Out with the Old... Network Rail tell businesses to vacate Atlantic Road arches

[editor]

I'd like to know what work they've been doing. All we've ever had is a demand for money for something we know nothing about!

I don't think you're alone in having those thoughts.

 

[shygirl]

Will do whatever I can to support.

 

[shygirl]

[QUOTE="t Lambeth were informed about the plan by Network Rail just before Christmas but told the information was confidential. I got the impression that Lambeth aren't particularly happy about this move on Network Rail's part

Everything in Cabinet.. is confidential, just ask our Cllrs.. stiff upper lipped or have they anything to say? It's not like they haven't had the opportunity not to say anything to date, apart from a sweet photo opportunity from the desperately ill.

Critically Critical.[/QUOTE]

If the photo opp you refer to is a dig at a local cllr, then its a pretty cruel one. If it isn't, I apologise for jumping to conclusions.

 

[cuppa tee]

more coverage from Dazed & Confused

http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsand...brixton-traders-threatened-with-mass-eviction

 

[T & P]

The more I think about this, the angrier I get tbh...

 

[Ponyutd]

 

[ViolentPanda]

Apparently Jack Hopkins was in A&C and getting a bit of an understanding about how passionately people are opposed to this and what they think of Labour's involvement.

Good. He and his ilk need a reality check or six.

 

[ViolentPanda]

A steering group would be perfect, I feel a little overawed by it all at the moment, partly because we've yet to sit down and discuss what outcome we want as leaseholders I have lots of ideas and i'm sure we'll have a lot more after the meeting on Sunday. I'm conscious that this could be a long drawn out process and don't want to be wasting all our ammo on the first skirmish. i'm not sure which way to points the guns to be honest. If anyone would like to volunteer it would be a great weight off, i can provide as many Portuguese Custard Tarts as needed to fuel progress.

I can meet up and discuss how to plan a strategy etc, over a glass of alcohol if needs must, I've been happy (if not coherent) to speak my piece to reporters but i want this coverage to count. Mike has switched me on to the need to coordinate efforts.

I've been put in touch with a Barrister who is happy to look at our leases in order to gauge the state of play, albeit not Pro Bono.

I've got a street artist, whose very media savvy and raring to join the Fray. He did the recent two pieces on our shutters.

We have an offer to produce posters for all the Units ( although we need a design to put on them, i have ideas but no skills.)

We need Slogans

etc etc etc

i'm all ears

I'm likely to become very tetchy toward Lambeth Labour councillors (okay,tetchier!) if I.m deprived of my favourite treat - A & C's Portuguese custard tarts. I may even have to torture a councillor or two...

 

[ViolentPanda]

Network Fail?

I think Private Eye have that copyrighted, they've used it so many times.

 

[:-D]

Thank you for posting this Soupdragon'



'I am Happy Here'

That's our campaign slogan right there in a nutshell.

 

[Winot]

Had a nice chat with Lorn at LA Mash at the end of the day. They are pretty shell shocked as you'd imagine. Another Urbanite was there too- was that you shygirl?

Jo's deli was very busy so didn't go in. Hopefully they'll all get some extra business from this.

 

[shygirl]

Ah, I thought I'd seen you before (one of urban's meets in the Effra Social, I think). Nice to see you again! I went to see Bella and wished her luck for tomorrow's meeting. You can see how painful it is for everyone when they talk about it. One of the guys in the Moroccan cafe on Station Rd said it will be a sad day when Brixton looks like everywhere else. Spoke to a few people along the way, everyone saying they'll lend their support to any camaigning. Oh, and Rashid (Nix) came into A & C, think he was gonna do a short film, which should be youtube later tonight. Think he was there as Green Part candidate.

 

[Gramsci]

As leanderman pointed out to me, Network Rail is a public body rather than (supposedly) a greedy capitalist running dog. Morally it seems to me that they therefore hold property in trust for the people, rather than having an obligation to shareholders to maximise revenue etc. Perhaps there is something in their constitution (?) which could be used to support the traders' cause?

I asked them about this at one of the Brixton Central consultation meetings. Network Rail line is that there remit is to maximise income from property to put back into the rail service.

 

[editor]

New video highlights local concerns about the proposed evictions of Brixton’s railway arch businesses

 

[Gramsci]

ditto - as a tactical approach, might it be better to argue simply on grounds of tenants' rights, rather than anti-gentrification or anti-clone town? Ideological splits over that sort of thing could be sidestepped by sticking to a line of "Network Rail, treat your longstandig existing tenants decently and don't fuck them over", which almost nobody could object to ...

I disagree. The shopkeepers are saying its about "gentrification". See video interview with the deli owner and SLP article quoting traders (posted up by Ed)

Network Rail are probably within there legal rights to do this. So its not about tenants rights as about a political argument. Property rights favour the powerful. Its how the system works.

This does not mean that Network Rail have to do this.

I think it actually weakens the campaign to go purely from a legalistic tenants rights approach. It is about gentrification and "clone towns". Trader clearly see this. I was chatting to a shopkeeper a while back on Brixton Station Road before Christmas . He saw that Brixton was being gentrified and thought his days were numbered. He was right.

One shopkeeper ( not affected by NR) said to me today its time to draw a line in the sand. Enough is enough. Brixton Village is a lost cause.

There are enough people who would support the line that this is further pushing out of longstanding business from Brixton now its "fashionable" area.

 

[Gramsci]

The quote from John from the Market Traders Federation "They are trying to make Brixton into yuppie land".

I have not chatted to him since this happened but have in the past. He is one of those people who has done a lot to keep the market going over the years. He is a decent guy.

One of those people who usually quietly get on with things. I can understand why he is so upset about this. He is right.

 

[cuppa tee]

New video highlights local concerns about the proposed evictions of Brixton’s railway arch businesses

is the vid available online anywhere, I couldn't see a link

 

[Gramsci]

Tom Bridgeman, LB Lambeth's lead for the Brixton Central Masterplan, was at a meeting this morning set up to discuss creative arts in Brixton. Some of us took the opportunity to ask him how long Lambeth have known about Network Rail's plan to serve notices on tenants in the arches between Brixton Road and Pope's Road. He told us that Lambeth were informed about the plan by Network Rail just before Christmas but told the information was confidential. I got the impression that Lambeth aren't particularly happy about this move on Network Rail's part

Thanks for this info.

The relationship between local authorities and large property owners is to cosy for my liking. Lambeth Council line during the Brixton Central Masterplan consultations has been that it needs to work with Network Rail to ensure that local community can benefit from any redevelopment. This is now been showed to be a failure of the Councils policy.

So I think Lambeth Council should call a halt to the consultations on the Brixton Central area until the issue has been sorted out. The Council must show that it supports the longstanding small business and concerns of local residents.

Really the Cllrs should be throwing there weight behind a campaign to stop Network Rail.

 

[Gramsci]

Will Self has been in occasionally, not sure what his feelings are, but worth asking

He is good. Did an article about Ritzy strike and turned up for photo. If he comes into your shop I am sure he would give you support if you ask him. He is concerned about what is happening to London.

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

is the vid available online anywhere, I couldn't see a link

 

[editor]

is the vid available online anywhere, I couldn't see a link

In my haste to post up the article, I forgot to add the vid! I see that it's been posted here now.

 

[Gramsci]

Yep, it's something we've banged on about for a long time. 'Jobs and growth', the portfolio under which this whole development sits, is a complete misnomer when the jobs are minimum wage in chain retail and the proceeds of growth aren't shared.

Reminds me that Cabinet member for Jobs and Growth is Cllr Jack Hopkins who , as was pointed out in Brixton Buzz article, said on his blog:

Regeneration is often seen through the eyes of cynics who are quick to criticise ‘gentrification’ but ignore the benefits. If ‘gentrification’ means cleaner streets and safer estates then I’m all for it

So there you have the insightful analysis of a leading member of the local "Labour" party.

Worth having a look at his blog article:

Its titled "Whose future is it anyway? Get involved or lose out."

My challenge to you is find out what’s going on, make sure your voice is heard or sit back and let it pass you by. It’s your future.

I think people have risen to the challenge. The petition makes clear that these evictions are opposed. That this is not what is wanted for "regeneration".

Since I took on the cabinet post for growth and jobs last month, I’ve been struck by the different attitudes towards growth. Those who see opportunity and ambition and those who fear change will leave them behind.

 

[thatguyhex]

Network Rail:
Brixton's Arch Rival

Oh that's good.

 

[Dil Green]

There is a meeting of the Brixton Neighbourhood Forum tomorrow - Monday Feb 9, 7pm - perhaps one place to get some traction on this. Can't be there myself, unfortunately:
http://brixtonforum.btck.co.uk/

 

[editor]

There is a meeting of the Brixton Neighbourhood Forum tomorrow - Monday Feb 9, 7pm - perhaps one place to get some traction on this. Can't be there myself, unfortunately:
http://brixtonforum.btck.co.uk/

Would it be appropriate for a B Buzz article?

 

[editor]

I think it would be good for the Atlantic Road/Brixton Station Road businesses to team up with Herne Hill units also facing eviction by Network Rail to pool resources and create a united campaign.

 

[soupdragon]

As leanderman pointed out to me, Network Rail is a public body rather than (supposedly) a greedy capitalist running dog. Morally it seems to me that they therefore hold property in trust for the people, rather than having an obligation to shareholders to maximise revenue etc. Perhaps there is something in their constitution (?) which could be used to support the traders' cause?

I figure this is a line worth pursuing with MPs. If MPs do see the sense of it, maybe they'll be prepared to ask questions etc of NR, bring pressure to bear. It's perhaps unlikely this will have much impact unless it's an issue happening nationally, but it seems worth making the argument. Below is my attempt at making the argument in an email to Chuka (who's my MP):

I’m writing to raise a question around the manner in which Network Rail seems to be pursuing the eviction of the existing tenants in its arches in Brixton. As other constituents have no doubt made you aware, it seems that tenants are being given 6 months notice to vacate their arches while Network Rail spend a year knocking through the arches between Atlantic Road and Brixton Station Road so that they are combined. Tenants are not being offered first refusal on coming back to the new spaces, and it is assumed that Network Rail’s aim is to lease the larger spaces to higher paying businesses, presumably chains, who will only be attracted by larger units.

As is clear from the online petition opposing the evictions, which has so far gained over 11,000 signatories in the space of two days, there is widespread dissatisfaction with this state of affairs in Brixton.

The question I would like to raise relates to the nature of the service Network Rail provides to the public, and the balance it should perhaps be required to strike between its responsibilities in providing rail infrastructure, and its role as a landlord. It is clear that up until recent times Network Rail (and the other public bodies that preceded it) behaved as absentee landlords, leaving their tenants in a state which, if neglectful, was at least benign. That Network Rail is now so keen to improve the arches comes presumably as a result of the austerity programme of the current government, which in reducing the government grant to Network Rail means they are pursuing a strategy of increasing revenues from their estate – they are sweating their assets. No doubt there is the likelihood that Network Rail is pursuing this strategy nationally.

The attitude from Lambeth Council seems currently to be that they will seek to negotiate a support package from Network Rail, but that essentially this is a matter between landlord and tenant – as such issues contractually are. But it seems to me that Network Rail is not an ordinary landlord. First, they are a public body serving the public, not a private landlord aiming to maximise profit. Second, while they are a landlord, their main focus is the provision of rail infrastructure. The arches they provide to businesses, which in turn form central parts of town centres like Brixton’s, are in effect a by product of this main role – and in a sense it seems that they therefore do not fully recognise it as an aspect of their service to the public. Indeed, treating their tenants with the disdain their current actions seem to belie reveals the way in which Network Rail views its role as landlord as an essentially subsidiary role, where their estate has no bearing on their service to the public save as a means to provide revenue to the provision of rail.

Surely Network Rail is being allowed to look at its role with one eye closed. While the provision of rail is of course of national importance, their service to the public must – to some degree at least – take account of the local contexts of the surroundings the railway lines and arches pass through. It seems to me that it ought to be an aspect of their role – again as a public body, not a private business – to work in consultation with the desires of local communities in pursuing their landlord role. At a minimum, they should be expected to work within the bounds of local councils' master plans, and in instances like this they should be required to consult with local communities.

I would be very grateful if you could find out what scope there is for requiring Network Rail to consult in this manner – if necessary through a change to their terms of reference. I’d also be grateful if you were able to find out the degree to which this is now an issue nationally, and whether there is scope for it to be raised in Parliament.​

 

[tompound]

That's a great letter soupdragon.

 

[Rushy]

Agreed. Really really good.

Only thing I'd add is to make clear this is a fully functional and fully occupied parade, and has been for a long time, even through the recession. This is one of the things which in my opinion makes this case stand out from many other site redevelopments. It may be rough around the edges but it is not dysfunctional nor struggling with occupancy. But then I'm sure Chukka knows this already.

 

[soupdragon]

Agreed. Really really good.

Only thing I'd add is to make clear this is a fully functional and fully occupied parade, and has been for a long time, even through the recession. This is one of the things which in my opinion makes this case stand out from many other site redevelopments. It may be rough around the edges but it is not dysfunctional nor struggling with occupancy. But then I'm sure Chukka knows this already.

Yes - good point. I sent my email a few days ago. But I figure we should all be writing to our MPs, so worth including in yours! ; )