Lewisham nights

Boy, I'll tell you. They only come out at night. Or, in this case, uh, the daytime.

- Chief Wiggum, The Simpsons

There's quite a lot to pick through in the Lewisham Town Centre Area Action Plan (AAP) that's just been released. Notably, the Council's plan suggests that Lewisham Gateway, the High Street, Ladywell and Lee High Road would be "suitable locations for evening economy uses as part of a wider mix of uses."

The plan states that:

Lewisham Town Centre currently lacks a strong evening economy offer. Opportunities to nurture the range and quality of bars and restaurants should be grasped with a view to enhancing the vitality of the town centre beyond peak shopping hours, whilst strengthening the centre as an inclusive family friendly place.

As an ambition, it sounds reasonable, but hard to pull-off. We'd like to see them avoid creating large venues of the sort that tend to lend themselves to stabbings, but a series of Jam Circus-sized bars and restaurants, supported by an expanding population (the plan envisages 3,100 new homes being built by 2021) could work. What do you think?

The plan is subject to consultation and won't be adopted in any form until 2013. Thanks to Andrew for the nudge.