To add insult to injury with regards to that very strange 'new' grocery shop near the Bakery, I've noticed today that they are changing the 'FishBar' next-door to it into a Favorite Chicken. I was wondering if anyone has ever counted the amount of hair cutters, chicken/pizza shops and Kebab shops along Sydenham road.
I'm sorry to ask in this way but are the people who approve these businesses challenged?
My business partner and I had been putting together a proposal to obtain the Mccray Chemist, restore the brilliant 1920’s facade and create a really excellent bistro. With the way the high street is going, we've decided it's just not worth the risk and have dropped the idea.
favorite chicken
But Coll, the state of the high street is exactly why your business would be a success!
We are all getting fed up with businesses opening which are a pointless repetition of all the others on the high street, and I seriously have no idea how they all stay open as surely they can't be making huge profits.
If a new, different business opened it would be welcomed with open arms. Despite the arguments to the contrary of a minority on this forum, people want to see change and improvement in the high street.
But to pick up on your point - can someone confirm who we need to lobby to get this issue of the overabundance of certain types of businesses looked at? I for one am getting extremely ****ed off and wanting to do something about it!
We are all getting fed up with businesses opening which are a pointless repetition of all the others on the high street, and I seriously have no idea how they all stay open as surely they can't be making huge profits.
If a new, different business opened it would be welcomed with open arms. Despite the arguments to the contrary of a minority on this forum, people want to see change and improvement in the high street.
But to pick up on your point - can someone confirm who we need to lobby to get this issue of the overabundance of certain types of businesses looked at? I for one am getting extremely ****ed off and wanting to do something about it!
That's a shame as what you have proposed is what so many of us want. I agree that East2West supermarket and the new chicken place are not exactly shining lights in the high street, but what you were proposing could be.
On another note, there are supposed to be rules for what you can or can't do regarding you shop front. in plastic signs and all over grills (the ones you can't see thought) are NOT allowed in the high street. Alas if only there were someone to enforce these issues...like the 20% of Julie Sutch Sydenham has perhaps.
Please reconsider and bring us a bistro so we don't have to go elsewhere to eat and we can walk home rather than wait for a bus.
On another note, there are supposed to be rules for what you can or can't do regarding you shop front. in plastic signs and all over grills (the ones you can't see thought) are NOT allowed in the high street. Alas if only there were someone to enforce these issues...like the 20% of Julie Sutch Sydenham has perhaps.
Please reconsider and bring us a bistro so we don't have to go elsewhere to eat and we can walk home rather than wait for a bus.
Coll, I'm sorry you felt you had to abandon your plans, but I can understand why, and I wouldn't be surprised if other people with similar plans had also made the same decision. Opening a bistro, especially as an independent, is a real risk and its only natural to want to reduce the chances of it failing.
Lee, Natbeuk, myself and many others have posted thousands of times on this (if Admin charged us a penny every time we did so he'd be living in a mansion in Dulwich Village by now!) and there's very little I can say now that I haven't said already.
Turning a fish bar into a chicken-based takeaway isn't likely to require permission (unless they change their opening hours or apply for an alcohol licence) so I don't suppose there is much that the council could do. There is already an abundance of take-aways and grocery shops so in many cases a change of use is not involved. However, I would echo Lee in that I would like to see much stricter enforcement of existing requirements relating to shop frontages, and the planned improvements of the high street can't come soon enough.
There is also scope to nurture and encourage exciting new proposals (as I understand that the SydSoc did with the Blue Mountain and the Dolphin, and Scott Hamilton has also done some work on this sort of thing lately).
Lee, Natbeuk, myself and many others have posted thousands of times on this (if Admin charged us a penny every time we did so he'd be living in a mansion in Dulwich Village by now!) and there's very little I can say now that I haven't said already.
Turning a fish bar into a chicken-based takeaway isn't likely to require permission (unless they change their opening hours or apply for an alcohol licence) so I don't suppose there is much that the council could do. There is already an abundance of take-aways and grocery shops so in many cases a change of use is not involved. However, I would echo Lee in that I would like to see much stricter enforcement of existing requirements relating to shop frontages, and the planned improvements of the high street can't come soon enough.
There is also scope to nurture and encourage exciting new proposals (as I understand that the SydSoc did with the Blue Mountain and the Dolphin, and Scott Hamilton has also done some work on this sort of thing lately).
This was reported a while back (apologies for not crediting Lee for his work on this earlier):
http://www.sydenham.org.uk/news_shop_initiative.html
I don't know exactly the SydSoc did re Blue Mountain and the Dolphin, but I know I have seen posts referring to discussions with the respective owners encouraging them to set up, which will be somewhere on this site.
http://www.sydenham.org.uk/news_shop_initiative.html
I don't know exactly the SydSoc did re Blue Mountain and the Dolphin, but I know I have seen posts referring to discussions with the respective owners encouraging them to set up, which will be somewhere on this site.
There are 2 key members of SydSoc who know the owners of BlueMo and The Dartmouth Arms and encouraged them to open business in Sydenham. I don't recall it being an active SydSoc campaign!
Unfortunately this isn't X-Factor, we can't vote or vet prospective business to come here! The TCM aims to fill all vacant premises.
Regarding change of use, sometimes the council does listen - remember the application for another betting shop where the curtain shop is?
Unfortunately this isn't X-Factor, we can't vote or vet prospective business to come here! The TCM aims to fill all vacant premises.
Regarding change of use, sometimes the council does listen - remember the application for another betting shop where the curtain shop is?
I remember McCrays back in the 50's . Old Mr Cooper was the pharacist.
I think could be a lovely restuarant.
As for chicken shops where oh where did they come from. I am sure they were not here even in 80's. It is the clientelle of these establishments who are probably not eating a balanced diet. Hopefully they will only be consuming a poultry amount of chicken or they could fall foul of a good diet.
I think could be a lovely restuarant.
As for chicken shops where oh where did they come from. I am sure they were not here even in 80's. It is the clientelle of these establishments who are probably not eating a balanced diet. Hopefully they will only be consuming a poultry amount of chicken or they could fall foul of a good diet.
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catscratch
- Posts: 83
- Joined: 13 Jul 2008 12:44
- Location: se20
With the price of a decent size bit of cod going ever upwards with a restricted supply, I suspect its more profit to sell bits of mechanically recovered meat from chickens imported from Thailand or Venezuela.
Besides which, the sort of people that consume this muck are the sort that don't care as long as its cheap and covered in chilli sauce
The sort of people that are attracted by food sold by the bucket, handy to throw up in I suppose.
Yuk
Besides which, the sort of people that consume this muck are the sort that don't care as long as its cheap and covered in chilli sauce
The sort of people that are attracted by food sold by the bucket, handy to throw up in I suppose.
Yuk
The simple fact of the matter is that any such "bistro" style business would fail in Sydenham high st. Such businesses need a very high turnover....the market in Sydenham cannot provide that.
Sadly the market is evidently there for chicken shops.
I suppose some of the businesses along the high st could be prosecuted under s.28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847:
Sadly the market is evidently there for chicken shops.
I suppose some of the businesses along the high st could be prosecuted under s.28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847:
Every person who keeps any pigstye to the front of any street [commits an offence]
The fish bar is no great loss - the chippie up on Kirkdale is much better. But it really does take a complete lack of imagination to replace it with yet another fried chicken joint.
A bistro would be great and I myself have done some sums regarding opening up a cafe bar on the high street, but sadly, a high street that is able to support multiple fried chicken/takeway pizza/kebab shops probably isn't one that can support a more upmarket place to eat.
Here's hoping that things change when the ELL arrives, the high street improvements are made and the economic cycle lifts out of the trough. In the next year to 18 months though, I can't see anything happening which would encourage any more upmarket eateries to open for business in Sydenham.
A bistro would be great and I myself have done some sums regarding opening up a cafe bar on the high street, but sadly, a high street that is able to support multiple fried chicken/takeway pizza/kebab shops probably isn't one that can support a more upmarket place to eat.
Here's hoping that things change when the ELL arrives, the high street improvements are made and the economic cycle lifts out of the trough. In the next year to 18 months though, I can't see anything happening which would encourage any more upmarket eateries to open for business in Sydenham.
sorry, but does nobody remember Lokal, which used to be where the chippie is now? it wasn't a gastropub and it wasn't particularly posh but it served great food and had a lively, welcoming atmosphere. and it was completely rammed pretty much every night. i don't think the owners sold up due to a lack of business - they just wanted a lifestyle change.
this is exactly the kind of place the high street is missing. there's no question that a 'bistro-style' restaurant, if done well, would thrive here.
this is exactly the kind of place the high street is missing. there's no question that a 'bistro-style' restaurant, if done well, would thrive here.
Totally agree Charlie. I know I keep banging on about it, but I really hold That's Amore up as an example - they are in what appears to be a rubbish location but they consistently drag in the punters. As a restaurant it's not posh, it's just nicely decorated, affordable, friendly, lovely atmosphere, and nice food, and it works.
Like the Dolphin has?bensonby wrote:The simple fact of the matter is that any such "bistro" style business would fail in Sydenham high st. Such businesses need a very high turnover....the market in Sydenham cannot provide that.
Like That's amore has?
Like Ghurkas has?
Like the blue mountain has?
Sorry, I totally disagree Bensonby. I don't know what you have against doing anything to improve the high street! I've lived in different places in London, both affluent and not so affluent. If it's good, looks good and they let people know its good, they survive.
Obviously bensonby has consulted section 100 paragraph 3 of Some Random Act 1820 and concluded through his extensive demographics survey that there is no market for a decent eatery in Sydenham and we should all be grateful for real ale in the Golden Lion.
Or he could just be completely opposed to development in Sydenham.
Or he could just be completely opposed to development in Sydenham.
Hopefully now that the Blue Mountain and the Dolphin have proved such a success other restaurants and cafes will follow suit and open in the area. I believe that once we get a little cluster of good quality places then we'll get a snowball effect.
Crystal Palace is a prime example. It's seething with great places to eat and yet, on the face of it, it wouldn't seem to be the sort of area where one would be spoiled for choice for good quality eateries.
My husband and I actually stopped going to Gurkha's (which we used to love) about three years ago. Everything started to taste the same. Has it picked up again? Should we give it another chance?
Crystal Palace is a prime example. It's seething with great places to eat and yet, on the face of it, it wouldn't seem to be the sort of area where one would be spoiled for choice for good quality eateries.
My husband and I actually stopped going to Gurkha's (which we used to love) about three years ago. Everything started to taste the same. Has it picked up again? Should we give it another chance?
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GLOBAL THINKER
- Posts: 179
- Joined: 2 Nov 2004 13:20
- Location: SYDENHAM
Coll, you based your decision on two shops opening in the high street that you don't like?My business partner and I had been putting together a proposal to obtain the Mccray Chemist, restore the brilliant 1920’s facade and create a really excellent bistro. With the way the high street is going, we've decided it's just not worth the risk and have dropped the idea.
Have you run a "really excellent bistro" before? I would imagine this type of review would have been up to your customers
Just curious, why did you consider Sydenham in the first place, I can't imagine two crappy shops would have gotten in the way of a viable business proposal.
I think bistro is a great idea, but would you get enough business to sustain you? I don't think that has anything to do with Sydenham itself, there are more than enough bods who would be happy to frequent such a fine establishment
How do we know a Bistro type place couldnt be supported, the Dolphin seems to be doing well & I think there's loads of room for improvement. I think Global Thinker hit the nail on the head, it's not to do with Sydenham but to do with how good a place is. Like natbeuk said if it's affordable, friendly, lovely atmosphere, and nice food then it will work. I hope someone gives it a go.
Is it me or are lots of threads ending up soundling like these two...
Is it me or are lots of threads ending up soundling like these two...