Masala Wala moped muppets

Masala Wala is the second Brockley Cross business to suffer a smashed front window in recent weeks after The Brockley Deli was on the receiving end of a similarly gratuitous act of vandalism before Christmas.

One of those weekends, a kid on a moped smashed into the railings outside our place on Sat, we got taped off during peak time with limited access. This morning, this. Both completely mindless and financially devastating for our small biz. Onwards and upwards hope. Saima xxx pic.twitter.com/pJ85OkrymC

— Masala Wala Cafe (@masalawalacafe) January 15, 2018

Nothing was stolen, but this is a cost that would hurt any small business.

Brockley Cross block approved

With a sense of grim inevitability, it is my duty to report that the plans for 1-1a Brockley Cross have been approved.

After many attempts, the developers of the kitsch car dealership have finally worn down the Council and have gained permission to build:

The demolition of buildings on the site of 1-1a Brockley Cross SE4 and the construction of a part two/part three storey building comprising a Class B1 office unit, 3, one bedroom and 2, two bedroom self contained flats together with the provision of bin and bicycle stores.

The specs are less of a problem than the design, which, despite multiple revisions, is inept.

With "thanks" to Ed for the heads-up.

Coming soon: Oliver's

Replacing the defunct Brockley Cross takeaway Nat's Bake n Juice will be Oliver's, a new Caribbean takeaway that has already tidied up the exterior of the shop and has a holding site, which promises more details soon.

Thanks to Ben for the heads-up.

Brockley Cross Audi showroom closes

@BrockleyCentral @MPSLewisham @LewishamCouncil it's gone. Hooray! Thanks whoever sorted it 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/7mroDd9vGT

— Ben Pearce (@HighStreetBen) April 6, 2017

@BrockleyCentral Car is gone & t/ tree is - staggeringly - still alive. My neighbour had been tending it before t/ accident and she knows :) pic.twitter.com/qEkPbMQbdt

— Katy Cooper (@DecSop1) April 6, 2017

Brockley Cross developers back again

As an accompaniment to the Audi art installation currently gracing the pavement of Brockley Cross comes the latest effort by the developers trying to build at 1-1a Brockley Cross (currently a car dealership).

With this iteration they have inched closer towards acceptability, but it's still far short of what one might call good. Cluttered and cramped, it features a cylindrical front, which the architects say will "announce" itself to Brockley Cross as the gateway to Brockley. They include one office in their proposals, with the rest of the space given over to flats.

Full details of the proposal here. Thanks to Ed for keeping a beady eye out.

Blight rider

Perhaps naively, I assumed that if a bellend drives a car into a tree and abandons it in the middle of the pavement in one of Brockley's main thoroughfares, that the car would be removed within days, perhaps hours. Instead, this car has been left in Brockley Cross for weeks, for the community to work around.

It's not as though the authorities are unaware of the wreck - the signs are an attempt to sweep the issue under a civic rug.

If CSI Lewisham still needs to run the black light over this one, please can they hurry up - or otherwise move this thing.

- Lewisham police would like to make it clear that abandoned vehicles are the responsibility of Lewisham Council.

Masalfresco

Masala Wala Cafe is now offering pavement dining in Brockley Cross. Nothing is impossible.

Replaiced

Tony's Plaice has gone, hail the new Kings.

The Brockley Cross fish and chip shop has had some cosmetic changes under its new owners, although it is fittingly sticking with the royal blue colour scheme.

But is it as good - or better- than its predecessor? Let us know once you've had a chance to try it out.

Thanks to Monkeyboy for the photo and the pun.

Bite Mi, 3 Brockley Cross

Bite Mi is now open. The new Vietnamese cafe in Brockley Cross is a low-fi set-up, with stripped-down decor and a straightforward menu that focuses on classic home-cooked Vietnamese dishes.

Reviews please!

Small and blighty

So... what do we think of this one? I have been watching this modest new two-storey house emerge slowly at Brockley Cross, assuming there had to be more to it than this. Some final flourish or new skin that would transform it. But there's no twist in the tail. That's your lot.

I always try to see the best in new buildings, but this one really tests the limits of my charity. With another eyesore on the way, Brockley Cross is mounting a strong bid for the Carbuncle Cup, just at a time when the local high street businesses have been redeeming the double roundabout.

Coming soon: Bite Mi

Following in the footsteps of Mo Pho comes a new Brockley Cross Vietnamese cafe called Bite Mi - replacing The Brockley Grill. On the basis of the name alone, it cannot fail. With this and Parlez on their way, downtown Brockley is in danger of developing a restaurant scene.

Brockley grill next door is gone, just met the owner of new Vietnamese spot 'Bite Mi' 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 opening soon, #brockley

— Masala Wala Cafe (@masalawalacafe) January 4, 2017

Once were Tea Dancers

An application has been made to convert the empty Brockley Cross Tea Factory retail units into a two-bedroom flat.

The space has variously functioned as a gallery space, a life drawing studio, estate agent and an implausibly elaborate Tea Dance-themed childcare centre (in the days when Brockley entrepreneurs thought business plans were dangerously capitalist and the Council could still afford to subsisidise things). But mostly it's just lain empty.

These kinds of moves are usually made prematurely by landlords who haven't seriously tried to fill the units, but this site is particularly challenging and even with peppercorn rents, it has been a problem to fill. A smaller unit in the building was recently converted to residential use. This is one we can let die.

Thanks to Ed for the tip-off.

Breaking Bad

Say its name! After years of speculation that Duke might have shut down - always to be confounded by reports that someone had successfully managed to buy 'a pint of milk' at 2am there - we finally have confirmation that the legendary Brockley Cross convenience store has closed. The landlord was the one who knocks.

Monkeyboy trod lightly to send us these photos. The first a notice of forfeiture from the landlord, the second a bunch of flowers, representing the mourning process this community is going through.

It may have dealt in half measures, but a Brockley institution has been lost. Duke's passing marks the end of an era. Its death should not satisfy us.

The Masala Wala makeover

The Masala Wala refit has begun.

The Pakistani restaurant has been a smash hit since it opened in Brockley Cross last year. Now, they're refurbishing it to squeeze a little more seating room out of their tiny space and to enable them to offer pavement dining in the summer.

Endwell Road launderette to close

Transpontine has spotted that the Endwell Road launderette, sandwiched between Dragonfly Place and the Business Centre, will be closing on September 18th, leaving only the Brockley Road launderette as a local option.

Duke: An Apology

Yesterday, I did Duke, the Brockley Cross convenience store, a disservice, by suggesting it had closed. As this Tweet shows, Duke lives on after midnight.

12.15am Dukes OPEN for all your late night needs 🔥🔥🔥 @BrockleyCentral pic.twitter.com/45LRz1srCn

— Masala Wala Cafe (@masalawalacafe) July 13, 2016

The Beast of Brockley Cross beaten

After Lewisham Council rejected an attempt to convert a Brockley Road shop into an apartment, here's another welcome verdict from their planning department. The ugliest proposal ever to grace these pages, 1-1a Brockley Cross, has been rejected again. The refusal states:

"The scale, massing and design of the proposed building fails to respect or enhance character and appearance of the area and would be harmful to the Brockley Conservation Area [now go back and do it again properly, or better still, give it to someone that knows what they're doing]."

Brockley Cross is slowly dragging itself up by its bootstraps and this project would have been a disaster.

Thank you to Rhymer.

Tornado Alley

Jay's convenience store in Brockley Cross has been transformed as part of the Brockley Street Art Festival.

Mauritian Hits, June 20

I am in Mauritius, recce-ing the place ahead of this pop-up, and can confirm that everything tastes delicious. This sounds like a treat. Contact the hosts here to reserve places.

Wala!

Thanks to Monkeyboy, who spotted these plans to give Masala Wala Cafe in Brockley Cross a sexy new look.

#Repost @gruffltd with @repostapp. ・・・ #alfrescodining coming soon to @masalawalacafe! Our #shopfront #design is now in planning. EXCITING 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 #brockley #se4 #lewisham #planning #design #architecturedesign #architecture #proofs #drawings #plans #smallbusiness #indiebusiness #ideas #business #restaurant #expansion

A photo posted by MWC (@masalawalacafe) on May 5, 2016 at 10:55am PDT