Say hello to Barratt Homes' 'Brixton Square' on Coldharbour Lane (old Cooltan site)

[Mr Bim of Bar]

As long as they keep the likes of you off the streets, why not indeed.

Yeah yeah yeah

 

[Manter]

Prices are soaring everywhere.

Loft conversions are nothing new.

But I get your general argument.

There is a lid on this though in that, generally, social housing cannot be bought and sold.

Which, for example, helps secure 60 per cent of Coldharbour ward for social homes.

And around a third of the homes in this street, which L&Q owns and does not allow right-to-buy on.

I am seeing lots of for sale and sold signs outside the tulse hill estate andCressingham gardens. I know a % are sellable, under right to buy etc, but it makes me wonder how much of the 'council estate' stock is actually council.

 

[Rushy]

I am seeing lots of for sale and sold signs outside the tulse hill estate andCressingham gardens. I know a % are sellable, under right to buy etc, but it makes me wonder how much of the 'council estate' stock is actually council.

One of the houses on Cressingham just went for 390K.
They are bloody nice for the money (relatively speaking).

 

[Mr Bim of Bar]

Windrush square doesn't have a homeless community, or large numbers of alcoholics. You're really not helping people warm to you with statements like that.

Windrush Square has people who don't look like you- that doesn't make them a security risk! Even if one or two start drinking early in the day, the same could be said for the people drinking at lunchtime in the village- they aren't harming you, they are no danger to you, and if you don't work in public health they are none of your concern. As someone said earlier, I can't see any reason for gates unless you are scared if the people round you, in which case you are confirming everyone's concerns about a cut off, ignorant, isolationist 'community' who have no intention of engaging with the community they have parachuted into.

First you don't know what I look like, second drunks and druggies are a security risk, most burgularies are committed by this group,thirdly I'm not intimidated by you or anyone I see on the street, I have lived here for years, I am sociable but if indeed I don't won't to engage with the community then that's my choice, and no concern if yours. I'm certainly not going to suck up to you or anyone else just to make you happy. I have my opinions and so do you, that's life

 

[Manter]

Sorry but I don't want drunks and druggies hanging out in my garden and I'm not apologising, I'm glad there are gates their to keep them out. You are entitled to your opinion and so am I , and don't try and intimidate me.

I really do wonder what you are trying to achieve on this forum. The first time you spoke up there was an element if childish nose thumbing about some of your posts, but everyone has given you the benefit of the doubt, because there are basically decent people on here (they gave me the benefit of the doubt when I first joined and demonstrated a lack of understanding if some of the issues too). But you aren't trying to engage, or making intelligent contributions to the debate, just basically repeating the same lazy clichés- property good, Brixton getting better, poor people bad. It's that sort of lazy stereotyping that puts people's backs up, gives yuppies a bad name and makes it difficult for others to join the forum - they say they've moved to BS and there is a collective eyeroll and 'oh god, not another one'
No one is trying to intimidate you- story- who is one of the more thoughtful posters on here- is simply expressing incredulity at some of the attitudes you are expressing.
I really hope others (thinking specifically of strangerdanger here) aren't put off joining in.

 

[Manter]

First you don't know what I look like, second drunks and druggies are a security risk, most burgularies are committed by this group,thirdly I'm not intimidated by you or anyone I see on the street, I have lived here for years, I am sociable but if indeed I don't won't to engage with the community then that's my choice, and no concern if yours. I'm certainly not going to suck up to you or anyone else just to make you happy. I have my opinions and so do you, that's life

I'm slightly staggered by this post tbh. If you don't want to engage with the community and have such scorn for the 'drunks and druggies' you are making such un-evidenced claims about, why are you on here?

 

[TruXta]

I'm slightly staggered by this post tbh. If you don't want to engage with the community and have such scorn for the 'drunks and druggies' you are making such un-evidenced claims about, why are you on here?

He's thumbing his nose at us ne'er-do-wells.

 

[Badgers]

thirdly I'm not intimidated by you or anyone I see on the street

Anyone?

 

[Mr Bim of Bar]

Anyone?

Ok perhaps a couple of hardened criminals

 

[snowy_again]

I'm slightly perplexed that someone as childish as Bim has managed to negotiate a mortgage.

 

[editor]

First you don't know what I look like, second drunks and druggies are a security risk

Most of the street drinkers in your neighbourhood are of a West Indian/Jamaican background. They've been happily drinking there long before you showed up, and I'm curious why you view them as a 'security risk'. Could you explain, please? Thanks.

 

[Strangerdanger]

I dunno, i mean does being engaged in the community mean you welcome people taking drugs on your doorstep? I can see what mr bim is saying, maybe it could have just been put in a more diplomatic way. My last flat was on a posh square and if any tenant left the front door open, there was a homeless man who would come in and wee in the communal hallway. I mean, nobody wants that. (In the end they pulled up the carpet because it STANK of urine). There are homeless people and drunks everywhere in London. I wish they're weren't homeless, I wish they weren't addicts, but I certainly don't welcome them to wee in my hallway? Not sure if I'm articulating myself well as I'm on a sugar come down at the moment.

 

[editor]

I dunno, i mean does being engaged in the community mean you welcome people taking drugs on your doorstep? I can see what mr bim is saying, maybe it could have just been put in a more diplomatic way. My last flat was on a posh square and if any tenant left the front door open, there was a homeless man who would come in and wee in the communal hallway. I mean, nobody wants that. (In the end they pulled up the carpet because it STANK of urine). There are homeless people and drunks everywhere in London. I wish they're weren't homeless, I wish they weren't addicts, but I certainly don't welcome them to wee in my hallway? Not sure if I'm articulating myself well as I'm on a sugar come down at the moment.

So you think your local neighbourhood is full of people all ready to piss in your doorway and addicts ready to shoot up in your doorway? What are you basing that on?

Take a look outside. Do you see addicts wandering around with needles sticking out of their arms and homeless people jealously eyeing up your massive gates? The community you're looking out at have been drinking on the streets for years before you arrived and although they may piss me off by using the gardens outside the block as their toilet, to suggest they're all addicts and would-be burglars that you need to be barricaded in against is pretty much offensive to my eyes.

If you want to know who the worst culprits are for pissing in the streets, you'll need to look at an entirely different demographic and it's one that - if I'm not mistaken - will look a lot more familiar to you.

 

[Manter]

I dunno, i mean does being engaged in the community mean you welcome people taking drugs on your doorstep? I can see what mr bim is saying, maybe it could have just been put in a more diplomatic way. My last flat was on a posh square and if any tenant left the front door open, there was a homeless man who would come in and wee in the communal hallway. I mean, nobody wants that. (In the end they pulled up the carpet because it STANK of urine). There are homeless people and drunks everywhere in London. I wish they're weren't homeless, I wish they weren't addicts, but I certainly don't welcome them to wee in my hallway? Not sure if I'm articulating myself well as I'm on a sugar come down at the moment.

Sure noone wants drugs etc on their doorstep. But the guys in Windrush square aren't on the doorstep of anyone but the library and the Ritzy, you (nor I) have no idea what drugs if any they are on- all you or I know for certain is that they're sometimes in the square drinking. Not doing anyone any harm, not pissing on anyone's carpets- just drinking.

We can agree to disagree on gated blocks (I think barricading yourself in creates way more problems than it solves, makes you a target and alienates you from the community around you, increasing hostility and the likelihood of crime, fwiw) but how bim of bar makes assumptions about people and dismisses them marks him out as a prize shit in my book

 

[SarfLondoner]

L

lol lol lol lol don't actually think I can say that word, how about " Are any of you good fellows off Urban then" ?

Why do you constantly put lol in your posts?

 

[leanderman]

Sure noone wants drugs etc on their doorstep. But the guys in Windrush square aren't on the doorstep of anyone but the library and the Ritzy, you (nor I) have no idea what drugs if any they are on- all you or I know for certain is that they're sometimes in the square drinking. Not doing anyone any harm, not pissing on anyone's carpets- just drinking.

We can agree to disagree on gated blocks (I think barricading yourself in creates way more problems than it solves, makes you a target and alienates you from the community around you, increasing hostility and the likelihood of crime, fwiw) but how bim of bar makes assumptions about people and dismisses them marks him out as a prize shit in my book

If gated blocks really are so undesirable, they should be denied planning.

It's not the fault of those who buy flats in them. The gates are probably not top of their checklist when looking for a home.

 

[Crispy]

So you think your local neighbourhood is full of people all ready to piss in your doorway and addicts ready to shoot up in your doorway? What are you basing that on?

When I lived over the shops on the high street, there was a months-long period after the fire when we had no secure door from the back street onto the courtyard (shared access for three flats and the back door of the shop below). It quickly became a toilet, including turds. On more than one occasion, I had to step over/ around junkies getting their fix (heroin one time, crack another). Of course, this was five years ago. Who knows what would happen in a similar situation today.

 

[Strangerdanger]

So you think your local neighbourhood is full of people all ready to piss in your doorway and addicts ready to shoot up in your doorway? What are you basing that on?

Take a look outside. Do you see addicts wandering around with needles sticking out of their arms and homeless people jealously eyeing up your massive gates? The community you're looking out at have been drinking on the streets for years before you arrived and although they may piss me off by using the gardens outside the block as their toilet, to suggest they're all addicts and would-be burglars that you need to be barricaded in against is pretty much offensive to my eyes.

If you want to know who the worst culprits are for pissing in the streets, you'll need to look at an entirely different demographic and it's one that - if I'm not mistaken - will look a lot more familiar to you.

Chill out. I never said the locals were ready to do that at all, I merely pointed out that it doesn't matter where you are in London, as my flat was in a posh square, there are still homeless people and drunks, one of whom used the hallway as a toilet. Repeatedly.

I was simply giving an example to try to explain what i think mr bim meant.

 

[Strangerdanger]

Sure noone wants drugs etc on their doorstep. But the guys in Windrush square aren't on the doorstep of anyone but the library and the Ritzy, you (nor I) have no idea what drugs if any they are on- all you or I know for certain is that they're sometimes in the square drinking. Not doing anyone any harm, not pissing on anyone's carpets- just drinking.

We can agree to disagree on gated blocks (I think barricading yourself in creates way more problems than it solves, makes you a target and alienates you from the community around you, increasing hostility and the likelihood of crime, fwiw) but how bim of bar makes assumptions about people and dismisses them marks him out as a prize shit in my book

Yeah fair play to that. I just like to give people the benefit of the doubt and tried to use my experience to translate what I thought he meant is all.

 

[SarfLondoner]

T

That's a fair point, but you also must appreciate that the vast majority of people who have bought in BS WANT a gated development mostly for security reasons, Windrush Square now has a large homeless community and an alcoholism meeting venue

No blacks no dogs no Irish, I don't think they were living in the posh bit do you ?

First you don't know what I look like, second drunks and druggies are a security risk, most burgularies are committed by this group,thirdly I'm not intimidated by you or anyone I see on the street, I have lived here for years, I am sociable but if indeed I don't won't to engage with the community then that's my choice, and no concern if yours. I'm certainly not going to suck up to you or anyone else just to make you happy. I have my opinions and so do you, that's life

Most of the drugged up drunks you will find in brixton nowadays are the new arrivals and professional types. If you are not intimidated by anyone why live behind a big metal gate?

 

[editor]

Who knows what would happen in a similar situation today.

Well seeing as I've seen the changes in this particular neighbourhood first hand and are out on the streets most nights, I think I could hazard a better guess than most. The junkie situation is NOTHING like it was 6-8 years ago. They've almost all moved on. In fact you'd be hard pressed to find any around this stretch of Coldharbour Lane.

We've got a different sort of nuisance now.

 

[Manter]

Yeah fair play to that. I just like to give people the benefit of the doubt and tried to use my experience to translate what I thought he meant is all.

Give the street drinkers the benefit of the doubt instead

 

[TruXta]

Well seeing as I've seen the changes in this particular neighbourhood first hand and are out on the streets most nights, I think I could hazard a better guess than most. The junkie situation is NOTHING like it was 6-8 years ago. They've almost all moved on. In fact you'd be hard pressed to find any around this stretch of Coldharbour Lane.

We've got a different sort of nuisance now.

I agree that there seems to be less of a junkie presence these days - makes me wonder where they've all gone/been shifted to.

 

[editor]

If gated blocks really are so undesirable, they should be denied planning.

And we all saw how Lambeth stood up so valiantly when those Barratts cunts tried to weasel out of their affordable housing commitments. Oh, hang on...

 

[editor]

Chill out. I never said the locals were ready to do that at all, I merely pointed out that it doesn't matter where you are in London, as my flat was in a posh square, there are still homeless people and drunks, one of whom used the hallway as a toilet. Repeatedly.

Where are all these "homeless people" in Coldharbour Lane that you keep on referring to and feel the need to be protected from?

 

[Winot]

When I lived over the shops on the high street, there was a months-long period after the fire when we had no secure door from the back street onto the courtyard (shared access for three flats and the back door of the shop below). It quickly became a toilet, including turds. On more than one occasion, I had to step over/ around junkies getting their fix (heroin one time, crack another). Of course, this was five years ago. Who knows what would happen in a similar situation today.

 

[Strangerdanger]

Where are all these "homeless people" in Coldharbour Lane that you keep on referring to and feel the need to be protected from?

Are you kidding me right now? Perhaps you should go back and read my posts. Where exactly did I say there were homeless people on CHL?

Mr Bim was talking about the homeless in windrush square, I used this point to reference the homeless in my old neighbourhood pointing, out that there are homeless people everywhere in London. I mean do I need to clarify even more?

 

[Badgers]

I agree that there seems to be less of a junkie presence these days - makes me wonder where they've all gone/been shifted to.

((((Anerley))))

 

[editor]

Mr Bim was talking about the homeless in windrush square, I used this point to reference the homeless in my old neighbourhood pointing, out that there are homeless people everywhere in London. I mean do I need to clarify even more?

You seem to be constantly referring to these generic homeless people in a thread about your development in Brixton, so I was wondering where they actually all are because I don't see them in your street. And if you're saying they're not here, why are you going on about them so much?

 

[Badgers]

I am only here for the 2000th post now.