Jam Circus flats refused

A proposal to build three flats to the rear of Jam Circus has been rejected by the Council on the basis of poor quality and an overbearing design. The plan was for:

The change of use and conversion of the existing shop together with demolition of the existing single storey structures and the construction of a two storey building to the rear of 330-334 Brockley Road SE4 fronting Beecroft Lane to provide 3 x one person one bedroom self-contained flats.

The development would not have directly compromised Jam Circus, but any residential development that encroaches on a pub is always cause for concern on the basis that future residents may find grounds to complain about people having fun outside their windows, even if the revelry was there first.

Heat Massage, 315a Brockley Road

Heat Massage is a new massage therapy room, in Heat salon on Brockley Road. Prices start from £25 for 30 minutes (or £20 for baby massage).

For details, click here.

Crofton Park refresh

Lewisham Council has a launched  public consultation in relation to its plans for the Crofton Park stretch of Brockley Road.

The proposals are to:

• Narrow the available road width widening footways allowing for inset parking, disabled parking and electrical vehicle charging bays to be constructed
• Raise the carriageway level (raised junctions) locally in three areas to reduce vehicle speeds along Brockley Road
• Introduce a raised section in the side roads (raised table) at the junctions, to improve safety by reducing the speed of approaching vehicles, and to provide better facilities for pedestrians and those with impaired mobility to cross
• Formalise all on-street parking within inset bays and improve vehicle visibility at junctions
• Plant new trees along Brockley Road within the widened footways where possible

Though these are modest proposals, similar small changes have already helped Ladywell and Brockley Cross attract more footfall and business activity. 

To take part in the consultation, click here. Thanks to Joe for the heads-up.

Villa Toscana up for sale

Villa Toscana, the Brockley Road restaurant, is up for sale.

This venue has had a colourful and unsuccessful decade and a takeover, followed by a makeover, is necessary. It occupies a prime spot, bang in the middle of Brockley's main drag, but dated decor, a bewildering decision to block the front windows and regular changes of management have haunted it.

The six bedrooms above the restaurant are included in the sale price.

Midtown plot for sale

A Brockley Road plot with planning permission for development as flats is up for sale - yours for a mere £900k.

The site, on the corner of Brockley and Arabin roads, is occupied by a 3 storey house with a single storey garage extension. Permission has been secured to death mask the house and add an extension, to create four flats.

Gently, 405 Brockley Road

We are delighted to be open now in #CroftonPark, every day. Come for a nose. We are selling gorgeous #gifts, #books and #homewares. pic.twitter.com/Xob4LLb2um

— Gently (@gentlyhome) July 23, 2017

Open seven days a week in Crofton Park, selling homewares and gifts, Gently Elephant now has a sibling.

Virtue signalling

@TeamCatford @brockstreetart @BrockleyCentral @henryfix_ @HitherMurals @honoroakpark @CroftonParkLife A non election post! pic.twitter.com/6ukVDxNePl

— Lionel Stanhope (@lionel_stanhope) June 9, 2017

Not only does this new sign, created by Lionel Stanhope as part of the Street Art Festival, brighten this Brockley Road bridge, but it succinctly captures the truth of Greater Brockley: Brockley to the left, Brockley to the right. Whichever way you turn, there you are.

Brockley's dark territory brightened

During the last decade that this site has been running, many of the ugliest parts of Brockley have been, if not beautified, then at the very least significantly improved. But the railway bridges crossing Brockley and Mantle Roads represent grot's last stand in SE4.

However, hidden in the small print of the announcement about the 2017 Street Art Festival was the news that this spot will be transformed by a brand-new, epic-sized mural. Artist Lionel Stanhope confirms:

@BrockleyCentral @brockstreetart @BrockleyMax It will be Railway style like the Hither Green one pic.twitter.com/PnDrFN02Mc

— Lionel Stanhope (@lionel_stanhope) May 16, 2017

So that the West Side doesn't feel left out, Frendsbury and St Norbert will be joining the party with commissioned work.

Turners to close

Turners, the Brockley Road hardware store, is to close later this month. The shop has been providing a valuable service to the local community for decades and built a loyal customer base, who've come to rely on the fact that Turners will always have what they need, however obscure.

Recently, the owner of Turners was a victim of a violent assault in the course of a robbery, but the decision to close the store is due to retirement.

Thank you to BertofBrockley for the heads-up.

Brockley Road: Heroes and Villains

Two neighbouring venues on Brockley Road have recently made an effort to pretty themselves up for summer, to vastly different effect.

Firstly, we have Central Cafe, who have taken a look around and noticed that people seem to like spending time in places that look nice. Their minimalist makeover is a soothing addition to the high street.

Secondly, we have the post office next door, which has sold every square inch of real estate to Moneygram and consequently looks like a nightmarish version of Rymans, with its employees and customers forbidden from ever seeing the light of day. If junk mail were a shop, it would be this place.

Saka Maka Cafe, 171 Brockley Road

Saka Maka café is officially open. The Indian restaurant and takeaway is already attracting very positive reviews from BCers and now the team behind it would like to introduce themselves. Sohan writes:

Our restaurant is run by three friends and chefs, whose experience includes five star hotels and well-known restaurants. Saka Maka is a slang term used in hotel kitchens. It means work fast or be innovative.

As a promotional offer, we are giving a 10% discount on on takeaways (for collection and home delivery) and we offer free chai to those who can give us our password for the day, which we usually post on our Facebook page here or on Twitter here.

For a little fun, we invite people to ring the bell inside the restaurant if they had a great time. We are giving breakfast cards to guests who eat with us.

Between Mondays and Thursdays, before 5pm, guests can play Try Your Luck. If you roll a 6, then your bill is on us.

The only alcoholic drink we sell is beer, but guests can bring alternatives and we will not charge anything for that.

To see the menu, click here.

Brockley business break-in

Terrible to see @FredsSe4 & @MalaysianDeli broken in to last night😡 Closed today. Make sure you #SupportLocal & get them back on their feet pic.twitter.com/HDEF1U3BPW

— South London Club (@SouthLondonClub) February 22, 2017

Coming soon: Saka Maka Cafe

Essence of India (171 Brockley Road) has closed and will be replaced by Saka Maka Cafe.

The old restaurant improved its offer a year or so ago, but its brand was too tarnished and it never pulled in the punters. Its successor is opening soon and its online menu looks considerably nicer than its website.

The concept seems to be an Indian cafe that blends classic Indian dishes with coffees and juices to pull in the daytime punters.

Time Out: 14 reasons to go to Brockley Road

Once upon a time, I saw it as my job to rebalance Brockley's media profile. If the area attracted any coverage at all, it would usually be for a stabbing. Today, real journalists dish out the kind of hyperbole that even Brockley Nick-circa-2009 would have blanched at.

Time Out has given us 14 reasons to visit Brockley Road and begins:

"Brockley Road is south-east London’s answer to LA’s Sunset Boulevard."

Brockley Road's snaking, gap-toothed nature means that it's easy to forget that the Brockley Jack and Gently Elephant share the same address, so this a nice celebration of SE4 eclecticism.

To see their list, click here Thanks to Joe for the spot.

Brickfields, 293 Brockley Road

Dark star: Brickfields is deliberately dark, inside and out

Brickfields, the new Brockley Road bar from the team behind The Orchard, launched this week and is open every night from 6pm-midnight (except Christmas Eve, when it shuts at 10.30pm).

Like The Orchard, the owners have come up with an unfussy recipe, focused on atmosphere, rather than gimmicks. Unlike The Orchard - and every other local venue that's opened in the last decade - it seems aimed squarely at 20-somethings, rather than 30-somethings. Music plays a much more central role here than in any other SE4 bar.

Outside and inside, it's dark. Requiem for a Dream-dark. There is nice detailing on the bar, courtesy of local architect Gruff, but you'll need to wait until the clocks go forward to see it properly. Not since former hippy-lounge Moonbow Jakes closed down and got replaced by the Brockley Mess has a local venue so deliberately eschewed natural light.

The elegant detailing you won't see

And it's tight. Formerly a restaurant space, it's more generously proportioned than Masala Wala, but it has had to make similarly-efficient use of space. Like a narrow-boat version of Jam Circus, it has a front bar and a quieter back room.

Brickfields brings something new to the area. An uncompromising cool that is only possible once you decide not to cater for the daytime crowd of baby buggies and home-workers. And it's another hit. Last night, with little fanfare, the place was already busy.

Coming very soon: Brickfields

Brickfields, the new Brockley Road bar from the team behind The Orchard. Its test-run last night went swimmingly and the public opening is imminent.

An early Christmas present for Brockley and a shot in the arm for this Midtown stretch.

Somewhere to go past 11pm in Brockley. This is a big deal. #brickfieldsbar you are so very welcome 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾

A video posted by Saima Arshad (@saimaarshad) on Dec 19, 2016 at 2:30pm PST

Blue is the new Green is the new Orange

Jesse: It may be blue, but it's the bomb.

Tuco: Tight! Tight, tight, yeah! Oh, blue, yellow, pink. Whatever, man. Just keep bringing me that.

- Breaking Bad

Co-Ops are the new Sainsbury's. Two new convenience stores are about to open in the area.

Still rushing from the critical success of its re-brand from green to crystal blue, the company is expanding fast and has targeted this area. Finishing touches are being put on their stores in Brockley Road's midtown church conversion and a new-build by the DLR in Deptford.

Midtown

Deptford Bridge

I have never quite forgiven them for the irredeemably bad Co-Op that I relied on as a student or for the lousy Co-Op in Crofton Park, but the group seems to have got its act together in the last couple of years and the new retro logo sure is pretty.

Midtown Co-Op opening December 15

The Co-Op community engagement officer has confirmed that a new store will be opening on Brockley Road in the Midtown area, near Adelaide Avenue.

"The store management and colleagues have been working hard to get the store ready to open to the community on Thursday 15th December."

Coming soon: Brickfields Bar

A new bar / restaurant is opening on Brockley Road, brought to us by the team behind The Orchard.

The Orchard (Harefield Road) was among the first of Brockley’s new wave of restaurants, bars and cafes that people went to as an active and positive choice rather than out of a sense of duty to local businesses or a lack of better ideas.

In many ways, it is still the benchmark that other local businesses should aspire to. Somehow both buzzy and relaxed, simple yet fancy. Cosy in winter when the flames of the oven seem to heat the whole space, cool in summer with the windows thrown open. The founders struck the right balance and created the perfect local experience.

So this news is welcome and overdue. They are going to try and bottle lightning all over again – this time, in Midtown.

Brickfields is the name of their new place, replacing the old, deserted Thai restaurant on Brockley Road. They’ve got the keys, they’ve got planning permission. They are finally ready to go. Ed explains:

“The plan is for a bar with a late licence serving food, cocktails, craft beer, wine... It isn't going to be a carbon copy of The Orchard and will have a personality all of it's own.

“We are hoping to be open for Christmas but will see how we get on with the build!”

Brockley's Town Centre

The development of 180 Brockley Road has created the closest thing we are ever going to get to a coherent town centre around Brockley Station, so it's worth reflecting on the finished product. 

The building links Coulgate Street and Brockley Road, while the improvements to Coulgate Street have opened up the East Side entrance to Brockley Station.

The new block is, in my view, a mini triumph. The building creates a handsome new stretch of high street that combines symmetry and variation while the materials complement the surrounding buildings without trying too hard to fit in. The angles created by the roofline at either end of Coulgate Street are spectacular, but they don't distract from the charm of the original cottages. Only the value-engineered brown balconies let it down.

Although the ground floor units of 180 Brockley Road offer an underwhelming mix new businesses, another empty unit has been created by the station, which is begging to be filled by a foodie business. Next month, Degustation will re-open as a bottle shop. The Coulgate Street cluster will then be nicely balanced with restaurants (The Gantry, Mo Pho, Nu Spice), a pub (The Barge), cafes (Browns, the Broca), shops (Salthouse Bottles, Sainsbury's), and services (taxis, architects and estate agents).

Perhaps best of all though is what has been done to Coulgate Street itself. Once upon a time, this was Coulgate Street. Now, the bounteous green borders of Brockley Station have been joined by nice wide pavements, while the provision of fewer spaces for cars and more places for bikes has created a much calmer, prettier and more versatile gateway to the neighbourhood. Cafe culture has bloomed.