Such a shame the Odeon and bowling at Surrey Quays has gone

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

1 hour ago, rjsmall said:

It is very easy to get to from here - Overground from Peckham Rye to Surrey Quays or P12 bus.

The rail connection is quite quick BUT Surrey Quays is not mobility accessible. It's an old station with a steep flight of stairs IIRC.

I've always gone one stop further to the redeveloped (or as some would have it "socially cleansed and gentrified") Canada Water station which has a lift, and then come back.

The last time I went to the Surrey Quays shops half of the units looked empty and two scrotes with an angle grinder were stealing a bike from the bike rack.

[Rockets]

1 hour ago, rjsmall said:

I used to live up in that direction and quite a lot of locals (families and teenagers) used the bowling alley and cinema. It was reasonably inexpensive for London and certainly cheaper than going to the West End especially for eating out.

Exactly....perhaps some of those commenting on here never went to either the cinema or the bowling alley but they were always very busy whenever I went - so they were both very well used resources.

I am sorry to see them go but you know, good that they have been shut down because it gets rid of the car park.....#rollseyes

2 hours ago, Earl Aelfheah said:

If your vision for London is more strip malls / huge car parks with warehouse style chains dropped around them, well I don't know what to say tbh 

No it's not but do we take it then that your vision of London then is huge swathes of over-priced loft-style apartments or luxury apartment blocks sold to the most wealthy, that come with a coffee shop, a 24-hour over-priced supermarket, an expensive gym and pool and a separate (discreet) entrance for those living in the (few) affordable houses that were built (for sale or often rent) to satiate planning requirements (that often start with a bold commitment but then gets significantly diluted throughout the process)?

I refer you to the Elephant and Castle Masterplan.......funny how the architects seemingly always refer to them as masterplans....

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/24/developers-ruining-cities-elephant-and-castle-london

[Earl Aelfheah]

Over a 1,000 affordable homes, a new park, jobs and businesses where there is currently a huge car park? I’ll take the former, yeh.

I know you’re obsessed with encouraging more cars everywhere, but we actually need housing and this is not a sustainable or desirable vision for London imo:

[Edited to add an image of a local 'strip mall', as apparently these only exist in the US']

Edited September 25, 2024 by Earl Aelfheah

[Rockets]

Nope, this is not America - the picture you posted is and their use of cars, and retail space as a result, is massively different.

But your fixation on car park space, whilst ignoring the fact that the cinema and bowling alley were entertainment hubs for many, really shows how utterly blinkered you have become (but this is not at all surprising and was to be expected and I love how I mentioned the closure of the cinema and bowling alley and you went straight to "good, there's a car park").

 

Only time will tell if the developers hit the 35% of affordable homes - I think there is more than enough historical evidence to suggest that being seduced by claims made by developers is a fool's game and that the actual number may be far fewer. And when the developers start saying "could" in their documentation you can probably bet that "things change" may be trotted out as development work starts - especially given the involvement of some of the companies that were involved in Elephant and Castle Masterplan where "a lot changed" between plans and completion.

The Illustrative Masterplan could deliver around 3,000 new homes, helping to meet Southwark’s housing needs.

 

[Sue]

I think this conversation is going round in circles.

Let's see what we all feel when the changes are complete, eh?

[Rockets]

Yup let's revive this thread in 2040 when it's all due to be finished and I will crow about how there's no cinema, no bowling alley and only a fraction of the affordable housing that was promised! 😉

[Sue]

7 minutes ago, Rockets said:

Yup let's revive this thread in 2040 when it's all due to be finished and I will crow about how there's no cinema, no bowling alley and only a fraction of the affordable housing that was promised! 😉

2040? It's going to take 16 years???

[Rockets]

Yup, it's 15 year project (I think some elements of it started a year or so ago). 

Imagine how annoyed Earl will be when they find out that the new Teaco superstore planned has underground parking for 530 cars....

Edited September 24, 2024 by Rockets

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

21 hours ago, Sue said:

Let's see what we all feel when the changes are complete, eh?

I imagine it's going to look and feel pretty similar to the mixed use development about 300m to the north, but bigger. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/84WNyXLpvHmiLuHA7?g_st=ac

[Rockets]

Yes I saw how they were proudly showing that they had built 70 odd affordable houses in the first batch. I really do hope they stick to their commitment but history tells us this is not what happens - that developers will often build the first batch fulfilling their affordable housing (to buy or rent) commitment but then u-turn.

 

If I was a betting person I would wager that once completed the affordable housing is nowhere near 35%. Look at the Dulwich Square development - none of that ended up being affordable housing despite what the original application and plans said. If councils do take cash in lieu of social housing you can see why developers may see that as an easy way to pay their way out - they probably cover that cost 10 times over in the margins on the luxury properties they build instead.

[Rockets]

Interesting article from the Beeb on the challenges of housebuilding

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgw7x4y5rzo