Lewisham earns a third in media study
Jez: It's not that easy Mark, there's just not that many jobs in the media. That's the reality.
Mark: Do something else. Get on your bike.
Jez: I can't believe you're making me get a job not in the media. You're such a bastard.
- Peep Show
Where Savills leads with one of its maps of London, the Economist invariably follows and eventually BC picks up on it. This time, the estate agents have mined the census data between 2001 and 2011 to chart each borough's change in the number of residents who work in the culture, media or sports industries, which we are all agreed is the definition of cool. Lewisham enjoyed a 30% increase in such types, the third fastest rise, behind Hackney (natch - see any Guardian article, where, if something is happening in Hackney, the author assumes it must also be true of the rest of London) and Tower Hamlets.
The East London Line corridor from New Cross to Forest Hill must account for most of this growth and the trend seems to have continued in the three years since the data was captured. If a dirty bomb went off in Brockley it would be the most devastating thing to happen to the newspaper industry since the Internet.
As The Economist points out, the creative sector tends to pay poorly compared to finance and professional services, while people in these industries tend to attach greater value to the ability to access central London culture and nightlife, so this shift represents a flight to the last affordable parts of inner London.
With thanks to Richard for the link.
