MrBen

The government surely now has to cancel the second part of Help to Buy planned for January. It's impact has been to push prices up further so it's not helping anyone, especially those who need it most. I find it all very depressing. I've said it before, but things are out of control and this is another temporary debt fueled bubble. Interest rates are at a 300 year low. And when they rise (as they surely will) anyone with say a ?450k mortgage or higher will stick a minimum of ?1000+ per month onto their mortgage on a 4% rise in rates. There are plenty new buyers now who've forgotten what 5-7% rates feel like....

I have empathy for anyone with family here who can't afford to buy to be near them. But to not acknowledge all of the locals who've moved out and to make a buck and what that means is rather short sighted.

And what about all the cabbies (I meet a lot working late) who lived here since childhood before selling up for a cool half mil+ to the influx and now trading quite nicely from a fancy house in Bromley/Orpingtom/? Plenty similar stories. They all could have done something for any kids with that equity. And they didn't have to move out.

This is exactly why I cant/wont wear a watch like that. I have the wrists of a 16 year old girl. Another good reason is a gold Rolex Oyster shouts "mug me" when you're on the 12 at 11.30pm on a Friday night

Whilst there have been times I've been caught short and needed to pay by cash I reckon this is a good idea - especially if it saves the ?24M claimed that they spend on small cash management. The world is moving on and contactless / cashless is the future and that change will happen.

Dog duck - I sense you are a frustrated creative. Someone who can spot mediocrity and who yearns and has a passion for better. That is a positive entrepreneurial quality. You just need to find the right channel for that. And personally, if you want to make any money, I don't think its an SE22 magazine replacement. Plenty other ideas out there though for those with your talents though surely?

I love what these guys have done with the refurb. Vintage victoriana tiling unearthed. This is a hipster joint. *They have arrived*

I'm broadly a fan of the potential of ex-LA properties. You just need to do your homework. I've been involved with several and have found they're often kept in good maintenance order requiring much less internal works than period properties. If you get one in a block where there has been a recent renovation (funded by the LA) then you minimise the chances of that hefty leasehold works bill. The state of the roof and windows are the first two things you should look for. You can also get some real bargains in some surprising areas if you look hard. Never mind round here... we found a 1 bed in a 10 flat council block, 1 street back from the warehouse conversions on the river in Wapping for ?170k (2007 price) that we lived in for a bit, stuck in a new solid oak, floor, kitchen and bathroom and now lets for a 9% gross yield to young city profs. For ?250k you can still get a 1 bed ex LA needing renovation near Tower Bridge.....

Alan Medic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Buy a newspaper. > There's plenty to choose from. I disagree Alan. On Saturday in everyones favourite central EDW 24 hour corner store LONDIS they had sold out the FT Weekend and The Times and in their place had 103 copies of The Guardian.

The ghost of Beadle lives on. Unoriginal mindless junk. Back in the 1980's the format, very briefly, had some novelty value. General question: at what point did mainstream TV start to suck?

Parts of town where there is a scene happening are ripe for a cult, fanzine type offering. I quite enjoyed the free copies of the Shoreditch Twat back in the day as handed out at the 333 club and various local fried chicken outlets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoreditch_Twat Any boho creative claims that East Dulwich once had pale in comparison to what's now going on in Peckham.

Amazing what can happen at the golf club after hours!

Dog duck Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sue Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > What isn't "credible" about what we've got at > the > > moment? > > > > I'm bemused. > > > Don't be 'bemused'. I'm talking about a > publication that is properly designed, properly > written with engaging features, creative > photography, illustration, profiles, general local > interests and a thought provoking read. Do please > tell me where I should be looking to get all of > these? You mean something with critical and literary merit? As opposed to 85% advertorials masking underlying commercial interests you have to wade through before you get to the 15% that's of interest? Sounds great in principle but if it's to wash its face money has to come into it somewhere along the line. Printing and distribution costs etc. Then there is the challenge that printed media is slowly but surely dying. Online is cheaper and more timely way to distribute content. That said, I still think there is power in a something physical coming through the letterbox that's up to date and interesting. It wouldn't have to be fancy, just a newsletter type format with what's on locally, new shops , deals, family stuff but more frequent and lightweight than Living South or SE22. You'll still need income from ads though.

You've not got Patrick Bateman coming too stay have you? ;-) I think you'll struggle with the "quiet" part mostly. Good quality you have Palmerston, Franklins and Toast. Franklins is probably the quietest - especially downstairs. But on that spec I'd be taking someone out in the city, especially if they are the corporate international type.

Jah Lush Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It's never friendly against the Scots. Great > competitive match. We should play them more often. > Very happy for Lambert who's a quality player. I was there. Brilliant atmosphere and great to stick two good goals past England at the new Wembley! Gutted to lose the third after leading twice but can't argue with that great goal from Lambert. 25,000 fans came down, over 20,000 in the ground making a huge noise and only 2 arrests (for being drunk). That's an amazing feat so credit to both sets of fans. Nothing about England scared us. Gerrard looked lazy and ponderous. Rooney played well and credit to him for ignoring the cream donuts sent his way.

Networks and signals in most of London are deteriorating generally as they're not keeping up with demand. The voice quality and strengths I was getting even 4-5 years ago are nowhere near that now. There are a few technical reasons for this (I'll spare you). I'm on the new EE 4G and the reality is that I only get a 4G signal in certain parts of central london and one spot in Camberwell. So coverage is not there yet.

Adventure Bar was started by an ex Be@One people I think.... it was a bit of a rip off of their idea, old school tunes played loudly /cheap cocktail pulling joint. The LL Adventure Bar is a poor imitation of the original B@One, has enamel stripping cheap end ingredients in their drinks and cant see it being around too long. All this irrelevant anyway as the Electrical site would never get late night licence, nor is it in a sensible location commercially to sustain it. Make it a cafe/restaurant again but do it well, cater to a day crowd and have a hook for families and it could do alright.

I think this is a plant too. There's one on the corner of Townley and Beauville Road. It smells just like dog crap, especially after rain.

Any retail business that has a comprehensive property damage insurance policy in place either through the freehold or leasehold will likely be compensated. Those policies indemnify small businesses not only for physical damage but for loss of stock and/ or business interruption, that's basically lost earnings for the time they're closed/getting fixed up. That all helps but the reality is that loads of businesses are under insured/on substandard policies and none of it takes into account the potential loss of goodwill, regular customers, energy and emotional impact that follows. The Standard article the other night made a valid point by saying that had it happened in North London, it would have had more column inches and ongoing news coverage than it did. I'm sure that if everyone in East Dulwich made at least one HH visit in the coming months for shopping or to eat then it would make a difference.

I've been in there for Tayto crisps alone GG!

Anyone tried this service out yet? The pitch is that it's an Ocado style home delivery service for your local independent shops. So you go to their website, order what you want from a range of local shops and they collect it all and deliver to your door. Same day service is also offered. Not withstanding that a weekly stroll down the shops is a pleasure in itself, for those who are time poor, lots of kids in tow etc its sounds like a handy alternative. That said, the only truly local shops i can see at the moment are Franklins farm shop, Moxons and Ayres the bakers - but I'm guessing more might follow soon. On the SE22 run they also include the Ginger Pig and a load of Borough market traders...

The mechanism by which IFA's are now paid by has changed. They can no longer hide their costs within product fees and get payment from fund providers and must now be transparent. As a result they now charge you fee's (which you were paying before anyway less transparently). I don't use them but thats because I don't see the value they offer vs what I can do myself with a bit of research. And unless you have a lot of cash to invest, you're best looking at ISA's etc as first port of call then perhaps some additional funds that match your risk appetite (Greek bonds may not, a FTSE tracker might). N

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > MrBen Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > When I said it will happen. I meant Rye Lane > will > > eventually start to get some new independents > and > > the odd hipster hang out. They're only 50 yards > > from the front line at the moment anyway... > > > > I think you're safe KK, M&S execs would never > > open there. Between the traditional African > dress > > and skinny jeans brigade I can't see any of > them > > buying threads in there. Ditto food given the > > price of it is beyond many. > > There's an M&S on Walworth Road, hardly downtown > Hampstead... ;-) That's the oft quoted exception but have you ever been inside? It's basically their discount store with past 6 or so seasons stock...it's where their 2003 shapeless taupe chinos and geometric ties go to die. Until recently it dad have the best original vintage M&S sign of any of their branches which I always liked. It reminded me of the St Michael label on my first pair of Y fronts when I was 5 years old.

When I said it will happen. I meant Rye Lane will eventually start to get some new independents and the odd hipster hang out. They're only 50 yards from the front line at the moment anyway... I think you're safe KK, M&S execs would never open there. Between the traditional African dress and skinny jeans brigade I can't see any of them buying threads in there. Ditto food given the price of it is beyond many.

It WILL start to happen and soon. Last time I was in Peckham Refreshment Rooms there was a bank manager, a surveyor and a man with a beard eyeing up the empty units between my Iberian ham and Hairball World.