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Landlords can just sometimes be weird and not do the obvious thing. An example is the offices above Foxtons. They didn't want to let out the 1st floor unless it was to a certain calibre of company, which resulted in a prime bit of office space going un-let for 7yrs. They could have let just half of it, or done desk space etc. but they weren't interested. Go figure.

oh that's a great offer. Well done Southwark. Signed up already.

My girlfriend wants to join the gym in the next week, but just wondering if it would be better to wait until the new management takes over? I assume memberships will automatically transfer over, but maybe they will offer introductory membership prices?

From the data in that graph I posted, there is no evidence the market is desperate to build more houses if only governments would unshackle them. They've had 50 years under various governments of all colours and differing regulatory regimes and haven't fundamentally changed how much they build. Your faith in markets isn't backed up by the evidence in this area. My argument is simply that they don't build more because controlling supply is a simple way of maintaining profits. And if governments don't cover the gap between what the markets will build and what the public need, then we get a structural housing shortage. Hence why I will moan about government inaction, not markets.

Well I think your response proves my argument rather than being wrong. Who is going to make the plots of land available? Barratt etc won't because they want to make money. And Governments have lacked the will to either make public land available or to buy back private land. So my point stands. Markets won't and governments haven't.

Fazer71 - It's inaccurate to think the market has or will build enough homes. This graph shows that as government housebuilding declined, the market didn't step up to match public need. http://www.cityam.com/216218/uk-house-prices-whos-building-britains-houses-and-can-we-really-build-200000-homes-year Primarily because why would they? If demand goes up and you restrict supply, prices go up. It's not some evil capitalist system - it's just simple capitalist supply and demand. There is no incentive for the market to build what is needed. If it was for something inconsequential like luxury cars or smartphones then so be it, I don't mind, but when it comes to one of the most basic human needs of shelter, I don't believe the market can work to cover society's need. It's internal logic means it won't. So I don't blame it for sticking to its nature. Instead, I blame and moan about various governments abdicating their responsibility in providing for where the market cannot. And as a believer that shelter should be considered a human right, I'm proud to moan about the failure of a society to provide the means to house it's own citizens.

TheCoalLine - thanks for sharing your thoughtful blogpost. You seem to be aware of the issues and perceptions that can arise and how you plan to address them in the future, which i'm pleased to hear. Onwards and upwards.

I second Katanita's post. That isn't any Peckham I recognise and is a poor reflection of the ethnic diversity in the community.

Thanks Roundabout, will have a look.

Hello all, Does anyone know who owns 11-15 Melbourne Grove (what used to be the My Big Fat Greek restaurant)? Looking for some potential office space and want to see if it's available. Thanks for any help, Simon.

Looking at the office designs, it could be that they are planning live/work units for the 1st & 2nd floors, as the layouts are peculiar and inefficient for straightforward offices. Notice the size of some of the kitchens for example.

Can you clarify those percentages, BrandNewGuy? or do you have the link/source? Just as they add up to 113%... ;)

www.plan-london.co.uk specialise in these. There were in East Dulwich until recently, but are now in Forest Hill.

Southwark recently announced a new cycling strategy and they want to develop the 'Southwark Spine cycle route' which will use Crystal Palace Road/Adys Road: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/3976/southwarks_cycling_strategy pg. 41/42 of the PDF. So there may well be an increase in the number of cycle journeys in the area, which could make an additional cycle shop viable.

Thanks Penguin68, I came up with a similar approximate calculation too. You could be right in thinking the strike action revealed to PH that they might be able to run the place with fewer staff anyway.

The aspect I find most surprising about this is that the Ritzy employed 93 people. I have no reference to go on but that feels overstaffed - Anyone with experience of working in a cinema who could comment as to how many staff are required? I agree pretty much with Penguin68's last couple of posts. Increasing wages would lead to reduced or no profits if nothing else changed. Redundancies are therefore one of a variety of legitimate options they could've used. Hopefully most of those affected can get positions in the ED branch.

There's been a design trend for those raised brick junctions but they almost invariably start breaking up very quickly. I go over two in Brixton - near the Ritzy and turning off Effra Road toward Herne Hill - and they've gone quickly. They're just not designed for high frequency traffic. But good lord, that junction is a danger to cross for pedestrians. Maybe a zebra crossing?

I think you're probably right, Worldwiser. They could get another 2-3 flats if they extended out onto the terrace spaces. Though there could be rights of light issues if they do. We'll see I'm sure!

This affects me in the most direct way. The company I work for occupy the top floor office that is going to be changed into flats. Our lease runs out in Feb 2015, so our company of about 15 staff will have to relocate out of East Dulwich most probably. What I find surprising in this change of use is that ED has a great lack of office space, and Southwark didn't seem to take that in to account in their decision. ( Application here: http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=9553864 ) As for the actual development, the architect's design cleverly doesn't alter anything externally. No windows are changed. One issue that isn't clear from the design is the terrace spaces. If they are to be used by the flats - and I can't imagine the developer not wanting that - then overlooking would be a concern for the adjoining properties. Fences could installed which would allievate the problem, but yes Worldwiser, I am a little surprised by the lack of local consultation. As for parking, It's possible that they calculated the change of use would reduce the number of vehicles. Because the office spaces could accommodate maybe 40-50 people, as opposed to maybe 15-20 residents, then the number of cars might be lower. That's the theory. In reality, we've been here 6 years and only one of us occasionally drives. And the other office has been vacant for about 5 years. Anyway, we'll be sad to go. The management were very happy to be based here.

I saw the accident and it was just that - an accident. Luckily, the driver was not going particularly fast and managed to scrub off some speed by braking. Horrible thing to see the little girls face as she was hit :( The mother was actually more traumaatised by it then the girl, who seemed physically ok thankfully. I hope no long term damage physical or psychological was done to all involved.

Following on from what Applespider and James Barber say - Roads were built and maintained out of general public finances for years before cars came along. They are for public movement, which over the years happens to have become dominated by motorised vehicles. As James Barber correctly points out, public taxation doesn't work on the basis of a direct correlation between taxation and usage otherwise every tax payer would be claiming refunds for 101 different things they don't use.

Anything that leads to one less estate agents on the high street sounds good to me ;) An online agency is not a bad idea actually. Most people probably start looking online these days before checking out estate agent's windows. Good luck. As you don't have the same overheads, what are your fees like in comparison?

I went and had a full breakfast there over lunchtime. Place was busy but there's a good amount of seating. Nice atmosphere and the staff were all attentive and helpful. Menu was mostly egg based breakfasts. ?6 for a full English, up to ?7-9 for more eggs Benedict/Royal types dishes. Duck eggs are optional for an extra ?1. The food came quickly and was generously portioned. The quality of ingredients is a step up from a typical greasy spoon, but it didn't taste much better. In particular, I can't say I noticed a great taste difference with the duck egg, and I personally wouldn't pay the extra ?1 again. Instead, I'd put that toward a slice of one of the very nice looking cakes. In short: nice place, nice staff, food could be a little better for those prices.

Hi, I'm interested in learning to play the sax. I've played guitar for years but always fancied learning another instrument. I heard through a friend that your approach was nice and relaxed, and suits people who don't just want to learn jazz saxophone, which is the only style the teachers I've come across seem to know. Would you do lessons from your place or come out to mine? Is it mostly evenings & weekends or can you do sessions during the day? Thanks, Simon