A static economy hardly helps. We – as well as traders – need a helping hand to make things work again. The £10 day trip to Margate promoted by Southeastern Trains and Mary Portas is the sort of response required in the face of yet another Westfield mall with its all-day free parking and endless glitz. How are the established shops of Stratford, Croydon or elsewhere supposed to compete?
Shoots of success in the form of specialist shops run by individuals with a passion for locally grown food, home crafts or bike repair are bucking the trend in the area of south-east London where I live. But I can't help but reflect that until a couple of years ago there was a famous handmade bike shop in Deptford. Now, custom-made bikes are being built to online order, then shipped halfway across the continent or even further.
Convenience is killing local economies while simultaneously being good news for micro businesses which can reach out via the web and attract custom they wouldn't get through a high-street presence alone. Similarly, the local cake shop makes delicious treats, but it's the online and email orders for birthday cupcakes and celebration cakes that keeps the café it fronts open for business.
The other big casualty, of course, has been the local pub. Supermarkets and those bargain booze-cum-newsagents have largely decimated trade, seeing off the much-loved boozer in many towns. London property prices and the demand for more housing hardly help. In April, champion of south London pubs Antic Ltd took over and transformed a formerly rough and ready pub in Catford. The Catford Bridge Tavern is a popular, thriving, welcoming destination that serves both ‘ordinary’ and specialist beers, does great food and has rightly been taken into the bosom of locals.
Unfortunately, the pub is owned by a landlord in north London who would sooner see it turn a profit by becoming a supermarket and several flats. Regardless of the Tavern's popularity, success and the fact that it's the only place of its kind in a mile or two radius, it's under real threat. The site is worth a lot of money and there's already an interested developer and tenant. Even the most popular pub can’t compete with that. Nor can the neighbouring privately-owned shops and businesses that any big brand supermarket will inevitably decimate. There's been a great Turkish supermarket and bakery next door for the 20 years I've known the area.
The Catford Bridge Tavern's saving grace may be its popularity. As a desirable destination in a yet-to-be-regenerated area, it has plenty of ardent supporters. Twitter, Facebook, the pub's own website and an online campaign to save it are all in full swing. Tellingly, Lewisham Council's planning portal shows that 242 objections to the proposed change of use have been received, with not a single vote in favour. For once, please let people power prevail.
