Brixton news, rumour and general chat - Sept 2015

[editor]

Following on from the August thread, please say hello to the thread for September.

Some facts:

The name September comes from the old Roman word 'septem', which means seven, because in the Roman calendar it was the seventh month. The Anglo-Saxons called it Gerst monath (Barley month), because it was their time when they harvested barley to be made into their favourite drink - barley brew. They also called it Haefest monath, or Harvest month.

The Romans believed that the month of September was looked after by the god, Vulcan. As the god of the fire and forge they therefore expected September to be associated with fires, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

September is the start of the school year. Students return to school after the six week summer holiday.

And the weather:

 

[Maharani]

And lots of very fiery, impassioned people were born in this month .

 

[Pickman's model]

i've heard a planning application's been lodged for the excavation of a huge subterranean area beneath the town hall which will house almost all of lambeth's services.

 

[editor]

Here's another superb round up of last month's Brixton news.

Pub closures, excessive Council expenditure and Lambeth Labour bid to halt the Leadership contest: the August silly season at Brixton Buzz

 

[CH1]

Tonight's Town Panning Meeting will be a block-buster for connoisseurs of generation.

There are two central Brixton items:

Your New Town Hall plans of which run to nearly 300 pages according to the agenda document (link below)

Toplin House (otherwise known as the Ferndale Road Post Office building). This too is a major scheme, though only 32 agenda pages are devoted to this.

My view is that the Toplin House proposal will tidy up the area, and generate employment, though at the expense of Post Office uers, who will have further to walk.

Your New Town Hall seems to be town planning gone mad. In a way I am glad to have a pressing engagement elsewhere so won't have to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous regeneration officers.

http://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/doc...9.00 Planning Applications Committee.pdf?T=10

 

[SpamMisery]

Cheers CH1

Will give it a read. Keen to see what's going on with the Toplin House proposal

 

[friendofdorothy]

T
Toplin House (otherwise known as the Ferndale Road Post Office building). This too is a major scheme, though only 32 agenda pages are devoted to this.

My view is that the Toplin House proposal will tidy up the area, and generate employment, though at the expense of Post Office uers, who will have further to walk.

Will there be any post offices left soon? This is the only post office in Brixton.
Nearest ones will be Brixton Hill, Stockwell, Clapham, Kennington, Camberwell or Herne Hill. Humph.

 

[SpamMisery]

Will there be any post offices left soon? This is the only post office in Brixton.
Nearest ones will be Brixton Hill, Stockwell, Clapham, Kennington, Camberwell or Herne Hill. Humph.

Doesn't seem that different to me.

• Principle ground floor only reduced by 12 sqm
• Loss of 5 counters
• But increase of self service counters
• No loss of service as old PO won't close until new one opens
• No reduction in staff
• PO stated the new premises are good
• Its only moving a few yards up the road but will have disabled access (doesn't it currently have that? I can't remember)

Tbf, the place needs more staff and more counters. The queues are always hideous

 

[brixtonblade]

Doesn't seem that different to me.

• Principle ground floor only reduced by 12 sqm
• Loss of 5 counters
• But increase of self service counters
• No loss of service as old PO won't close until new one opens
• No reduction in staff
• PO stated the new premises are good
• Its only moving a few yards up the road but will have disabled access (doesn't it currently have that? I can't remember)

Tbf, the place needs more staff and more counters. The queues are always hideous

Current one's got a ramp

 

[friendofdorothy]

Doesn't seem that different to me.

• Principle ground floor only reduced by 12 sqm
• Loss of 5 counters
• But increase of self service counters
• No loss of service as old PO won't close until new one opens
• No reduction in staff
• PO stated the new premises are good
• Its only moving a few yards up the road bit will have disabled access (doesn't it currently have that? I can't remember)

Tbf, the place needs more staff and more counters. The queues are always hideous

So it wont close then? or only while being done up? phew.

I must say I hate that PO - horrendous, bad temptered queues everytime I go in there. I go out of my way to avoid it, didn't fancy the the queues following me to the other offices.

 

[SpamMisery]

So it wont close then? or only while being done up? phew.

I must say I hate that PO - horrendous, bad temptered queues everytime I go in there. I go out of my way to avoid it, didn't fancy the the queues following me to the other offices.

If I'm reading it right, the proposal says it wont close until the new PO is finished. Presumably they can then move straight in

 

[Rushy]

• Loss of 5 counters

As long as the new ones are all open, that's no difference!

 

[SpamMisery]

As long as the new ones are all open, that's no difference!

Fair point

 

[editor]

Doesn't seem that different to me.

• Principle ground floor only reduced by 12 sqm
• Loss of 5 counters
• But increase of self service counters

• Those 'self service counters' may suit the PO management but they're complicated to use and spend an awful lot of time being broken.

 

[SpamMisery]

• Those 'self service counters' may suit the PO management but they're complicated to use and spend an awful lot of time being broken.

I know some people hate them, but I prefer them for straightforward transactions. The PO said it increased them due to demand; somebody must be asking for them. None of that is relevant if they're broken however

 

[editor]

I know some people hate them, but I prefer them for straightforward transactions. The PO said it increased them due to demand; somebody must be asking for them. None of that is relevant if they're broken however

And you believe what they say? If they actually listened to 'demand' they wouldn't have closed so many Post Offices in the first place.

 

[SpamMisery]

That's a reversed situation

 

[Maharani]

Will there be any post offices left soon? This is the only post office in Brixton.
Nearest ones will be Brixton Hill, Stockwell, Clapham, Kennington, Camberwell or Herne Hill. Humph.

We do have one in Tulse Hill.

 

[editor]

That's a reversed situation

From my experience, the self service areas in the Ferndale Road aren't very popular, even when they're working, and some old people find them very confusing.

Look at the state of them:

The nightmare that is the Ferndale Road Post Office in Brixton - a rant

 

[SpamMisery]

Fair enough

[EDIT] Only saw the photo after you edited - must have been a split second later, but, that doesn't look that bad. Except for the square counter in the middle which customers have turned into a rubbish collecting area, the actual machines are clear. I assume not working at the time of the photo?

 

[Greebo]

We do have one in Tulse Hill.

And one in Elm Park, when it's open.

BTW before any pedants point out that every post office is only usable when open, this one has somewhat more random hours than most in the area. OTOH it's within walking distance of Brixton Hill as well as Tulse Hill. And the customer service in there is good, when open.

 

[Tricky Skills]

Will there be any post offices left soon? This is the only post office in Brixton.
Nearest ones will be Brixton Hill, Stockwell, Clapham, Kennington, Camberwell or Herne Hill. Humph.

Stockwell is closing. The thinking is that Ferndale will be a suitable replacement for Stockwell folk.

 

[SpamMisery]

Could do with sweeping the floor though

 

[editor]

These poor old OAPs protested outside the Coldharbour Lane PO when it was closed down 12 years ago. The woman that ran it was ace. She took no nonsense off anyone.

Brixton ten years ago: Post Office closes in Coldharbour Lane

 

[Fingers]

From my experience, the self service areas in the Ferndale Road aren't very popular, even when they're working, and some old people find them very confusing.

Look at the state of them:

The nightmare that is the Ferndale Road Post Office in Brixton - a rant

Good grief. If I lived in Brixton it would have been quicker to bus it to Tulse Hill or Herne Hill than queue up in that hell hole. Now they want Stockwell residents to use it as well? RIP GPO.

 

[editor]

I've just popped Haart a line to see if they've had permission from the council to bolt their advert on to this sign outside Southwyck House.



I hear it gets quite windy around there at night.

 

[Manter]

And one in Elm Park, when it's open.

BTW before any pedants point out that every post office is only usable when open, this one has somewhat more random hours than most in the area. OTOH it's within walking distance of Brixton Hill as well as Tulse Hill. And the customer service in there is good, when open.

I believe it's opening hours are as random as they are because of caring commitments. I did smile when we went there one day and there was a sign on the door saying 'sorry closed having baby'

 

[ViolentPanda]

Will there be any post offices left soon? This is the only post office in Brixton.
Nearest ones will be Brixton Hill, Stockwell, Clapham, Kennington, Camberwell or Herne Hill. Humph.

Crown Offices/Main Post Offices (as opposed to sub-Post Offices) have been being knocked off for 20-odd years now. Part of a strategy dreamed up in the late '80s by the head honcho of Post Office Counters Limited to "realise the value" of their freehold holdings - in other words to cash in on high property prices at the time, and go over to leasehold and/or "collaboration" with retail chains like W.H. Shits.

 

[ViolentPanda]

• Those 'self service counters' may suit the PO management but they're complicated to use and spend an awful lot of time being broken.

Apparently there are all of 3 repair blokes employed to cover every machine in Greater London.

 

[Greebo]

I believe it's opening hours are as random as they are because of caring commitments. <snip>

I know, but it's very hard to support that branch when the opening hours are so very random at times. The last few months, I've ended up going to Tulse Hill instead if it was shut and I couldn't spare the time to wait for it to open. When it's open, it's great.

It was open when I went around noon today (I've long since given up going there first thing as it's often meant waiting around and fuming if it opens late) and the thinner older bloke was in there - haven't seen him in there for several months...