snowy_again
Slush
And almost a year later funding for a wider network of them:
The Community Fridge, coming to a corner near you?
Pop Brixton (formerly Grow Brixton) Pope's Road development
- Thread starter editor
- Start date
And almost a year later funding for a wider network of them:
The Community Fridge, coming to a corner near you?
editor
hiraethified
Let's hope they put the rest in more accessible locations.
snowy_again
Slush
I think you can click on the link in the map and find them?
Angellic
Well-Known Member
When do we get the details?
editor
hiraethified
Well, you can just ask them about the change of staff, but the other stuff has to wait for various reasons.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I was at the Brixton Neighborhood Forum last Thursday. Pop came up. ( A lot of things came up and I want to write up notes over Xmas to post up). As Pop thread has been updated thought I would post this up from what was said at Neighborhood Forum.
The senior Council officer present said that Pop existing lease is going to be extended to 2019. The Council haven't decided what to do with site yet. So extending the lease.
This didn't go down well with the local residents who are part of Sleepless in Brixton. I can understand. They thought that Pop was temporary use. So the nuisance it causes would be limited. Now the Council extend lease. Sleepless in Brixton say Pop isn't managed effectively so causes problems.
The senior Council officer present didn't argue with this but said the Council had hired consultants to do an "independent" evaluation of Pop.
This came as news to those present at the Forum. Apparently this evaluation has been in process over last six months.
I did ask what the terms of the evaluation were. The officer replied the report was qualitative and quantitative. People at meeting queried whether local people had been asked there opinion. The consultants had , according to officer, been interviewing local stakeholders ( his word. I thought its use had been scrapped. It's been coming back into use in Council.) Though those present including Sleepless in Brixton and Brixton Society couldn't remember being asked. Nor did anyone else at meeting know about this evaluation.
The officer said the report has been finished by the consultants. It's not yet in public domain as it's going through the Council first. Officer did say it's not uncritical. He kind of had to say something like that as Brixton Neighborhood Forum audience has hardly ever been enthusiastic about Pop. Officer did offer to come back to another meeting to go over the report in detail.
The senior Council officer present said that Pop existing lease is going to be extended to 2019. The Council haven't decided what to do with site yet. So extending the lease.
This didn't go down well with the local residents who are part of Sleepless in Brixton. I can understand. They thought that Pop was temporary use. So the nuisance it causes would be limited. Now the Council extend lease. Sleepless in Brixton say Pop isn't managed effectively so causes problems.
The senior Council officer present didn't argue with this but said the Council had hired consultants to do an "independent" evaluation of Pop.
This came as news to those present at the Forum. Apparently this evaluation has been in process over last six months.
I did ask what the terms of the evaluation were. The officer replied the report was qualitative and quantitative. People at meeting queried whether local people had been asked there opinion. The consultants had , according to officer, been interviewing local stakeholders ( his word. I thought its use had been scrapped. It's been coming back into use in Council.) Though those present including Sleepless in Brixton and Brixton Society couldn't remember being asked. Nor did anyone else at meeting know about this evaluation.
The officer said the report has been finished by the consultants. It's not yet in public domain as it's going through the Council first. Officer did say it's not uncritical. He kind of had to say something like that as Brixton Neighborhood Forum audience has hardly ever been enthusiastic about Pop. Officer did offer to come back to another meeting to go over the report in detail.
editor
hiraethified
Is anyone remotely surprised that the lease is being extended?
Barely anything from the original thing we were promised has rung true.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I don't think it was much of a surprise. This is a Council pet project. I was a bit pissed off that the six months of "consultation" on evaluating this project passed me , and others present at meeting , by without our input being asked for.
I'm on the Future Brixton email list, attend Brixton Neighborhood Forum, belong to couple of local groups and somehow never get asked my opinion.
editor
hiraethified
Did anyone ask them how much profit it had generated for the council in all the time it's been there?
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
The officer, who is nice guy on personal level, did report on all the Council's wonderful projects in Brixton. "Our" New Town Hall etc. Met with world weary lack of enthusiasm.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
No. I thought of that afterwards. Wished I had asked about the profit share. Or if Pop is making enough to do profit share. Will remember when report comes up at another Forum meeting. Or Officer from Council talks about Pop. Which they like doing as they think it's great success and don't understand the lack of enthusiasm for it in some quarters of Brixton.
As Pop has lease extended you would think it should be doing profit share by now. Funnily enough profit share isn't something the officers go on about. They now push it as supplying social value only.
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editor
hiraethified
What a fucking farce.
"Pop Brixton is having its lease extended for another two years – despite making a loss of £480,000 in the past year and receiving £100,000 in public grants and a £92,000 loan from Lambeth Council."
So us taxpayers have effectively been funding this shit for no return. And Lambeth are now extending it.
"Pop Brixton is having its lease extended for another two years – despite making a loss of £480,000 in the past year and receiving £100,000 in public grants and a £92,000 loan from Lambeth Council."
So us taxpayers have effectively been funding this shit for no return. And Lambeth are now extending it.
editor
hiraethified
How the fuck can this happen?
They could have given the entire space to a kid to sell home made lemonade and still made more money than shitty Pop Brixton has. It's a fucking disgrace, just like I've been saying all along.
And how do these incompetent cunts get to run Peckham Levels?
THREE MILLION QUID to manage a load of tatty containers and hipster shops. Something's not right here.
They could have given the entire space to a kid to sell home made lemonade and still made more money than shitty Pop Brixton has. It's a fucking disgrace, just like I've been saying all along.
And how do these incompetent cunts get to run Peckham Levels?
editor
hiraethified
Well, indeed. Why the fuck did Lambeth hand over this rent free land to a bunch of freespending chancers who didn't give a fuck about providing something for the existing community?
And what the fuck are Mayfair property profiteers The Collective doing in a 'community' project?
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I'd recommend anyone interested in the facts relating to the lease extension reads the Lambeth report, rather than the Buzz article that selectively quotes it and includes some misleading and/or wrong statements.
This is not me saying I'm a supporter of Pop Brixton or the proposed extension. It is me saying that the Buzz article is badly written though.
This is not me saying I'm a supporter of Pop Brixton or the proposed extension. It is me saying that the Buzz article is badly written though.
editor
hiraethified
There's some decent companies operating from Pop Brixton but a big chunk of the place is taken over by trendy foodie joints, beer dispensers and companies which I would suggest fall far short of the promised original vision of some sort of community based start up for locals.
Here's ten examples:
1. The New Zealand Cellar, "the UK’s only wine retailer dedicated solely to promoting and selling New Zealand wines"
2. Franzina Trattoria, run by Pietro and Stefania, two Sicilians from Palermo.
3. Scoop, 'boutique ice cream serving 'high quality italian artisan gelato'
4. Minerva Tutors, an education company offering "private academic tuition to all ages" (Head office in the city)
5. 28 Well Hung, prime beef with branches in Southbank, Brixton and Battersea
6. Brixton BID
7. World of Wurst, 'bringing gourmet sausages to London.'
8. Lowe Property Guardians, 'providing property owners with a professional, efficient and low-cost solution to the problems created by leaving a building vacant...'
9. The Manual, 'an award winning live activation agency with over 40 years experience across the globe'
10. Convene, 'Designed to meet the needs of senior level executives and administrators, Azeus Convene advocates for smarter meetings.'
Here's ten examples:
1. The New Zealand Cellar, "the UK’s only wine retailer dedicated solely to promoting and selling New Zealand wines"
2. Franzina Trattoria, run by Pietro and Stefania, two Sicilians from Palermo.
3. Scoop, 'boutique ice cream serving 'high quality italian artisan gelato'
4. Minerva Tutors, an education company offering "private academic tuition to all ages" (Head office in the city)
5. 28 Well Hung, prime beef with branches in Southbank, Brixton and Battersea
6. Brixton BID
7. World of Wurst, 'bringing gourmet sausages to London.'
8. Lowe Property Guardians, 'providing property owners with a professional, efficient and low-cost solution to the problems created by leaving a building vacant...'
9. The Manual, 'an award winning live activation agency with over 40 years experience across the globe'
10. Convene, 'Designed to meet the needs of senior level executives and administrators, Azeus Convene advocates for smarter meetings.'
sealion
Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive
Who have basically turned squatting into a business.
DietCokeGirl
Fishing in the rivers of life
Almost thrown my phone across the room in rage. Too angry to even think / post straight.
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editor
hiraethified
Yep. Utter scumbags.
editor
hiraethified
Its bad enough having Mayfair property developers with their paws all over the place, but how the fuck can Pop justify inviting scummy property guardians into the 'green oasis'?
Ugh.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I just have read the report. It's pretty damning. I don't have a problem with the Brixton Buzz article. It's informative with links to relevant more detailed info.
The profit share has been a failure. Pop simply isn't breaking even. The report recommends some kind of base rent in the lease extension. With a profit share at end of project. Whatever has been paid in "base rent" will be deducted from the profit share in the new lease extension.
The report argues the extension will mean the Council is more likely to get some money. Which begs the question what would have happened if the site had been up for regeneration at the time first forecast? The Council would have had to written off any profit share.
Council officers say the Council has been foregoing £39 000 a year in rent on this site that Council would have got if they had rented it out privately.
Given that money could have been put into local community I don't see why Pop is necessarily better use of the land.
I also noticed this in the report:
This is Council saying the project changed from original bid. Something people like me have been saying all along.
editor
hiraethified
And me too but it seems some posters here have been in a weird denial about what was blazingly obvious to anyone who had kept an eye on what was promised and what was delivered.
The hike in build costs from £423,720 to an eyewatering £1,867,415 is nothing short of outrageous, and despite some people earlier in this thread insisting that the project hadn't grown in size, the expansion from the original 774 sqm to to 1,400 sqm represents a hefty change.
Pop has been a con from the start, and it's one that's costing the community dear. Just imagine what could have been dine with that site. And all that bullshit about Grow Brixton not being to deliver on their costings look laughable after this lot scooped £3.2m in admin costs.
To lose so much money on a rent free venture is breathtakingly inept.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Another issue brought up in the Council report on the lease extension is Community Safety.
As I've posted up previously at the Brixton Neighborhood Forum meeting Sleepless in Brixton group weren't happy that the Council has decided to give a lease extension to Pop. This one line in report isnt good enough.
The Council did not even try to consult local community on lease extension to Pop. At the Brixton Neighborhood Forum we were just told that it was happening. No discussion.
Another thing. At the Brixton Neighborhood Forum the senior officer present said the Council had just had a report on Pop finished by consultants it had hired. Not for public viewing at this time. He said it wasn't uncritical. Yet reading this report by Council about a lease extension it's saying that that Pop is meeting all its social value that was promised.
As I've posted up previously at the Brixton Neighborhood Forum meeting Sleepless in Brixton group weren't happy that the Council has decided to give a lease extension to Pop. This one line in report isnt good enough.
The Council did not even try to consult local community on lease extension to Pop. At the Brixton Neighborhood Forum we were just told that it was happening. No discussion.
Another thing. At the Brixton Neighborhood Forum the senior officer present said the Council had just had a report on Pop finished by consultants it had hired. Not for public viewing at this time. He said it wasn't uncritical. Yet reading this report by Council about a lease extension it's saying that that Pop is meeting all its social value that was promised.
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