The war on soggy newspapers - play your part

Before the deluge: at 8am, the newspapers have already begun to pile up.

As someone who can't stand a minute alone with his own thoughts, the explosion in free London newspapers has been a godsend: there's always one lying around to read if I'm stuck on a train without a book or my blackberry.

However, there is a darker side to the free newspaper phenomenon.

In Brockley, the specially-designed bins, placed outside the station for people to leave their newspapers at the end of their jouney have proven woefully inadequate for the task. Too small and hard to use, they are not emptied quickly enough, which means that they a constantly overflowing, and people are increasingly opting to chuck their papers beside the bins, creating Brockley's biggest piece of public sculpture: a monstrous papier-mache mountain of wet newspaper, that can't be recycled.

The problem has been raised with our local MP at the latest Brockley Commmon Partnership meeting and it's been agreed that it's a problem that needs addressing. However, in the mean time, please play your part and, if you find the bins overflowing, take your newspaper home with you.

New neighbour for Magi

A new shop is currently being fitted out, next door to Magi, on Coulgate Street, facing the conservation area side of Brockley Station.

The contractors were unable to confirm whether any tennant has been found for the new shop, but the fit-out of the shell is due for completion within a couple of weeks.

It's a prime location for a small shop or cafe - particularly looking forward to the arrival of the East London Line - and further demonstrates the need (if any further argument were necessary) for Phase 2 of the Brockley Common project to create a really nice public space on a currently-uncared-for street.

Fewer things for cars, more things for people

It's not for nothing that my son's first word was 'car'.

I'd bet that the car ownership per capita in Brockley is relatively low compared with the rest of London, given that parking never seems to be a problem and the local demographic seems to consist of young professionals, the low-paid and the 'artistic' family. And yet, an amazing proportion of the area seems to be given over to them.

On the short journey between Crofton Park Library and Geoffrey Road, I counted 10 car-related commercial properties, from MOT garages to car washes. The most mysterious are the second hand car lots that never seem to have customers, particularly B&M Motors on Geoffrey Road, which I've never once seen any human life in and whose signs still advertise a telephone number starting with 01 for London.

It would be nice to think that at least one or two of these places might give up the ghost pretty soon and perhaps we could have something for people there in their place.

Anyway, this blog is at risk of turning in to a list of gripes, so the next post will be something positive, since it was started to celebrate the local community. And on that note, I can heartily recommend the tyre place on Geoffrey Road, who fixed my flat for a tenner, within an hour on a Saturday morning...

Is this a sign? Or vandalism?

This question has been bugging me for a long time now - is this shop called "Ask Toes", or is it just vandalism?

It looks like graffiti, plain and simple. But I walked past the guys who were setting up the shop every day on my way to work, as they lovingly restored the shop, with good attention to detail. The "sign" sprang up at the same time as the shop opened, in which case, why didn't the houseproud owners clean it off and put up a proper sign? But if it's not graffiti, what on earth is the name supposed to be, especially, done in such an amateurish way.

Does anyone know? Please put my mind at rest.

I suppose I could just go and ask them myself, but I don't want to seem rude if it is deliberate - and anyway, who wants to go in a shop called Ask Toes?

Four new shops for Brockley Cross

Four new shops and fourteen new apartments are under construction on Endwell Road, facing the Brockley Cross roundabout "system".

Developers Acorn are converting a former light-industrial building in to new homes and small retail outlets, which will face out on to Endwell Road. Building work, which is already underway (with the existing structure being stripped out) should take another 18 months, approximately.

The nature of the shops and the price of the apartments is yet to be determined, but given their location, its unlikely that they'll be vying with Pan Peninsula for custom.

The Brockley Cross Action Group wish list

The site of Brockley Common "Phase 2" - it can't come too soon!

Following my earlier, more prosaic list of personal wishes for Brockley, here is a more noble list of ambitions for the area, compiled by Stuart, from the Brockley Cross Action Group.

Some good progress has been made with a number of these initiatives, but they're looking for champions for some of these individual projects, so please click on the BCAG link from this page if you wish to get in touch and help make a difference to your local area. Thanks.

Brockley Common
Phase 1a – temporary replacement of Coulgate Street walls
Network Rail delay due to costs

Brockley Common
Phase 2 – ramp and creation of new public space
Currently being designed and costed up for further fundraising

Estate Environments – Particularly Wickham Road and Clare Estates
£1,400. Need to find willing tenants to work with

Mantle Rd/ St Asaphs raised flower beds
£1,500 allocated from Telegraph Hill Ward Councillors locality fund. Need to find someone local to lead

Mantel Road/Endwell Rd Corner (opp Endwell Court). Land in front of and behind hoardings
Raised with Network Rail who are reluctant to lose advertising income. Needs someone to lead

Platform 1, Brockley Station, bank at back of platform,
Plant with bulbs. Needs permission, prior deep clean and a work day

Eternal café, Mantle Road, local eyesore,
Clear and plant up. Network Rail owned. No progress. Needs someone to lead

Brockley Sorting Office, Brockley Road

Agreed location for a Farmers Market, needs greening and ‘softening up’ through limited planting and half barrels etc. No one leading at present

Brockley Cross Junction and shops
New traffic arrangement and environmental improvements. Council leading, no progress for two years now

Some basic things that Brockley Cross could do with...

I know this isn't the most spiritually uplifting list, but nonetheless, I think they're all things that would make a big difference to the area.

1. A Sainsbury's Local (or even, a Tesco Metro). Some people will be horrified by the idea, and say that it will reduce Brockley's unique character or threaten local shopkeepers, but I'd swap Costcutter for a proper supermarket chain, with fresh food and a big range of products any day of the week. I can't think of any small local retailers who'd be threatened either. Forest Hill seems like a good model for Brockley - the Sainsbury's is nicely integrated in to the high street and there are a range of small shops, bars and cafes scattered around it.

2. A cash machine that doesn't charge. Brockley isn't a northern sink estate, it's a residential area in Zone 2. We're not supposed to be the financially disenfranchised! A proper cash dispenser might even stimulate the local economy a bit - if you have to trudge up to Crofton Park to get cash out, it's hardly conducive to spending locally.

3. A nice, proper pub. The Whetherspoons fails on both counts and is a magnet for swaying, toothless alcoholics. Nice from a distance, just don't look too closely. The Wickham Arms has potential, but is about as warm and welcoming as the Slaughtered Lamb. Except on Thursdays, when there's live music. Actually, a good pub should be number one...