clockworkorange

all for freeloaders getting stung for non payment of fares. on the sniffer dog bit, seems an unnecessary addition to the operation - as antantant says, all you're doing is shaking up low level buyers. here's a thought - decriminalise it, purify the product, control it, sell it, tax it and use the money to educate people properly about drug use and help those with addictions/health problems as a result. hugely simplistic model of course, but much better than the current farce which is "the war on drugs" which creates a black market and all the repercussions of that.

Just being nosy- what was with the police car and van and ambulance on kelmore grove last night at 11pm?

Eileen - thanks for sending the link, lots of useful info. Did you attend the event? If so what was the general feeling? Is this scheme going to happen and if so when? I assume there is still a fair distance to go in terms of scheme design and running down leases etc etc. Also, struggling to work out who's paying for it? Network rail, grant funding and? No doubt I'll be shot down but a well designed scheme which brings the station back for past glories and opens up the area, improves the public realm and creates housing etc will be good for the area. It needs to move on. It is inevitable that housing is provided as this is what will pay for the non essential items. I'd like to go to the next event, any idea if or when it will be? Thanks.

Thanks. Strangely since the original post it's stopped. Ivenot heard it all since. Should it start again I'll call the police as advised.

Thanks.

Is there an alternative number?

Thanks. It's not really 999 stuff is it?

Does anybody else hear a man shouting very aggressively - telling somebody to fk off and fk you etc etc. at same time can hear a kid screaming. This happens every night around 1030. The gardens. I can't work out where it comes from and if I could, I think I'd need to report it as it certainly sounds as though it's this guys reaction to a crying baby. I hoping nothing serious but been going for over a week now... Thanks

Mike b- this would lead to no development at all, not just less. How exactly would that help anything/anyone? Why should developers be a charity? It's their risk, it's their reward.

You're going to need a bigger boat.

I'd like to point out that now is the time to get mobilised, get involved with Hadley and try to amend the scheme to something which benefits the area in ways other than housing delivery and preserving dhfc . A bit like voting, if you don't do it, you can't moan. To those concerned about infrastructure, should permission be granted the scheme will be subject to either CIL or s106 payments which theoretically should provide for the services you want. It's no good beating up the developer, they do their bit and pay the money, the better question is why does southward not spend it quickly and locally. Put pressure on the council. Cheers to progress.

Oldest trade in the world. It can't/won't and shouldn't be stopped. Safety first though. Saw it on lordship lane few weeks back, just outside the Iceland/new m&s.

Lame duck - if you already live there then the imposition of a cpz doesn't stop you owning a car it simply means you now need to pay for the privilege. Appreciate having to pay as a result of development is not ideal, but that's progress! Homes need building. It is 2014, not 1814 and london is at 10m people.

Dulwich squash club. I joined in October as a new player and been in the leagues since. Good friendly club for all levels.

Planning permission can be granted subject to a section 106 agreement which means no resident can apply for parking permit. If not in a cpz the s106 is not enforceable and should not be approved on that basis. A planning condition seeking the same would also not be enforceable.

Sounds like somebody was bullied by a 15 year old with a skateboard...

Ok thanks, will see if I can get one. Would have been lovely today. If no joy I'll happily borrow yours smashing.

Yep, sorry for the typo, it's a family show I assure you... HMB - I'm not aware of being a grainger resident so am probably not. but as I say, I live in the gardens (home owner), opposite the square. if you know who I need to contact can you PM the details so I can see if I can get a key please? thanks

As a resident of the gardens i was hoping to have my lunch in the communal garden square. Its been unlocked and open for at least a year, now today, locked shut. Anybody know why? always assumed it was communal for people of the gardens (not as in gnomes or the poddington peas) any Intel appreciated and if\where i can get a key!

Woh there Steve- planning is a system put together by civil servants and politicians. Looks a bit closer. There's people have no interest in lowering prices. I have no issue whatsoever of releasing green belt land around London Oxford Cambridge etc. put its such an unpopular thought it won't happen until those who a vested interest in keeping it are either out of power or more likely dead. Another issue of course is in the northern cities there isn't the demand for homes- demand is London focussed. In my view much much more needs to be done to drive demand up north. That means infrastructure, incentivising businesses to go there and working on ensuring the skilled workforce which businesses want is there in plentiful supply. It may have unnoticed but govt is proposing/supporting the idea of new garden cities around Home Counties. Maybe that would work?

Word to the wise, the moment you accuse planning officers and planning committee members of being in league with the big bad developes, they stop listening to you. These things take time. Clearly there's a lot to be discussed in this case and perhaps you should be thankful that your officers are taking their time to reach a decision. The iceland is a food store. what is proposed to replace it is a food store. it is acceptable in principle. it's only a matter of time.

The is an increasingly supply of very high qaulity residneital development coming forwards in London known as PRS (Private Rented Sector). If it works it is likely to be rolled out accross the major cities in the uk, then other locations. Effectively the idea is secure tenancy, market rent, no 6 monthly increae! you have to sign up for minimum 2 years contract I think. The concept is that the tenant gets a very high quality home, all maintainance, consierge service etc included in the rent. the idea is that people stay in the properties to make a community. the buildings have communal rooftop gardens or libraries or games rooms or whatever. Often they have gyms and pools too. The buildings are owned by financial institutions (pension funds etc - there's a lot from Germany and the US cicling at present). They make a garunteed return year on year which is attractive due to its stability and safety. It is in the landlord's interest to keep everybody happy to ensure continued return and 100% occupancy. These are currently being built close to transport hubs in London, notably at Swiss Cottage and I think in East Croydon. It's reaosnably new concept (in its current form) and I think offers a very attractive propsect (particularly to young Londoners) who perhaps cannot afford to buy, don't want to take th erisk with th normal landlord sharks and want to be in prime locations. the GLA is keen to promote this concept and has been for the past few years.

Can you re post the report please? The GLA is seeking to release more land but this appears a slow process and not sufficinetly to keep up with the GLA's forecast demand. So what's stopping them... At recent events including with the Mayor, industry leaders asked the process of land release to be sped up, the Mayor could not respond.

The discussion re provision of addiitonal supply is very interesting. The point on the green belt release (for me) even more so as this would require a cultural shift in the minds of the population and MPs. Sadly, I doubt this will happen in the medium - long term as those "in power" would never rock the boat and lose their votes over the release of Green Belt. That is not to mention the level of opposition such an idea would face from groups like CPRE and Natural England. Let's assume for a moment that the substantial release of GB is allowed and housebuilders have the green light to develop. Why would they do that? Housebuilders have no interest in flooding the market with new homes. They do this gradually, building out in phases. this is for both practal and financial reasons. Crudely speaking (as I'm not an economist) sudden release of 1,000s homes would drive down prices - good for buyers but not for housebuilders. Taking account of the resi land value they would have paid for the site in the first place, there is no incentive for housebuilders to do this. One solution (very simplistic) is that the Govt. builds the houses and sells off - meeting it's own affordable housing requirements. There's a lot of talk of infrastructure projects being pafunded by Govt. Why doesn't it do more on housing delivery? There's a very synical answer to this. I'd be very interested to hear blacurrant and Londonmix thoughts on these thoughts? Do you have any practal solutions to the issues you've both raised?

@james Barbour - in the case of this shop, I suspect its closure has as a lot to do with lack of customers. Putting rents up is a fact of life/business. Perhaps you should try harder to get a review of rates which Govt refuses to do ahead of the next election. Retailers are not chairties they are businesses. To survive, they must be better than their competitors and adapt to their financial environments and their customers' needs. They do not deserve undue protection because of some romantic vision of the 1950s high st. Your ideas on what a high street is appear outdated. A1 uses are not the only thing a high street needs. I hope you'd agree there needs to be a mixture of uses to make a prosperous high street. The reasons high streets/town centres struggle is because policies like the one you suggest undully restricts their progression to meet what the masses want. Why the arbitrary 50% A1? Would the high street fail if only 48% of units were A1 - of course not. Another business would seek to locate and would either be successful, or fail and be replaced - that is the natural churn. The country has too much retail space. High streets expanded too far (not specifically ED) and now, thanks to changes in how we shop (internet) where we shop (preference for malls/out of town retail and supermarkets)and what we buy, we need to think again. There are plenty of other uses which would be good on a high street which are considered town centre uses - including community, education and business. KK - Estate Agents, I would agree are over represented in ED. However, the market will decide how long these last and I suspect not too long for some of them! As for curry, if it's a good one, then brilliant let's have it. If it's not, again, the business will close. On this point, I've seen a number of posts about poor service at chanderlier - perhaps some healthy competition in the shape of a new artisan coffee shop would enable people to vote with their feet. On the loop hole point, it isn't a loop hole. I'm not looking at the specifics of this case, but if they've been refused PP already, the best they could hope for is a temporary 2 year use. In reality, that's quite a risk - to setup a coffee SHOP knowing that in 2 years you may have to close it. I assume they're going once again for PP as they'll want certainty. The whole point in the temporary flexible change of use under PD Rights is to encourage pop up shops, cafes etc to ensure no vacant units, maintaining footfall and keeping a centre busy. This can also help new businesses get established when in other circumstances they cannot get a property. They add to the vitality of a high street and create interest. I'm afraid KK that is entirley the point - the planning system is there to manage the use of space for the good of all, not just retailers. Can I ask, what shop are you hoping to open instead of haus of wood? What do we not have that we need? What is so much more preferrable to a artisan coffee shop? Be careful what you wish for because Pret a Manger (yes know to you and me as a cafe - A3) could seek to open up in any of the vacant A1 units - as that is how they operate. Now that's a loop hole!