Champagne & Fromage opening in Brixton soon

[leanderman]

We do need affordable housing in London.

But I am still uncertain as to where it would go.

Lambeth council still regularly sends out leaflets offering big cash bribes for council tenants to buy their homes, so we've got a very, very long way to go.

L&Q owns a hell of a lot of Brixton, and does not generally allow right to buy, according to its tenants in my street.

 

[editor]

L&Q owns a hell of a lot of Brixton, and does not generally allow right to buy, according to its tenants in my street.

There's still a lot of council housing in Brixton too.

 

[leanderman]

There's still a lot of council housing in Brixton too.

Hard to buy a flat at current prices, even with Osborne's bigger discounts.

 

[editor]

Hard to buy a flat at current prices, even with Osborne's bigger discounts.

Council housing should be protected like the community asset it is, not flogged off on the cheap.

 

[leanderman]

Council housing should be protected like the community asset it is, not flogged off on the cheap.

Wrong! Council housing was meant to be flogged off cheap to the family of the Tory minister who pioneered right to buy:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/right-to-buy-housing-shame-third-ex-council-1743338

 

[han]

Council housing should be protected like the community asset it is, not flogged off on the cheap.

And if you get rid of it, you never get it back, and we'll end up living in completely segregated ghettos, with the poor bussing into rich areas to work. Like America.

 

[BigMoaner]

And if you get rid of it, you never get it back, and we'll end up living in completely segregated ghettos, with the poor bussing into rich areas to work. Like America.

many schools in south london like that now anyway. posh school/poor shool/posh school, etc

 

[ska invita]

han, you said you dont want the original traders to go, and would campaign to keep them there. keep rents down and so on.
What do you think Champagne Bar people want? Do you think they want to trade next door to these people? I can say with all confidence they dont, and look forward to other high end retailers moving in, which will further boost their profits and realisation of a 5-store business empire. I bet they would be happy for rents to go up just to get these people bringing down the tone of the place out. And they know thats what will happen, thats why they've made the calculation to get in there early. Theyre the not very thin edge of a sparkling-stinking-cheese wedge

 

[leanderman]

Another problem with finding potential sites for homes is that alternative uses are possible; business sites, pubs etc.

The new town hall scheme calls for housing to replace Olive Morris House.

I'd quite like to see it used for education (chronic lack of secondary and primary places locally)

 

[Rushy]

han, you said you dont want the original traders to go, and would campaign to keep them there. keep rents down and so on.
What do you think Champagne Bar people want? Do you think they want to trade next door to these people? I can say with all confidence they dont, and look forward to other high end retailers moving in, which will further boost their profits and realisation of a 5-store business empire. I bet they would be happy for rents to go up just to get these people bringing down the tone of the place out. And they know thats what will happen, thats why they've made the calculation to get in there early. Theyre the not very thin edge of a sparkling-stinking-cheese wedge

That's quite an assumption. What is that confidence based on?

 

[nagapie]

I'd quite like to see it used for education (chronic lack of secondary and primary places locally)

Chronic lack of primary places, no current lack of secondary places.

 

[han]

han, you said you dont want the original traders to go, and would campaign to keep them there. keep rents down and so on.
What do you think Champagne Bar people want? Do you think they want to trade next door to these people? I can say with all confidence they dont, and look forward to other high end retailers moving in, which will further boost their profits and realisation of a 5-store business empire. I bet they would be happy for rents to go up just to get these people bringing down the tone of the place out. And they know thats what will happen, thats why they've made the calculation to get in there early. Theyre the not very thin edge of a sparkling-stinking-cheese wedge

I've got no idea what they want, but I fear you may be right. Perhaps there's a small chance they may want to be part of a diverse scene though, that encompasses shops of every type.

By the way, just because I made the point that some people (including some of those living in social housing) ARE enthusiastic about the changes to Granville Arcade and Market Row, it doesn't mean that I am. I simply think it's something that's worth discussing and understanding.

 

[ska invita]

That's quite an assumption. What is that confidence based on?

based on experience of having seen this before

high end businesses thrive when there are other high end businesses surrounding them, creating a "destination retail location" or some such, and conversely are brought down if they are in a wilderness of low end retail outlets. Once Brixton Village is teeming with rich shoppers who just cant resist getting their bubble on, and go on then, a big slab o cheese, their business model will have succeeded.

Once Brixton Village becomes Covent Garden (see previous posts) they'll be laughing. And thats what will happen. Show me one other market where traders dealing in low end products happily exist side by side with high end products? nowhere except places in a transition of gentrification, and in the end either the gentrifiers win and the low end traders will be gone or there's a collapse in the market and gentrification stops, high end retailers collapse as no one can afford their high end products and the market/cash and carry traders will return.

 

[cesare]

More likely to end up like Spitalfields than Covent Garden, but with fewer suits at lunchtime.

 

[Gramsci]

L&Q owns a hell of a lot of Brixton, and does not generally allow right to buy, according to its tenants in my street.

There is no RTB in Housing Association property. Its only for Council Housing. Unless a Council estate has transferred to an HA. Then existing tenants retain the right.

 

[han]

More likely to end up like Spitalfields than Covent Garden, but with fewer suits at lunchtime.

If that happens, it will be devastating :-(

 

[ska invita]

arent they still trying to knock down Spitalfields? The trampling feet of gentrification take no prisoners

 

[han]

I feel the community in Brixton is strong enough to prevent a total wipeout, with a coherent 'save the market' campaign. LOTS of towns outside London have saved their generations-old shops from the high street corporate brands, by campaigning. But it takes the whole community to engage in this.

 

[cesare]

arent they still trying to knock down Spitalfields? The trampling feet of gentrification take no prisoners

Are they? They've invested a hell of a lot of ££££££s for the structural and pedestrian changes so far. Can you remember where you saw that?

 

[innit]

arent they still trying to knock down Spitalfields? The trampling feet of gentrification take no prisoners

Do you mean smithfield?

 

[cesare]

I feel the community in Brixton is strong enough to prevent this, with a coherent 'save the market' campaign. LOTS of towns outside London have saved their generations-old shops from the high street corporate brands.

Spitalfields/Brick Lane communities are very strong, but they couldn't prevent the City encroaching.

 

[Belushi]

arent they still trying to knock down Spitalfields? The trampling feet of gentrification take no prisoners

Think it's Smithfield they're trying to knock down?

 

[han]

.. Fuckin ell!

 

[han]

.

 

[Treacle Toes]

L&Q owns a hell of a lot of Brixton, and does not generally allow right to buy, according to its tenants in my street.

There is no RTB in Housing Association property. Its only for Council Housing. Unless a Council estate has transferred to an HA. Then existing tenants retain the right.

Both right. The 'Right to Acquire' does exist though, with conditions of course.

https://www.gov.uk/right-to-acquire-buying-housing-association-home/overview

 

[Manter]

And if you get rid of it, you never get it back, and we'll end up living in completely segregated ghettos, with the poor bussing into rich areas to work. Like America.

or Paris, closer to home

 

[leanderman]

or Paris, closer to home

This already happens with schools

 

[editor]

han, you said you dont want the original traders to go, and would campaign to keep them there. keep rents down and so on.
What do you think Champagne Bar people want? Do you think they want to trade next door to these people? I can say with all confidence they dont, and look forward to other high end retailers moving in, which will further boost their profits and realisation of a 5-store business empire. I bet they would be happy for rents to go up just to get these people bringing down the tone of the place out. And they know thats what will happen, thats why they've made the calculation to get in there early. Theyre the not very thin edge of a sparkling-stinking-cheese wedge

Even if they actively want it to happen or not, that's almost certainly what is going to happen, and that is why I remained thoroughly opposed to them opening here.

From what I gather, they put down a huge sum of money to get the unit, and are now paying a rent that is far in excess of what the traditional traders are paying.

If Fromage do well, then there will be many other well-heeled West End empires seeking to expand into the market, and that will result in yet more small local businesses being shunted out by the increased rents.

And Brixton Village certainly has form for upping the rents.

Granville Arcade July 2010

http://www.urban75.org/blog/save-our-shops-brixton-village-battles-against-rent-hikes/

 

[editor]

I feel the community in Brixton is strong enough to prevent a total wipeout, with a coherent 'save the market' campaign.

If the community showed no interest in uniting against something as blatantly divisive as Champagne and fucking Fromage, what hope is there for them uniting against anything else?

It's not like it takes a genius to work out what them moving into the market represents for the smaller traders.

 

[cuppa tee]

This already happens with schools

.... I thought distance was an important factor in school selection ?