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Brixton news, rumour and general chat - May 2014

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Buzz lighting on Acre lane is sadly closing down.:(
I'm not all that surprised to be honest. It was useful if you needed something in a hurry but I always found it very expensive - even with trade discounts. And its selection of lighting was expensive and largely uninspiring. Hard to compete with the likes of Screwfix offering order before 6pm and get delivery before 10am next day at a fraction of the price. I think its time ad come.
 
I'm not all that surprised to be honest. It was useful if you needed something in a hurry but I always found it very expensive - even with trade discounts. And its selection of lighting was expensive and largely uninspiring. Hard to compete with the likes of Screwfix offering order before 6pm and get delivery before 10am next day at a fraction of the price. I think its time ad come.
I Understand that and agree with you to an extent,Its just a shame these independent set ups cant compete with the "Big boys"
 
I Understand that and agree with you to an extent,Its just a shame these independent set ups cant compete with the "Big boys"
I think they did the right things evolving to a lighting shop - something retail focussed rather than trade. But I think they got their selection horribly wrong. It all looked a bit meh whilst not being particularly cheap. But like you said, it's tough competing with online. The market place is a lot less forgiving now.
 
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It was good for those hard to match light bulbs, where online ordering just won't do.
Well I usually got a blank face when asking for replacement architectural single peg lamps - so I guess it depends what you were after!
 
I think they did the right things evolving to a lighting shop - something retail focussed rather than trade. But I think they got their selection horribly wrong. It all looked a bit meh whilst not being particularly cheap. But like you said, it's tough competing with online. The market place is a lot less forgiving now.
Fair dinkum maate:)
 
Random q, not even sure if this is the right place to ask it- does anyone in Brixton/Tulse Hill/Herne Hill/twixt the Hills/east Clapham/whatever we call ourselves this week have a hedge trimmer I can borrow? Got back from holiday and my hedge has turned part triffid and is trying to take over the pavement :mad:

Will provide beer in return ;)
 
Random q, not even sure if this is the right place to ask it- does anyone in Brixton/Tulse Hill/Herne Hill/twixt the Hills/east Clapham/whatever we call ourselves this week have a hedge trimmer I can borrow? Got back from holiday and my hedge has turned part triffid and is trying to take over the pavement :mad:

Will provide beer in return ;)

I got one
 
Here's a "People and Diversity Group Presentation" from the Oxford Brookes University, 2014, called 'Safety for Brixton.'



It has riot footage, natch.
 
I think they did the right things evolving to a lighting shop - something retail focussed rather than trade. But I think they got their selection horribly wrong. It all looked a bit meh whilst not being particularly cheap. But like you said, it's tough competing with online. The market place is a lot less forgiving now.

They never seemed to evolved their customer service model to retail though. They could be quite patronising if you didn't know the exact technical term for what you needed. And the range of light S was awful
 
Spotted this poster in the basement of a pizza place yesterday - I think it must be from the early 70s when they were building the Brixton extension to the Victoria line (though some of the image does a look a little more modern - could it be a modern copy?)

iQSCQTF.jpg


The text at the bottom says "work has started on the Brixton extension".
 
Spotted this poster in the basement of a pizza place yesterday - I think it must be from the early 70s when they were building the Brixton extension to the Victoria line (though some of the image does a look a little more modern - could it be a modern copy?)

iQSCQTF.jpg


The text at the bottom says "work has started on the Brixton extension".
Weird that Pimlico is not included. Was it an afterthought?
 
Interesting article:

IS BRIXTON LOST?
Gentrification; St Paul’s, Bristol v Notting Hill, London - a tale of two cities. Is there a lesson for Brixton?

A recent visit to Brixton market had me thinking about how Brixton will look and feel in 5 years...

A recent BBC investigation on estate agents in London's Notting Hill suggested that agents were discriminating against Afro Caribbean people when looking for accommodation. The BBC’s Inside Out programme uncovered 10 estate agents in north-west London who were willing to meets landlords' specification that properties should not be let to African-Caribbean people. Over the last 20 years we have seen a gradual gentrification of the area that renders it almost unrecognisable. The edginess, diversity of the area has virtually gone. They seemed to have colonised rather than be participating in the local community.

More: http://www.britishafrocaribbean.com/index.php/news/25-is-brixton-lost
 
Interesting article:

I saw a planning presentation a couple of weeks ago. Two things in particular struck me:

1) They use quotes from U75 to demonstrate conflicting views.
2) The conservation officer, who is a charming bow tie wearing Irish chap and an engaging speaker, made a genuinely fascinating presentation about the history of development and how he was keen to prevent development from wiping out local character. But his conclusion was that it was fairly inevitable that the Brixton of 5 years hence would be largely sanitised and that there was not a huge lot planning can do about it.

For those keen on seeing parking reintroduced at Pope's Road - this does seem to be very much on their radar.
 
But his conclusion was that it was fairly inevitable that the Brixton of 5 years hence would be largely sanitised and that there was not a huge lot planning can do about it.
He's almost certainly right, sadly.
 
Planning exacerbates the problems, the fight now is for many just to hold what little they currently have. There is community, this Board is an example of that. A loudspeaker, a springboard and a conduit for community action. Long may that continue.
 
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