Nour cash and carry in Brixton faces another hefty rent rise

[Greebo]

<snip>If national policies stay as they are they will have the same problems and have to sell off more and then everything will be private and/or run by vols whether the council wanted that or not.

I'm depressed now.


again.

Turn it outwards, get angry instead.

 

[Winot]

Whilst I agree with much of what you say both objectively and emotionally, you are definitely mistaken in saying this - demographic changes can go in either direction in terms of social class, it may take a while but today's trendy on the up locale can be tomorrow's slum and this can happen relatively rapidly as well - brixton has been through both phases of the cycle more than once if I read the history correctly

Absolutely - after all, Atlantic 66 (purveyor of foie gras to the Front Line) went out of business some time ago.

 

[Crispy]

It is a London-wide phenomenon. London went into population decline after WW2, resulting in the "de-gentrifying" of many central areas as wealthy people left for commuter towns. The suburbs stayed pretty much where they were. The decline was only halted in the 80s, since which many of those people have moved back into the city, reversing the previous trend.



Unless London experiences another massive demographic shift like that after WW2, the pattern will be one of continued gentrification in all areas, with no new slums.

 

[editor]

Unless London experiences another massive demographic shift like that after WW2, the pattern will be one of continued gentrification in all areas, with no new slums.

Come friendly bombs....

 

[lefteri]

It's also been the policy of both central government and the mayor/GLA since the (partial) demise of thatcherism along with her deliberate destruction of the inner city to regenerate urban areas by encouraging brownfield development etc etc so it's hardly surprising to see it has actually taken effect after all that policymaking and money thrown at it

 

[Brixton Blog]

Hi all, here's some more info on the Nour situation (and sorry for telling you off on twitter @brixtonbuzz ) http://www.brixtonblog.com/beloved-nour-cash-carry-faces-22-rent-hike/8474 >> In Shops refused to give much comment unfortunately.
Z

 

[editor]

Hi all, here's some more info on the Nour situation (and sorry for telling you off on twitter @brixtonbuzz )
Z

This board automatically tweets anything it thinks is a new thread which is a great way of sharing new topics. Only problem is that it often does the same when an old thread - that was started before we installed the software - is revived, hence the old news reappearing as a fresh Tweet.

Still, I never trust anything on Twitter anyway

 

[Gramsci]

, I suspect that the pace of change is a result of Brixton being 'artifically ungentrified' for quite a while -

What do u mean by "artificially ungentrified"?

I could argue that the present Government policies on social housing. Benefit caps, change to setting "affordable housing" at 60 to 80% of market rents, etc is "artificially", in the sense of intentional political intervention, making central London unaffordable for many.

 

[leanderman]

What was meant, I guess, is that Brixton was cheaper than other central districts because riots and racism tended to make wealthy types stay away. They are no longer staying away.

 

[Frumious B.]

So what it boils down to is that Spacemakers and Jay Rayner/Time Out have fucked Brixton. Unintended consequences, they meant well, but nonetheless it's fucked. For good. Nobody's going to try to unfuck it. We're all just going to accept it, market forces, blah blah, the inevitability of change. We've all got our own shit to do, all we ever do on this board is moan and gossip anyway.

So most of us will have to move out. Where's everyone going? I've already tried Hastings, Fulham, Holloway, Harringay, Manchester, Battersea, Richmond, Selsdon, even Neasden. And they were all shit. Boring, pointless heaps of shit. I'd rather just set fire to myself in Foxtons. At least I might take some of the cunts with me.

 

[editor]

So what it boils down to is that Spacemakers and Jay Rayner/Time Out have fucked Brixton. Unintended consequences, they meant well, but nonetheless it's fucked. For good. Nobody's going to try to unfuck it. We're all just going to accept it, market forces, blah blah, the inevitability of change. We've all got our own shit to do, all we ever do on this board is moan and gossip anyway.

Well, I'm doing my tiny, tiny, tiny bit to put up some meaningful resistance, even though - like facing The Borg - it will no doubt prove futile.

 

[quimcunx]

I have some of foxton's own wood you can use for the fire.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

...all we ever do on this board is moan and gossip anyway.

plenty of posters here do things outside of this board... get involved!

So most of us will have to move out. Where's everyone going? I've already tried Hastings, Fulham, Holloway, Harringay, Manchester, Battersea, Richmond, Selsdon, even Neasden. And they were all shit. Boring, pointless heaps of shit. I'd rather just set fire to myself in Foxtons. At least I might take some of the cunts with me.

 

[Winot]

What was meant, I guess, is that Brixton was cheaper than other central districts because riots and racism tended to make wealthy types stay away. They are no longer staying away.

Exactly.

Although I understand the point you're making @Gramsci (that there is nothing 'natural' about the free market).

 

[Gramsci]

, all we ever do on this board is moan and gossip anyway.

.

I dont think so:

The Barratts petition.

The Rec thread

Nour thread

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

It is a London-wide phenomenon. London went into population decline after WW2, resulting in the "de-gentrifying" of many central areas as wealthy people left for commuter towns. The suburbs stayed pretty much where they were. The decline was only halted in the 80s, since which many of those people have moved back into the city, reversing the previous trend.

View attachment 25453

Unless London experiences another massive demographic shift like that after WW2, the pattern will be one of continued gentrification in all areas, with no new slums.

Is there more data on what that represents? I'd think a fair bit of the post war decline in population would be working class people moved out to New towns rather than wealthy people but a more detailed breakdown would be interesting.

 

[Crispy]

You're probably right. Ignoring my cack-handed attempt at explanation, however, and the numbers are pretty unignorable. More people living in London = more pressure on existing housing and infrastructure

 

[Gramsci]

It's also been the policy of both central government and the mayor/GLA since the (partial) demise of thatcherism along with her deliberate destruction of the inner city to regenerate urban areas by encouraging brownfield development etc etc so it's hardly surprising to see it has actually taken effect after all that policymaking and money thrown at it

Exactly. I heard Heseltine talking recently about the great success of Canary Wharf development. This has done nothing for the working class of East London.

 

[Gramsci]

Probably not. But then it's a rather unique problem in Brixton. The landlords are pushing rents higher and higher to force out stores who have supported the community for a long time so they can get trendier/more on message places in. And they'll have no compunction to push out some of the early adopters in the market if they think they can get more money. Now the building's listed their priority is make a shit load of money through business instead of make a shit load of money by running it down and then selling it off to be knocked down and rebuilt as flats.

As happened in Covent Garden. In 70s there was a campaign to save it. Now even Carlucci has had to move to Brunswick centre as he could not afford Neal street any more.

 

[Frumious B.]

I dont think so:

The Barratts petition.

The Rec thread

Nour thread

But will these petitions and threads change anything? It takes more than that. How was Granville Arcade saved? It wasn't done just by talking about it.

 

[editor]

But will these petitions and threads change anything? It takes more than that. How was Granville Arcade saved? It wasn't done just by talking about it.

The efforts to save it were started by talking about it.

 

[Winot]

@Gramsci - what do you think should be done to stop rent rises in Brixton Market?

 

[Frumious B.]

The efforts to save it were started by talking about it.

But then what? What were the tactics?

Maybe it's irrelevant. It's not as if you can stop Nour's rent going up by getting Nour's listed. I suppose there's just no way to control a landlord who just points to market forces and comparable rents etc.

 

[editor]

But then what? What were the tactics?

Maybe it's irrelevant. It's not as if you can stop Nour's rent going up by getting Nour's listed. I suppose there's just no way to control a landlord who just points to market forces and comparable rents etc.

The tactics grew out of people talking about it and making others aware of the issues and encouraging them to get involved and add anything they could to the fight. Every campaign has to start somewhere and that's always by talking and publicising.

 

[Frumious B.]

Yes, I get that. But there don't seem to be any tactics arising from these discussions. We're a bit short of ideas. No-one has a plan to save Nour. And the plan to save the Rec amounts to nothing more than writing to councillors.

 

[editor]

And the plan to save the Rec amounts to nothing more than writing to councillors.

And the public meetings, and the publicity that has led to Lambeth having to defend its thinking and even tweeting me to say that they categorically have no plans to demolish the Rec. I'd say that's a start.

 

[gaijingirl]

and the motions that have been raised at council meetings, and the leaflets produced to be distributed. Getting the word out so people know, gathering information, informing interested parties. All ready for further action down the line.

 

[Frumious B.]

I don't share your confidence that all this will save the Rec. Prentice will have her way. In France there'd be demos and sit-ins and lock-ins. Righteous anger would be channelled into effective action. But we are too supine and self-absorbed for any of that. The 'me generation' will just tweet about it.

 

[Manter]

And the public meetings, and the publicity that has led to Lambeth having to defend its thinking and even tweeting me to say that they categorically have no plans to demolish the Rec. I'd say that's a start.

and the 20th Century society getting involved

 

[Manter]

I don't share your confidence that all this will save the Rec. Prentice will have her way. In France there'd be demos and sit-ins and lock-ins. Righteous anger would be channelled into effective action. But we are too supine and self-absorbed for any of that. The 'me generation' will just tweet about it.

but the french are loopy. locking yourself in a building because someone refused to confirm they weren't talking about it is completely disproportionate