The Prince, Woolies, Iceland to be demolished?

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Love the way you're judging a building's future on whether you personally use it or not!

Woolworths is a fine building, but Iceland is an eyesore.

sorry, should have said that the Woolworths building is lovely, just not bothered about Woolworths itself

They could keep the shell and gut it inside and we could have one enormous bus shelter

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

and what about the other side of the street? That gets just as jammed

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

They could do a London Bridge on the facade. Number all the bricks, take the building further back and rebuild it

 

[ringo]

Pedestrianize the road and build a bypass through Clapham. It's obvious.

 

[fortyplus]

There are too many bus stops down there, IMO. And so frequently bus drivers will stp the bus half way into the street (or be stopped there by impatient passengers running out to stop them)

I was thinking about this, and it's definitely the bus stops that make the pavements on both sides of the road such a nightmare. But they also help keep the high street busy. From one angle, it would make sense to build a bus station by the Rec, linked in to the railway stations (and possibly even the tube), but it would take a lot of custom away from the market, Morleys, and the shops on the high street.

It's the cars who have to give up space; they don't contribute anything to Brixton, it's only tossers on their way to Sussex with the windows locked in case they get carjacked.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I was thinking about this, and it's definitely the bus stops that make the pavements on both sides of the road such a nightmare. But they also help keep the high street busy. From one angle, it would make sense to build a bus station by the Rec, linked in to the railway stations (and possibly even the tube), but it would take a lot of custom away from the market, Morleys, and the shops on the high street.

It's the cars who have to give up space; they don't contribute anything to Brixton, it's only tossers on their way to Sussex with the windows locked in case they get carjacked.

Yes it is the bus stops and they definitely got worse when they switched them around. Why can't they change them back to how they were before? I can see no benefit in the current system

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

In fact, I've got a great idea which obviously wouldn't work but this is what I'd like to see happen to Woolies.

Take it back further to supply more pavement space. Retain SOME of the original facade. Gut the insides, and create a whole new arcade with lots of little units.

So, you've got lots of new units (Boots, JJB Sports can be in there as well if you're bothered), plus you get to keep some of the original facade.

Does mean Woolies would have to find a new home though.

 

[Kanda]

Does mean Woolies would have to find a new home though.

Give Woolies the M&S Building and move M&S up the Hill. Right by NPR would be nice

 

[twistedAM]

Give Woolies the M&S Building and move M&S up the Hill. Right by NPR would be nice

I always thought that there should be a tube station in Windmill Park with the actual Windmill being the entrance to the station. That would solve the congestion problems down in SW9.

 

[innit]

The Prince / KFC, Woolworths and Reliance Arcade are my favourite buildings in Brixton, be really sad to see them go.

 

[Jonti]

Opening up the railway arch closest to the road, opposite Argos, would be good. The pavement by the road is far too narrow.

This is a good, simple idea, that would be relatively cheap and simple to carry out, would make Brixton markedly more pedestrian-friendly, and would hugely improve the prosperity of Station Road and its market.

I guess that means there's no chance of it happening then.

 

[g force]

The Woolies building is lovely....the rest can and probably should go.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Give Woolies the M&S Building and move M&S up the Hill. Right by NPR would be nice

that's an excellent idea, although I think M&S where the Tile Centre is would be much better

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I always thought that there should be a tube station in Windmill Park with the actual Windmill being the entrance to the station. That would solve the congestion problems down in SW9.

Another excellent idea. Would be able to drop in to the Windy for a pint, then go up to the Tile Centre and do my shopping in the new M&S and my arms wouldn't be dead by the time I got home from carrying shopping

 

[fortyplus]

The serious point is that we can stop this lunacy if we make enough noise about it.

Use this form, which will be ignored, so also:

Write to your councillor, who (unless he is Paul McGlone) will have little say in the matter;

but most of all target Paul McGlone, who is the cabinet member responsible and who is convinced that this is somehow a good idea, with enough opposition to make him realise that it's not so smart and opposing it might help his ambitions to succeed Keith Hill...

And if all the above fails, who's up for squatting Dex to keep the developers out?

 

[Gramsci]

But what would replace them?
It would be malls full of TK-Maxx and Primark. And we'd still have a fucking KFC, just no Glanville Arcade. Or Dex or the Prince.


All the consultation shows that Brixton people want to preserve Brixton's diverse and unruly character (but without the bad bits). Developers want to build malls with units they can rent to chainstores, which means destroying the diverse and unruly character. Hand in pocket with the council, they'll promise that the development will get rid of the bad bits, but we should know by now that property development never solved social problems.

Fair enough but theres already a thread on Future Brixton started by Papingo. Having 2 is confusing.Especially as this is going to be an ongoing issue.

 

[Gramsci]

PS: Any objections to a merge with this existing Future Brixton thread? http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=227982

Yes please its a much better idea To merge this thread with the existing Future Brixton will be an ongoing issue.Which is why Ive bumped up Papingos thread rather than start a new one every time.

It makes it more easy to follow the issues on one thread.Save time and means people are more likely to follow all the issues brought up.Especially as the points Forty Plus has raised are important.Rather than hunt for several threads on the Brixton section.I almost missed the issues Forty Plus has raised.

Im concerned it could end up with several threads all relating to this issue.Which wont help the discussion.

 

[lang rabbie]

The "Visioning Framework" for Future Brixton - a rather grand title for the consultation draft of the Masterplan - was originally to have been published at the end of January.

It doesn't appear to be on the Future Brixton website, nor is the Questionnaire which was supposed to follow the structure of the "Visioning Framework".

Has it been pulled?

I did hear that the full cabinet only got a presentation for the first time a few weeks ago on what Councillor McGlone and the Future Lambeth officers in regeneration had been allowing the consultant architects to come up with as proposals?

 

[co-op]

True. That road is 4 lanes all the way up to kennington - why it needs to be 5 (not 6) through the High Street, I don't know.

Good spot - it sort of is 5 lanes.

But only because they have made the pavement lane so wide it sort of accomodates stationary buses and a lane of traffic. In effect it's as wide as many a 3 lane (ie 6 lane) stretch of urban road.

It really winds me up - the pavements are absolutely rammed down that stretch of road, on both sides, just so rows of cars with one person in can sit and stink the place out while they crawl through. There's absolutely no doubt that making the pavements more user-friendly would boost Brixton as a shopping location and help preserve the markets and shops that we (mostly) love there. At the moment they are almost impassable, I never have to tackle crowds like it except on the underground in rush hour.

 

[tarannau]

Another excellent idea. Would be able to drop in to the Windy for a pint, then go up to the Tile Centre and do my shopping in the new M&S and my arms wouldn't be dead by the time I got home from carrying shopping

Listen you lazy Brixton Hill fecks, why don't you move to Croydon. There's a lovely set of apartments just launched, right in the middle of the Whitgift Centre, perfect for rolling your lardarse down to the local chainstore.

 

[co-op]

Listen you lazy Brixton Hill fecks, why don't you move to Croydon.

Brixton Hill is practically in Croydon already.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Listen you lazy Brixton Hill fecks, why don't you move to Croydon. There's a lovely set of apartments just launched, right in the middle of the Whitgift Centre, perfect for rolling your lardarse down to the local chainstore.

Oh do fuck off, there's a good chappie

I'd never have called that skinny little runt Twisted a lardarse

 

[Bob]

This is a good, simple idea, that would be relatively cheap and simple to carry out, would make Brixton markedly more pedestrian-friendly, and would hugely improve the prosperity of Station Road and its market.

I guess that means there's no chance of it happening then.

The current Labour council seem obsessed by big expensive grandiose solutions to everything - Brockwell Park (slice a bit off for traffic changes), outside the Ritzy (close the end of Rushcroft road and spend millions on fountains).

Amazingly they have no sense of history so assume that they'll get it right this time when they've got it wrong almost every time in the past.

 

[editor]

When's our fucking fountain coming back too?

 

[twistedAM]

Listen you lazy Brixton Hill fecks, why don't you move to Croydon. There's a lovely set of apartments just launched, right in the middle of the Whitgift Centre, perfect for rolling your lardarse down to the local chainstore.

One of the best utilities in Brixton - the 250 bus

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

When's our fucking fountain coming back too?

There's a drought on

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Not only is Woolies a lovely building, it's a bloody useful shop too! Well, it is if you've just moved into a non furnished flat for the first time over the road!

Woolies has done me proud. I'll be very sad if it goes. Same with the Reliance Arcade. Even if all the shop/stall owners gave me some funny looks a while back in my attempts to find a humane mousetrap.

 

[knatchbull]

I think with this plan they are attempting to anticipate the arrival of the tram which will change all the roads anyway.

As far as I can remember if built the tram will have a major terminus by the recreation centre.

I believe there are plans eventually to link the North-South tram up with the Croydon tram - ie run tram lines from Croydon to Streatham and then down Brixton Hill. This if of course far in the future (after 2016 at least) but they probably hvae to start thinking about such things now.

The problem with Brixton High Street is that it has to serve as a local town centre but also as one of the major routes out of London linking central London with Croydon and Gatwick

 

[Bob]

I think with this plan they are attempting to anticipate the arrival of the tram which will change all the roads anyway.

As far as I can remember if built the tram will have a major terminus by the recreation centre.

I believe there are plans eventually to link the North-South tram up with the Croydon tram - ie run tram lines from Croydon to Streatham and then down Brixton Hill. This if of course far in the future (after 2016 at least) but they probably hvae to start thinking about such things now.

The problem with Brixton High Street is that it has to serve as a local town centre but also as one of the major routes out of London linking central London with Croydon and Gatwick

PS Welcome Knatchbull!

 

[honto]

There were 2 proposed routes for the tram from Oval to Brixton - anyone know if it is decided yet? I still have all the brochures they sent out about it, but they are from a while ago now.
One was the direct route via Brixton Road, the other was via Stockwell, then down Stockwell Road to Brixton.
Then in Brixton itself there are also 2 proposals - one to go down Effra road and round the one way system, the other to go down Canterbury Crescent and terminate on Popes Road.