Shop between Barclays and Superdrug?

simon · Post by **simon** » 3 Oct 2011 15:42

Most recently was a women's clothes shop, either 79 or 81 Sydenham Road. It is currently being fitted out as what looks suspiciously like a pawnbrokers/loan shop/cheque cashiers. Up to the shopfitters moving in, I noted some marketing propoganda from a financial services company. I wondered if anyone has applied for and been granted change of use to A2? I know a company has applied in the past but got rejected.

JulietP · Post by **JulietP** » 3 Oct 2011 16:09

Not another bl**dy one.

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » 3 Oct 2011 16:21

Oh no...

Two steps back.

G-Man

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » 4 Oct 2011 07:48

I just walked past and had a look. It looks pretty much like you're right Simon. Was in to much of a rush to speak to the shopfitters.

Feeling pretty disgruntled about Sydenham at the moment.

G-Man

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leenewham · Post by **leenewham** » 4 Oct 2011 08:38

I think a lot of people think the same way Gaz. I feel sorry for the those on the high street that are trying to make a difference, but for every effort made to improve the high street two or three seem to drag it back down. Even Re-whateverit'scalled new Italian place kept the awnings from the previous business which just crudely painted out the type. Not a great example of how to improve the look and feel of the high street.

simon · Post by **simon** » 4 Oct 2011 10:13

The point is, though: if it hasn't got permission for chane of use can it actually open and then apply retrospectively? Or does anyone know if it has got permission?

leenewham · Post by **leenewham** » 5 Oct 2011 08:40

Just seen it, they have installed a roller shutter similar to Paulros, which is against planning, so they have messed up there and made the high street even uglier than it currently is, have ignored planning regulations (or haven't been made aware of them).

They are installing shelves which back onto the glass in a similar way to the horrible Ganesh store which makes me think it's possibly another convenience store.

Another step backwards for Sydenham. It would probably have been better if it was still empty. I used to feel positive about changes to Sydenham but we are at the tipping point and it looks like it's tipping the wrong way. I hope I'm wrong.

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » 6 Oct 2011 15:19

I just asked the workmen, and was bluntly told "Pawn Shop."

I was with Mr Fresh and Fruity, we were both equally annoyed.

What can we do about this?!? Does anyone care!?!

G-man

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Chris Best · Post by **Chris Best** » 6 Oct 2011 15:46

I have just had a chat to Julie who will be working in this A1 retail shop (so no change of use) and is a franchise of Cash and Cheque Express - please see the link for the shop in Catford
http://www.cashandchequeexpress.co.uk/S ... /#services

I will email the planning officers regarding the new shutter but otherwise the shop front has been painted in the corporate blue.

Julie explained to me that they wanted to focus on reselling quality second hand goods that includes electrical equipment as well as jewellery. I left Julie talking to PC Chris Duneclift, from the Sydenham SNT, regarding the trade in second hand goods.

Cllr Chris Best
http://www.chrisbest.org

simon · Post by **simon** » 6 Oct 2011 18:38

I find it somewhat anomalous that a Pawnbrokers is classified as A1 general retail use. The trade association says they are A1 or A2, presumably it is depends on how much they sell as opposed to how many loans they grant, though how that is monitored I don’t know.

JulietP · Post by **JulietP** » 6 Oct 2011 20:10

Ugh. *shudders*

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » 6 Oct 2011 21:29

From the outside it looks like a straight pawn shop, lots of lockable cabinets, window displays for what looks like jewellery, a large safe at the back - although I'm not an expert at these things.

Really not doing much for our high street. Why the council can't concentrate on bringing quality to an already run down high street, instead of a shop that prays on those in need in our local area, especially in this economic environment, I do not know. This is bad news for Sydenham Road and bad news for Sydenham and it's residents.

G-Man

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 6 Oct 2011 22:54

I think we have to be realistic here. Sydenham isn't Barnes, Kensington or Dulwich Village; it's not made up exclusively of people with lots of disposable income and with a taste for the finer things in life. In truth, the population of the Sydenham area is mixed and, as a result, local people want different things from their high street. For some people that's a baker and fishmonger, for others it's a pawn shop, and for others it's fried chicken shops.

We also need to remember that the Council can't force certain types of shops to open here, and although it may have a role in encouraging new retailers, that's far from easy (a) in an economic climate which doesn't lend itself to new business ventures, thus making it hard to find people who want to invest, (b) when the Council has increasingly limited resources to spend on town centre management, and (c) when most new openings are likely to be by independent retailers, so there's no head office you can easily phone and suggest that they might want to open a new shop in Sydenham.

The Council also has no powers to stop pawn shops opening on the basis that they might prey on the most vulnerable. Anyone with concerns about the morality of pawn shops needs to press our local MP to pursue this in Parliament, not blame the Council.

I'm not saying don't be ambitious for the high street (for example, let's seek high quality shopfronts from everyone), but let's be realistic about who will want to invest in the high street, let's not blame the Council for everything (although it's not perfect by any means), and let's remember that the high street serves a diverse population.

JoeP · Post by **JoeP** » 7 Oct 2011 01:15

Chris Best recently commented on another thread was that we need to shop local. I made the accusation that the high street problem was one of governance. I really hope another pawn shop or something similar isn't opening. If it is please comment Chris.

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poppy · Post by **poppy** » 7 Oct 2011 08:37

When there was money for a town centre manager, it was badly managed!

In the past couple of years money from the community fund has been allocated to a mosaic only a handful of people want, at least £10,000 so far and they may ask for more, and while this has been happening opportunities to access money which could be spent helping upgrade the high street are being ignored!

Very frustrating!

By the way Chris Best, are you backing this mosaic?

P

Eagle · Post by **Eagle** » 7 Oct 2011 15:24

Shops offering pay day loans, or short term loans are a disaster for the poor.

These shops should be banned as they are praying on the weak in society.

Ramon · Post by **Ramon** » 7 Oct 2011 16:07

What an absolute joke - how can this not be considered change of use? Just follow the link in the Chris Best email and you can see that the shops primary objective and mode of business is money lending and cheque cashing which is financial services and not retail. Is Chris Best suggesting that they can bypass the planning use class order for change of use because they have an element of retail?

Sadly our high street is deteriorating because of Lewisham Planning and Enforcement departments failing to stand up to this type of loop hole and our Councillors are failing to hold them to account. Along with:

Allowing new shop design to take the cheap as chips form instead of complying with Council guidelines which are on their website
Allowing shop owners to remove shop windows and install mobile phone shops in a 1m2 space extending onto pavement
Allowing satellite dishes to pepper the facade of the terrace
Windows in the terrace to be replaced with non sash type when they are now in a conservation area
Allowing illuminated signs to be installed which contravenes Conservation area and council guidelines
etc/ etc..........

Surely our Councillors and Planning Enforcement should be taking more of a proactive role against this blatant disregard of planning policy because at the moment it continues because the offenders know that they can get away with it?

stuart · Post by **stuart** » 7 Oct 2011 16:56

I shop in the street almost daily. There are a handful of excellent shops. But many are woefully managed. They do things that would not ever be tolerated in any part of, say, a John Lewis/Waitrose store: cleanliness, tidyness, signage, pricemarking, staff behaviour ...

That has nothing to do with costs or the niche market you are addressing. It causes all people to turn away, not visit the street and then the good shops suffer. The Sydenham Road footfall is not good. Stand and study sometime. Worst still these shops eventually die taking their owner's funds with them. And so the cycle continues.

If an outside agency, and Lewisham is, perhaps, the only authority that can play a part. But what part? TCMs (even when they existed) don't have the expertise to have much clue what businesses might work and no way of enforcing it. I remember when they gave out money for shop fronts. Didn't do much good did it?

How do we get our shops to raise their game and make more money? Well you can guess every shop manager at John Lewis, Watrose, Sainsburys and expecially Tesco has a long record of retail training regularly refreshed. They know what they are doing and do it well. And make money. Lots of it.

I wonder if the Traders Association would consider doing a survey of Sydenham Road shopskeeper's skills? How many courses attended in the last ten years? How else are they going to get the knowledge to change and improve their business?

If there was any money going - don't spend it on appearance. Spend it on improving people's skills so they generate and spend their own money in a better way then any council official or STF commentator could contemplate.

Stuart

leenewham · Post by **leenewham** » 13 Oct 2011 17:39

stuart wrote: If there was any money going - don't spend it on appearance. Spend it on improving people's skills so they generate and spend their own money in a better way then any council official or STF commentator could contemplate.
Stuart

Spend the money on both.

If a shop looks shabby then it turns customers off from going once.

If a place looks good and customer service is bad then it turns customers off from going twice.

If the whole street looks shabby then it turns lots of customers from from going to the whole street.

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