The old chemists next to the old HSBC

[Cheese Wotsits]

I have been down to see the replacement shopfront and can confirm that what they have down is similar to what was previously there. As such we the Council consider these changes to be acceptable and will not be enforcing against it.

Similar? are they blind? I agree with poppy and nasaroc, the assembly suggestion is a good one, the council can't carry on behaving this way and we can not expect the SS to magically sort everything out either, after all, we all live here. Which Saturday is the next assembly? my other half and I will definitely be there. Shall we collect firms to let the council know that we're not happy with the way they handled this?

If these posts stop these type of 'business' from coming to the area I'll be happy about it, I don't want to see even more rubbish in the area, I don't want them to feel welcome. New businesses should find out what people want before moving in, not upset them before they even open.

[sydenhamboy]

Well somebody was there last night doing something to the sign and scraping it off. Weird. Interesting. Maybe they're gonna put up a nicer signage. Anyone else see that ?

I read a newsletter from the Dolphin this am. It's been a real success, apparently: Why oh why (sorry, I'm sounding like a cock) can new businesses not see the potential in our high street for something more up-market? I still think prospective investors drive through and think - these people look like they love pound-shops and crap stores/then they don't work financially because that market isn't really there anymore; we demand a better places, so we get on the 176 and go to E Dulwich or the 202 to CP. Can you imagine a Pizza Express on the old HSBC site??? I think it would do really well.

But the cheap looking highstreet is kind of self perpetuating. We need a 'high street' manager to write to all businesses - and tell them to get their act together.

[poppy]

I agree that it does not seem fair to boycot the new shop as it does look, intially anyway, much better than a lot of the tatty looking shops on the high street. But I do think it is a good example of how the planners/TCM are failing to keep on top of changes on the high street.

[Eagle]

Am I mistaken or was the new Coffee Shop open this morning. I think people shoulod go in and ask for paraceutimol etc.

Seriously though let us look to the future vand give it a chance. Any prosecution in my opinion for defacing the historic windows should be with the freeholder not the leaseholder.

Am I correct the freeholder owns most of the chemists in Sydenham.

[Juwlz]

What's sad is that the original shop-front should have been seen as an asset by the owner (as demonstrated by Leewnewham's post of an old Kennedy's store) , not an inconvenience to be got rid of.

When people rip out attractive original features they de-value their property - and can de-value their business in the process and in this case go one further by creating ill will.

A more enlightened shop owner would have been delighted to have an original shop front. Surely it'd be cheaper to keep the original anyway?

Another example of this kind of ignorance was shown recently by 'Smart Chaps' who had one of the most attractive shop-fronts on the high street until they bizarrely replaced theirs with a bog-standard (and in my opinion ugly) one.

Obviously it might not always be appropriate to keep the original shop-front and chain stores will want to create a strong identity but even chains these days try to treat buildings sympathetically whilst maintaining their identity (Blue Mountain would be an example locally and Pizza Express on a national level). These companies realise the value in utilising the existing assets of a building.


And finally – Is fishcox some kind of comedian? He/she seems to be suggesting that people should be forced to join the Sydenham Society! I'm sure some of its members would welcome this idea (joke), but I think that might be going a bit far…

[Heritage Angle]

Hi,
Not seen or heard of this site previously. I'm impressed at the level of active interest there is from local people. Searching for anything on the old Machray chemist scandle, looks like last posting's were in May? Or maybe I need to keep looking. Anyway forgive me for regurgitating a previous subject but.....
Look - the very reason that we have listing status and conservation area's in this country is because some of us are feircely proud of what very little remains of our heritage. Whilst I do respect a grown up take of 'lets now be done of it', sorry No! I am simply NOT standing by and have this happen. Ok the building wasnt mine but I/we are all entitled to an opinion. All and any who say "it doesnt matter/why let a new business suffer" etc - are you blind? A very, very unusual and gorgeous piece of (localised) history is now gone for ever! That not mean a thing to you? So many people cant be bothered, they'd sooner sit down and watch Eastenders and stuff their faces. 'New prospective business aquisitions may be put off by this site'. Well if they too think along the same lines as this/these parasites then I'm only too happy to put them off. No I dont really get the thing for a new cafe either but re. that - whatever. I'm more interested in the vandalism thats been done. For the very same reason I belong to the London Pubs Group which actively campaigns (very succesfully indeed) against demolition of our heritage pubs and those with a few original features. So so many people just watch it all and subsequently moan. WHY??? If it moves then get active! Either that or loose it all.

Previous to any hint of these 'works', I asked English Heritge for advice on listing status after they informed me that it wasnt (why not??). They said you need to find who owns it, take interior shots......etc. That easy huh! I felt like EH were'nt interested. Too much on maybe. Next thing I know, hoardings. I ring the number & that estate agents (loathe them all with a passion!) suggest I call the develloper (more so). It was actually the builder. He told me, upon asking, that "the windows are listed and are downstairs waiting to be refitted". So what happened there then. I received a very similar answer from L'hams planning enforcement as one of you had back in May.

Any updates anyone - or are we not bothered now?

[simon]

Your a bit behind the times Mr/Mrs Heritage; if you look at the post on this thread by Mr kente himself you can bring your self up to speed: http://forum.sydenham.org.uk/viewtopic. ... 8694#27131

FYI; Kente has proved very popular with the locals and the fact that as much as possible was done to try and save the frontage has gone down well.

Howabout turning your attention to the mess that is the Greyhound?

[BruceHarrison]

I thought that you all might like to know that I volunteered to resore the old Machray Chemist shop glass window sign last autumn when I discovered it in pretty bad shape in the basement of the Kente coffee shop.
I have been doing so over the winter months and the two pieces ("Machray" and "Chemist") are virtually ready to be re-installed at 16 Sydenham Road, not in the new windows as they are of different dimensions (and might look confusing) but in a downstairs room that the coffee shop owners will be converting into a meeting space. They should be in place by the end of April - go take a look.
It's a shame the whole shop front wasn't available to restore, or the interior of the old chemist shop, but at least a small part of Sydenham's heritage is back.

[leenewham]

That's brilliant news! Well done.