmade crafts, gifts, cards etc.

10 December 10am - 6pm

Lewisham Arthouse, Lewisham Way.

https://www.facebook.com/events/168406050294304/

http://www.lewishamarthouse.org.uk

Gift
16th - 18th December
APT Studios, Creekside

A wide selection of work by APT artists and their invited guests will be on sale.
Fri 5pm - 8pm
Sat 1pm - 5pm
Sun 1pm - 5pm
More information here.

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.

Deptford carriage ramp now open - most of the way

The public realm on the old carriage ramp in front of the Deptford Project was finally unveiled last week - give or take a bit of snagging - and I was keen to explore and see what I thought about it. We've had a preview of what to expect ever since the area outside the station entrance was open to the public, with bins added after a fair bit of moaning about litter levels by the new businesses and yours truly.

It seems the litter problem is still not fully resolved - all three of the bins at ground level were full to overflowing on the first Saturday morning with presumably no prospect of them being emptied ahead of the busiest day for local businesses. Added to that when I did my rounds it seemed some of the new occupants were not fully buying-in to the clean and tidy theme of the forecourt.

Other than the three bins already mentioned - two on the approach to the station and one around the back of the new route, halfway along the carriage-ramp units - bins are notably absent from the whole of the remaining public realm. Either that's going to have to be resolved promptly, or it's going to need daily sweeping.

Currently the route through to the market is blocked off - no obvious reason why as the anti-cycling barriers are already in place and it all looks like it should be finished. 

There's not much greenery at the lower level aside from the planting right outside the station, and this pocket-handkerchief-sized bed seems a little out of place tucked alongside the extension to the back of St Paul's House. 

The two smallest arches of the ramp are open to provide access through to Octavius Street, although one of them is currently occupied by a plastic portaloo, presumably because the facilities that were promised for tenants of the units are yet to be finished.

Approaching from the high street along the ramp you get a good view across Douglas Square which has the potential to be a great people-watching spot when the market is on - and perhaps for observing the street drinker shenanigans and kids on bikes when it's not. 

Further up the ramp there's quite a few seats for those wanting somewhere to eat their lunch or drink a can of pop or something stronger. Sadly none of them are located in the best place for views.  There's two seats at the lower end that face out across the new public realm towards the extension on the back of St Paul's House, but the remainder all face away from the action, pointing directly at the new block itself. I'm somewhat puzzled as to the reason for this, perhaps it's more about 'managing' the use of this space rather than giving visitors a good view. 

Planters are made with weathering steel which means that they match nicely with the wooden benches. A couple of them have these huge hydrants sticking out of them which look totally out of place and rather ruin any effort to have everything matching and harmonious. I guess the landscape architects didn't have any say on this one, they just had to incorporate whatever the safety engineers specified.

The paving of the public realm is generally pretty good quality and the materials chosen look good. I'm hoping this will last beyond the first year or so before developing sunken potholes from bad construction or getting stained beyond recognition as a result of poor maintenance, like the stuff on the high street.

However it's unlikely to suffer wear and tear any time soon as there's currently little purpose for anyone to use the ramp. None of the commercial units at the upper ramp level is open yet - and with only one future tenant officially announced so far it seems like it could be a while before this changes.

You can't even use the ramp for its original purpose - to get to the station platform - because the ugly gates are firmly locked and there's been no attempt to maintain the top of the ramp in any case.

I seem to recall that the gates won't be open for public use until someone (presumably the developer) coughs up to have Oyster card readers installed. A ticket machine at the upper platform level would also be sensible, given that there's only one, alongside a ticket office with some of the shortest opening hours in the London area; apparently Southeastern is rolling out a whole load of new ticket machines but as yet there's no word whether that includes a second machine for Deptford.

Perhaps if tenants are found for the commercial units they'll be able to do some agitating as regards the access arrangements; until then, the ramp will remain something of a white elephant.

My only major bugbear about the quality of the final result is the disappointingly poor job that's been done on St Paul's House. The cheap replacement windows don't suit the rest of the building at all, and  stick out like a sore thumb alongside the elegant stone details of the lintels and door frames. It's difficult to appreciate the finer qualities of what could have been a simple and aesthetically-pleasing building when your eye is constantly distracted by these squat, ugly white frames. 

When so much care has obviously gone into detailing the public realm and the shop units in the carriage ramp, including designing bespoke street furniture to suit, it's sad that this level of quality does not extend to the buildings themselves.

There's still some snagging to be done, however, and I hope it is not going to be forgotten about. For example, the weathering steel of the bollards at the south entrance are looking a little, er, weathered, not to mention giving the impression of having fallen foul of the Deptford High Street Sunday Driving Fuckwittery. 

It would not surprise me - they do look a little insubstantial in this picture, and I'm sure it won't be long before at least one takes a bow courtesy of poor manoeuvres by UPS/Yodel/Iceland etc.

The boundary between the two different public realms is also quite clear here - the new market yard on the left, the 'traditional' high street paving on the right. Stand by for an update in six months or so...

Coming soon; Deptford Market Yard

So only two years later than originally advertised, tenants are finally starting to move into the arches of the refurbished carriage ramp with the opening expected to take place in the next couple of weeks. Residents may have been in the new apartment block for most of this year, but there's been a distinct lack of urgency to the work needed to finish the carriage ramp and get the small businesses into their new homes.

Even now the appearance of the ramp and the public realm in front of it does not exactly inspire confidence. Miracles do happen, I know, but they have been a bit short on this project.

At least U&I (the-developer-formerly-known-as-Cathedral) have now got the hang of the fact that they are supposed to keep the new public realm outside the station clean - although it did take some very heavy hints.

For some reason there seems to be a total dearth of rubbish bins - how that was overlooked by the landscape architects, who nevertheless managed to design some very nice features for the space, I'll never know. Instead we have makeshift bins made of cardboard boxes put there by the station's single lonesome tenant, Mousetail Coffee.

But Mousetail Coffee is not going to be lonely for much longer; as we know, coffee shops like to hang around in gangs these days so naturally one of the new units will have another coffee shop in it - Lomond Coffee, currently hiring for baristas to work in Deptford.

Aside from coffee, there's also going to be a new gift shop - Win & Ruby has been trading from a 'pop-up' store in the front section of Deli X for some time now and has a good line in cards and wrapping paper as well as a range of gifts the like of which you won't find anywhere else in the high street.

For all your bonce and beard grooming requirements there's The Box Hair Salon, where you can have a total makeover of your crowning glory.

Which one will you go for? 🎨😀 #deptford #deptfordmarketyard pic.twitter.com/j6a3K6l5n3

— The Box (@TheBoxHair) August 7, 2016

Visitors will also be able to purchase screen-printed t-shirts and hats from Plain Bear. They are mostly plain, with a bear on them. Crafty.

By way of contrast there's also Gita's Portal, selling African-inspired fashion and seen here featuring in a very local photo shoot!

Another behind the scenes image from a recent photoshoot - watch this space! #behindthescenes #africanfashion pic.twitter.com/vlDv7h9OrK

— Gitas Portal (@Gitasportal) July 12, 2016

Unfortunately the long delay in completing the carriage ramp has meant some casualties from the original list of tenants who were planning to move in.

Those who remember Mike & Ollie's stall from back in 2011 (and maybe those of you who visit their stall at Brockley Market) will no doubt be disappointed to hear that they have had to abandon their original plan to move back into Deptford in one of the arches.

Of course there will be other street food vendors; no market/row of shops/disused car park is complete these days without a couple of street food stalls and Deptford Market Yard will be featuring grilled cheese sandwiches from the Cheese Truck and jerk chicken and fried plantain from Mama's Jerk. Not long till Deptford High St has more jerk chicken vendors than betting shops! 

And finally *drum roll* one of Deptford's most colourful former tenants is returning to the fold with the revelation that Little Nan's Bar will be back in the market yard. Tristan and his team will be serving eccentrically-named cocktails out of teapots and passing round the cheese straws like they've never been away.

Updated Tuesday 9th August
The names of all the new businesses that are moving into the yard have now been revealed online so I've added the other names below for the sake of completeness. Plus the bins have actually been installed - my nagging paid off!

The Room - flower shop @EnglishFlowerh

Childsdraw - not a kidswear shop @childsdraw 

Be London Fashion - African print fashion belondonfashion.com

Dirty Apron - cafe/supper club. Presumably with better hygiene standards than the name suggests dirtyapron.co.uk

Frankie goes to Bollywood - 'Bombay-style diner' facebook.com/Frankie-Goes-to-Bollywood

Up on the carriage ramp, once they get the paving and planters back in place, there will be an aerial fitness gym Circus Fit and Depot, a shop selling 'designer-maker goods, coffee and tea along with a gallery space, creative workshops and events'.

And more to come, apparently...

New cafe/bike shop for Deptford High Street

I've never really quite understood the thing about bike shops with cafes - it's a fact that both bikes and coffee play a major part in my life, but other than parking my bike outside a cafe to have a good strong cappuccino, I find myself somewhat stumped.

But I'm clearly a bit old-school on this; they seem to be popping up all over the country and we've got our own coming to Deptford High Street with London Velo set to open at the end of May.

Aside from being a godsend for anyone who wants to have a chat about their fixie while sipping a flat white, it will certainly be a useful addition for those coffee addicts living in Deptford New Town who otherwise have to schlep all the way down to the Waiting Room for their caffeine fix.

The new shop is right next to Tesco on Deptford High Street, a unit which has been empty for some time, so it's great to see it being brought back into use.

As well as coffee and bicycles, London Velo is promising music, food, free wifi and...beer! They are being ambitious with their opening hours - till 8pm weekday nights, till 10pm Friday and Saturday and 10 till 6 on Sundays. I wholeheartedly support anyone trying to bring a bit more life to the high street outside of the normal shopping hours, so I'll be delighted if they manage to make this work.

http://www.ldnvelo.co.uk

Some may suggest that the opening of London Velo will put the high street in a bit of a hipster clinch, what with skate and BMX shop Curve already established down at the far end. 

I haven't written much about Curve ('Deptford's finest Skate BMX & Clothing shop') since it would mean revealing my shocking ignorance of anything to do with aforementioned sports, but again it's great that an empty shop unit is being used for a small, independent business that adds diversity and attracts more footfall to the high street.

Deptford Food Festival - third time lucky?

Two years ago it was the Deptford Food Court in Douglas Square - a weekly Saturday offering of street food traders and some entertainment, which was intended to be part of the high street re-invigoration and was paid for through the same funding source.

The regenerated high street - look familiar? Thought not.

When the initial buzz wore off and the severe lack of signposting or promotion had traders leaving in droves, it was relaunched a few months later as the Giffin Square Food Fair - a monthly gathering of food traders relocated to the square outside the Deptford Lounge. Similar format, new traders, more visible location but still didn't manage to endure.

But now it's back! Reborn as the Deptford Food Festival! Will this be third time lucky?

Let's hear the hype, such as it is:

The new Deptford Food Festival launches on Saturday 25 April as a weekly street food market in Giffin Square. This weekly culinary event runs from 9am to 5.30pm every Saturday (opposite the Deptford Lounge) and aims to bring together a collection of some of the diverse range of foods that are available throughout Lewisham. 

Some of our best street food traders will be showcasing a range of eclectic street food from across the globe from Ethiopia, Mexico, Poland and Italy. 

Those with a sweeter tooth can satisfy their cravings with French patisserie cakes and American-style cupcakes as they explore all that Deptford Market has to offer, whilst taking in the sounds of south-east London steel pan collective the Endurance Steel Orchestra. So whether you want a lunchtime treat or a take-home Saturday night dinner, come and taste your way through the street food stalls in and around Giffin Square every Saturday. 

Free parking is available in Frankham Street every Saturday after 1.30pm.

Same venue, but now on a weekly basis and a full day's presence required of the stallholders.

Clearly the markets department hasn't let past failures put them off - they are determined that Deptford shall have a foodie market whether it wants one or not!

I can't help but wonder why they keep flogging this idea in Deptford when there seems to be no great demand for it. As George of Manze's pointed out on my post about the Giffin Square Food Fair, Deptford already has plenty of eateries serving a wide range of different ethnic foods - from vegan burgers to meat pies, from jerk pasties to homemade lasagne, and from curry goat rotis to summer rolls. We've even got posh cheese sandwiches this weekend at the Job Centre.

I'm all for a bit of diversity and customer choice, but I'm not convinced that there's sufficient business for traders at the moment. Of course that could all change in the near future as new residential developments such as the Deptford Project become occupied, but at the moment I fear they will just be kicking their heels again.

Dig this nursery/puzzle organico - organic food shop in New Cross

Not quite in Deptford I know, but a great addition to local food shopping. I've often bemoaned the absence of any kind of health-food shop in Deptford, and the need to go to Greenwich for specific items you can't buy locally. 

Dig this nursery used to be based down the side of the former Hobgoblin pub in New Cross, which was recently done up into a gastropub and renamed the Rose. The eviction of the nursery was part of the refurb.

Happily they have taken a shop unit on Clifton Rise, just between the Venue and Fordham Park, and guessing by the sign, have teamed up with Puzzle Organico which is based in Peckham to supply groceries and other organic food.

So now you can buy plants, flowers, organic food and even second-hand records in this little shop just a short walk from Deptford. They also have a good selection of greetings cards and stock what seems to be a full range of Pukka teas. I would buy the latter just for the packaging but it turns out they are also very tasty and much better than the insipid fruit teas that are often the only herbal drinks on offer.   Quite a few of the things I usually buy in Greenwich are cheaper here, so worth the pleasant walk through the parks.

Asda coming to Deptford High Street

A tip-off last night alerted me to the licensing applications that are plastered all over 5-9 Deptford High Street (currently the cheap end of the row, the 99p Store).

Apparently Asda is applying for a licence to sell alcohol from 7am to 12 midnight at the premises, suggesting that the 99p Store's days are numbered. 

I have never come across one of Asda's 'convenience' stores so I've no idea what to expect, although I know like all the other chains they are looking to the high street as their saviour, and turning away from the out of town megastores. My only experience of shopping at Asda prompts memories of shelves full of enormous boxes of everything, with the only discounts available if you bought multiple enormous boxes. Bugger-all use for a single person in a London flat, unless of course you've got a lock up shed for the extra. 

So what will it mean for Deptford High Street, aside from the lurid green signage and even more places for cheap booze?

Some competition for Tesco won't be a bad thing, although I have to admit that the latter seems to have pulled its socks up a bit recently in terms of its stock. I only ever go in there to buy the things that Deptford High Street has failed on or when everywhere else is shut and I've noticed recently that I've generally been able to find what I need, which is a change from the situation when it first opened. 

Perhaps they got wind of what was happening - they probably had their eye on the unit themselves, hey you can never have too many Tesco stores apparently!

Depending on what they stock - and don't forget that's a pretty spacious retail unit - it could impact on the rest of the food stores on the high street and potentially even the market. With booze on sale 17 hours a day it will certainly offer competition to the multiple off-licenses at that end of the street. 

To challenge the licence application you should email licensing@lewisham.gov.uk no later than 10th February. Be aware though that there are only certain grounds on which you can challenge such an application. For more details see the information on the council website. 

New shop fronts for Deptford High Street

The sharp-eyed among you may have noticed the new shopfronts that have appeared along Deptford High Street.

Six shops have had their signs and shutters replaced using the tail end of the Outer London Funding bid that paid for the repaving works and other projects.

I don't believe this work was actually part of the original bid, and I'm not clear where the funding was diverted from, but it is certainly being paid for out of the money that was awarded to Deptford.

One of the regular gripes by those who care about the visual appearance and public realm quality of the high street is the damage to shop fronts caused by cheap 'improvements' which usually involve ripping out the old shop front and bunging in a roller shutter. This is often done at the lowest possible cost and by contractors whose only concern is the speed with which they can get the work done.

There's also ongoing problems with planning applications for changes that are not appropriate to a conservation zone (yes! Deptford High Street is a conservation zone!) such as internally illuminated signs and plastic-framed replacement windows. Many of these have got through in the past but happily the planners at the council are now more aware of the problem and seem to be taking greater note of new applications.

The new shop fronts are intended to showcase 'good design' for the high street and demonstrate the type of solutions the council would like to see applied whenever renovations are carried out.

In my opinion the designs have all been successful to some extent - even those which I consider too gaudy or disappointingly underwhelming have a solid and unified quality. I assume the shop owners were consulted on the designs and colour schemes, which presumably explains why they vary so much.

At the south end of the high street (above) the replacement signage and awning are a huge improvement on the awful gaudy plastic thing that used to scar this lovely building. I like the colour choice and it seems the designer of the sign made the best of a bad job, considering how many words had to be accommodated.

I admit I find the light green squiggles adorning each end a little distracting though, they do put me in mind of a diagram of the female reproductive system.

Next up is Divine - the colour choice might be more reminiscent of a high-viz cycling jacket than anything else, but at least the shop front is in muted colours and the simple design works well.

AK Continental Foods looks good when it's open but the shutter design makes it look quite fun even when it's closed. Not much thought seems to have been given to how the design would fit on the shutters - to be honest it looks a bit like one of my attempts - but it's cheerful and colourful so the end result is a positive one.

Down at the more subtle end of the scale is Fu Quing Chao Shi Chinese supermarket - auspiciously red, no surprise there, and very clean design. The new awning looks great too.

There's always one who wants to stand right out, and in this case it's Family Halal Butchers & Grocers with their gaudy yellow and red sign and even a yellow edging to the bright red awning. Considering they are sandwiched between the non-too subtle shouty awning of Housewives and their other bright yellow neighbour, it's none too surprising.

My favourite of all the shopfront redesigns is Ralph's green grocery which has a strong Farrow & Ball feel to it - not just the colours of the shop front and contrasting awning, but the lower-case shop name and understated design. I'm sure the Guardian would have a field day suggesting that it's an unmistakeable sign of gentrification although you only have to step inside to note the absence of wicker baskets or eggs displayed in beds of straw.

When the previous shopfront was removed, the original sill of the window on the first floor was revealed, leading for calls to redesign the shop sign and reinstate the window to its original level. The building (formerly Caxton House) apparently used to be a ladies school in the 1800s and is one of the more significant historic buildings on the high street, although there are probably many more than you might think. 

As far as I know, extra funding is being sought to adjust the shopfront accordingly, let's wait and see.

And finally, here's the latest new shopfront. As far as the new occupier goes, shame to see another 'chain' on the high street (although in reality it's a franchise) but apparently there are lots of people out there who think buying sandwiches by the foot is a good wheeze.

I'm of the opinion that there are much better sandwich options available on the high street, and the only time I went into a Subway I got rather confused by the aggressive questioning about filling options. I like the old-school method where the customer tells the sandwich maker exactly what they want and the sandwich maker puts aforementioned ingredients in the bread. Mind you I seem to remember it was a branch in the US so I was confused as to why I might want cheese in a ham sandwich, particularly since I was then asked to choose between four types of cheese, none of which sounded real, and all of which had been processed to exactly the same extent except for subtle differences in colour.

I suspect the new Subway will probably impact most on Percy Ingle's and Greggs' sandwich and hot food sales. Other branches seem to open late and I hope this one will too - it would certainly be good to see more places on the high street that open into the evening.

Screw fix

Johnny's DIY has a new fixture *insert screw joke here*.

I always try and get my screws (sorry!) etc at Johnny's rather than visiting the big stores because you can get them in smaller quantities and they are generally cheaper. 

My most memorable saving was the drain clearing stuff he sells for £5.99. The exact same product and size retails for almost £11 in B&Q. 

Yes I know, I need to get out more.

Update: apparently it's not just a new bit of art, it's the start of a campaign about which you will hear more soon. Not only that, it seems Johnny's is short of screws! Here's the as-yet rather vague explanation:

Campaign you will hear about soon....Screws keep the world together 
Have a look in your kitchen draw/shed cupboard and send ONE screw to Johnny's DIY, 150 Deptford High St, London SE8 3PQ.

I've also been told that Johnny's now has a website - find all your DIY needs here at http://www.johnnysdiy.com/

Cycle parking facilities at Waitrose

With cycle parking in Greenwich town centre often at a premium, it's great news that the new Waitrose on New Capital Quay is providing parking spaces for 14 bikes.

Apologies for the rather dark image, but you get the idea - secure bike parking in a covered location, right next to the main entrance. 

In the days before I lived in Deptford, and I had to do my weekly shop by bike, I often bemoaned the poor facilities offered to cyclists by supermarkets, like they were some kind of afterthought. True, that was quite a few years ago and much has changed since then, but there's still too many places where cycle parking is poorly located, with inappropriate racks used; they are too close together or there are not enough of them. 

Only the other day at the brand new Glass Mill Leisure Centre in Lewisham I struggled to lock my bike to the rack on the end of the row, due to its positioning next to a big column. Luckily there were plenty more to choose from, but I did wonder what had happened there. And the few racks outside Wavelengths in Deptford are almost always over-subscribed - the high street itself is not particularly well served for bike racks, although this has improved with the recent works at Deptford Lounge and Douglas Square, as well as the massive rake of racks at the station. Living nearby I rarely need to use any of these, but I'm not sure I'd be confident leaving my bike at the station in its current state. 

Whoops this has turned into a bit of a rant, I'll stop now. Good work anyway, Waitrose.

Food for thought: upcoming events

This week's round-up of upcoming events is focussed entirely on my favourite subject: food. Well my favourite subject after beer, that is.

This weekend in Deptford Market sees the first in a series of live performance works, curated by Something Human in collaboration with Brockspace. This series Freshly Packed/Always Check the Label ' explores themes of flesh, meat, life, the body and mortality'.

At 11.30am on Saturday you can witness American artist Anya Liftig carrying out the first of the works outside Codfather's fishmonger. She will be... er.. talking to and then cooking a lobster. Not recommended for vegans or those of a sensitive disposition.

Next weekend is the launch of the 'Deptford Food Court' in Douglas Square. Try to set aside the images of dingy shopping malls and plastic seats that the words 'food court' conjure up. I'm sure it will be way more tasteful and chic than that. According to the poster below, there will be 15 new food stalls as well as chairs and tables at which to eat your food, although only 11 traders are listed on the poster. New Saturday regular In a Pikkle will be there, and even if you don't have room for a full meal I recommend dropping by for one (or three) of their lovely fishcakes.

Finally, and a bit further afield, the launch of Edible High Road also takes place next weekend, but in Forest Hill. Somewhat outside the Deptford boundaries, I know, but there's a possibility that this could be rolled out across other parts of the borough next year, so worth keeping an eye on.

Summer 2013 will see SE23 transformed into a fruity Urban Orchard! 

Local shops and businesses are hosting 70 beautiful fruit trees as part of a city-wide network of Edible High Roads, a real celebration of urban orchards. From the Horniman Museum to sober firms of solicitors and fashionable pop-ups, SE23′s business community has warmly embraced the Edible High Road. 

So turn yourself into a Tree Hunter by exploring our urban orchard using a special Edible Trail Map; the first 100 Tree Hunters under 11 can claim a free potted herb worth £1.99 from Shannon’s Garden Centre on Stanstead Road.

You can read more about the project, which is part of the Chelsea Fringe garden festival on the Lewisham Gardens website here.

Deptford (*ahem* Greenwich) Waitrose to open in June

If you haven't seen the immensely silly article in the Evening Standard's Homes & Property that we all had a good hoot at on Twitter and Facebook a couple of weeks ago, now might be a good time to do so. A health warning for anyone who recently had an operation, careful you don't split those stitches laughing.

You can marvel at the fact that Waitrose chose Deptford as a location for its new flagship store, and read the incredible first-hand comments from me and others, at least three of which have been lifted straight from this blog and other parts of the social media world. It looks as though someone actually spoke to Julia from Bearspace gallery, although I still wonder whether she knew what she was being interviewed for. You may also find yourself having a little giggle when you wonder what the Royal Borough of Greenwich thinks about having its new store relocated across the borough boundary.

My favourite bit of the article is "The company has concluded that Deptford will offer it “ABC1” customers of the sort it already serves in Belgravia, Bloomsbury, Marylebone and Canary Wharf, Blackheath and the prosperous end of Greenwich."

Oh my sides!

Of course it's nothing more than a puff piece for the latest housing developments in the area, namely Paynes & Borthwick, New Capital Quay, and the various Cathedral projects currently under construction or about to start.

In the meantime, thanks to a commenter on my previous post who prompted me to chase up, and confirm, the opening date of June 20th. Here's where I got the confirmation, and although jobs for the Greenwich store are not yet up there, if you are interested in applying you might want to dust off your CV.

Cockpit Arts open studios and New Cross Learning AGM & Christmas fayre

News of two upcoming local events - the annual pre-christmas open studios at Cockpit Arts and the AGM and Christmas Fayre at New Cross Learning (formerly New Cross Library).

Cockpit Arts Open Studios

7-9 December 2012

£3 entry (free on Friday) 

Friday 11-9

Sat, Sun 11-6

I usually make an effort to get round Cockpit Arts at least once a year and usually find at least one or two great presents. It's well worth the effort, especially if you haven't been before, and even if you don't have any money to spend it's a fascinating opportunity to meet some very skilled crafters and admire their gorgeous creations.  

However I do have to take issue with the way Cockpit Arts is promoting the studios on the website as being 'a stone's throw from glorious Greenwich'. PLEASE! It's 'a stone's throw from glorious Deptford' and a bit further to Greenwich if you like that kind of thing. Anyone would think they were ashamed of being this side of the Creek!

New Cross Learning AGM & Christmas Fayre
Sunday 16 December
AGM 2pm-3pm
Christmas Fayre 3pm-6pm
Free entry.

All are welcome at the AGM as well as the fayre.

The community-run learning space and library in New Cross is celebrating its second Christmas with a festive book fayre. There will be:

• A Christmas tree made of books
• Mystery book bags for £5
• New and second hand books for sale from 20p
• Book consultant service for advice on those tricky Christmas book giving decisions
• Festive crafts
• Raffle
• Mulled wine and mince pies

According to the press release: “It’s going to be a fabulous festive afternoon” said the chair of New Cross Learning, Gillian Hart. “Book lovers should come to buy our books for friends and relatives. We’ve got a marvellous selection, and every penny we make goes towards our utility bills – and keeps our learning space and library open! So it’s not just a gift for your friends, it’s a gift for the whole community in New Cross.”

The Christmas Fair will follow New Cross Learning’s first Annual General Meeting, which will report back on the community-run learning space and library’s first year of work and accounts, and elect a new management team.

Poundland and the 99p store

It's not as if Deptford is in need of bargain stores, but it seems that when large retail units become available, we have a ready-made bargain-store vacuum that sucks them in.

First of the two giants in Deptford is Poundland, which opened its doors last Friday.

Doors that still don't have planning permission, that is.

The generic design of a cheap and nasty facade with aluminium frames and illuminated signs was refused planning permission by the council some months ago, on the grounds that the shop is in a conservation zone and the developer should make a greater effort with the design of the shop front.

In a move of incredible cynicism and downright contempt for the planning process, the developer simply installed the shop front to the original, rejected design, and then put in a retrospective planning application for the same design.

Perhaps the applicant drew two fingers at the top of the application form and scrawled 'F*ck you Lewisham!' across it, just to make sure the message was received loud and clear?*

Meanwhile at the other end of the street, the former Peacocks is to become a 99p store, and work on the shop unit was starting at the weekend as I passed. With Deptford High Street and the market book-ended by these two stores, I do worry for the survival of some of our shops and stalls.

Not the other pound stores particularly, but those shops that rely on making some money off shifting cheap plastic stuff to help them survive, while selling the other products that set them aside. I'm thinking about Peter & Joan's (haberdashery), Johnny's DIY and our two pharmacists, for example.

All sell things that you can't buy in Poundland or the 99p store, as well as things that you can. If you want to support diversity in the high street, and maintain our market and wide range of shops, please give this some thought when you do your shopping.

 

*If you want to object to the application by Poundland, the reference number is DC/12/80201 and you should email planning@lewisham.gov.uk with your name and full address.

New Sainsbury's Local set to open on Creek Road

The battle of the supermarket giants looks set to kick off in Creek Road with Sainsbury's due to open a new 'Local' branch just a stone's throw from the Tesco Metro which set up shop a year or so ago.

I've not had chance to scope out the many empty retail units on Creek Road and see if there is any sign of the new shop yet, but it's my guess that it will be one of the units in the new 'Creekside Village', all of which have been vacant for some time.*

Whichever it is, they are recruiting staff so it won't be long before it opens.

Thanks to the commenter on the previous post for the spot.

*Updated (see comments); the new Sainsburys is to replace the Costcutter across the road from and head-to-head with Tesco.

The Allotment, New Cross

This deli and greengrocer in the heart of New Cross has been open for several months now, but I've only just got around to sampling its wares.

To be honest it's a bit out of my way for food shopping, since there's the whole of Deptford High Street between me and it, which is probably why it's taken me so long to get there. Luckily the Particular is also between me and it, so it's worth timing a visit specially so that I can take advantage of both these food highs in one trip.

I was also a little sceptical about what the Allotment could offer me apart from maybe some nice cheese and a few things I can't get in Deptford. It's fair to say that the shop far exceeded my expectations, and it's quite likely I may be making regular visits - heck by only a slight stretch of the imagination it's almost on my way home, and with the shop open till 7.30 every weekday night, it could be the place to drop into on the way home when my fridge is bare.

They have a good range of fruit and vegetables at reasonable prices (all looking very fresh and tasty and you can pick your own which is important to me), several fridges at the back full of a selection of cheeses, cold meats, smoked salmon, big dishes of olives that you can mix and match (sold by weight) yoghurts and creams, as well as things like homemade hummus and baba ganoush.

They sell bread from Flour Power City Bakery which is made just down the road at Juno Way in Surrey Quays, cakes and brownies sold singly, and a massive range of groceries which are high quality and also reasonably priced, including big bags of fancy crisps for dipping or wolfing down with beers. And it took me some time to properly browse the full range of chutneys and jams, there were so many!

From the front you would think that the shop is quite small, but it goes back a long way and they have used the space very effectively so there's plenty of variety and range. I liked the fact that I was able to browse unmolested, and when I did require help it was friendly but not overbearing.

If you live nearby, lucky you! As for me, it will make a great place to head for on occasion when I want a bit of variety and don't mind the walk.

The Allotment

318 New Cross Road, SE14 6AF London, United Kingdom
Mon-Fri: 9:00am - 7:30pm
Sat: 10:00am - 5:30pm
Tel: 0203 583 5953
Email: the_allotment@live.co.uk

The future of the high street?

I've been meaning to write about this development for some time now, ever since the front of the former Jobcentre was torn down and the builders began the painstaking task of slotting a whole lot of new steel girders into the shell of the structure.

Unfortunately the original planning documents, which go back to 2003, are no longer available online, so it's a case of piecing together information from a number of sources.

The original application was for:
The change of use, alteration and conversion of 124 Deptford High Street SE8, together with the construction of a two storey extension to the front of the building and two additional storeys, incorporating roof terrace/balconies to provide 2 commercial units for the sale of hot food and drink on the ground floor and 10 live/work units, 4 two bedroom self-contained flats and 10 two bedroom self-contained maisonettes with associated landscaping.

Planning permission came with a large number of conditions, which you can read here if you are interested. At least two of them related to the proposed use of the ground floor units, for example:
2) The premises shall not be used as a public house and shall only be used as a restaurant, restaurant/bar and/or cafe purposes and for no other purpose (including any other purpose in Class A3 of the Schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, or in any provision equivalent to that Class in any statutory instrument revoking and re-enacting that Order).

This rendering was published by the architects, and in my opinion looks quite acceptable with its neutral colouring, inoffensive proportions and unfussy detailing. I don't like the fact that it closes in on the High Street by bringing its raised roofline right up against the pavement, but it's difficult to argue against considering its two neighbours are in conflict over this. And again I'm unhappy with the stealthy increase in building height that the additional storeys confer onto the High Street.

As highlighted above, the two ground floor units were intended to be 'for the sale of hot food and drink' and the conditions were very clear that these should be for consumption on the premises, not as takeaway, so we were looking forward to some nice cafe or restaurant premises.

However last year developer MacDonald Egan pushed through an application for 'Lawful Development Certificate (Proposed) in respect of the creation of a single commercial unit at 124 Deptford High Street SE8 and change of use from Cafe (Use Class A3) to Use Classes A1 /A3 Shop/Cafe' which basically meant that the two ground floor units could be combined into a single retail unit specifically for Poundland, which was interested in opening a store in Deptford. As a 'Lawful Development Certificate' this change of use does not require planning permission and is dealt with by the planning department without any need to consult.

Planning applications for the shopfront have now been submitted; the documents from which the rendering above has been extracted are available online.

Why are cafe units being dumped in preference for a larger retail unit? According to MacDonald Egan its attempts to find cafe tenants had not been successful when it applied to change the usage class this time last year. With construction work having barely started at that time, and completion still being some time away it's unsurprising that no independent operators were able to commit at that time.

It's also worth noting how much has changed in Deptford since that time - work on the station redevelopment only started last April, the Deptford Lounge and Giffin Square were one unholy construction site with completion dates slipping, and the refurbishment of Douglas Way had not begun. With all these changes afoot it might have been possible to attract cafe tenants if the units had been marketed now.

MacDonald Egan argued that the conditions that were placed on usage at the time permission was granted were only intended to prevent a change to other class 3 uses, such as pubs or takeaways, and that change to a retail unit should be allowed. The planning department agreed.

Developer Cathedral Group has also included several restaurant units in its proposals for the redevelopment of St Paul's House and the carriage ramp/Octavius St site - will we perhaps see these changed to other usage classes once planning permission has been obtained?

This process of getting permission for a mixed use development of a certain type, and then submitting a future application to change the use of the buildings carries a strong whiff of deja vu from a similar, very recent local case in which a proposed office block is now going to be a four-star hotel, and an art gallery is being shunted from a spacious unit in a high-profile location to a pokey space on a side road.


It once again raises questions about how the planning system works, and whom such flexibilities favour. Developers may submit a proposal for a particular type of commercial use, only to apply to change it at some future time, claiming that no-one was interested in what they proposed (which would perhaps cast doubt on the adequacy of their initial research).

It's worth remembering that initial submissions for developments of this size would almost always have to come before a planning committee for consideration, where councillors would consider whether the number and mix of residential units and sizes was appropriate, and in the case of a high street site, what the proposed commercial use could offer in terms of improving vibrancy and sustainability of the shopping area.

However it's very unlikely - except in the case of a number of objections - that any subsequent application for change of use would be examined by a committee. This surely offers a nice little back-door route for developers to get what they want without actually having to undergo full scrutiny?

My question here is not the desirability or otherwise of Poundland as a tenant for the site - although I do suspect it will impact on the business of the numerous 'pound shops' we already have. On the other hand, if tenants could be found for the two cafe units they presumably might have competed with each other and with the area's existing cafes, some of which do struggle to survive.

I'm more interested in the ongoing implications of this type of flexibility, and in particular how this is supposed to tie in with the government's plans to revitalise our high streets and give local communities more say. In my opinion it can only lead to conflict and will undermine confidence in the planning process; local groups may be eager to get involved at the beginning, but once they come across this kind of anomaly they will understandably wonder whether they really have a role in defining the future of the high street.