Friday 3 August 2012

Please no, not another takeaway . . .

A 'change of use' planning application has been submitted in respect of 89 Ladywell Road, currently the 'En Gedi' gift shop, which is closing down.  The application is for a change to A3 (restaurant/cafe)/A5 (takeway) use.
LVIG considers that Ladywell is already oversaturated with takeaways so is likely firmly to oppose this application.

18 comments:

val said...

As a recent chicken keeper and vegetarian I beg there not be another murdered chicken shop.

Anonymous said...

Please no. I cannot stomach another fast food outlet. How can this possibly be agreed by the council. Detrimental to the area not to mention the other takeaway businesses in existence! Maybe we should re-name from Ladywell Village to Takeaway Village.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, applications for change of use are determined by planning law, they're not at the discretion of the Council. The Council's planning committee can only consider whether an application is lawful. Personally, I don't want to see another fast food outlet in Ladywell either but market forces dictate don't they? Someone, somewhere must be buying from these outlets otherwise they'd go out of business.

Anonymous said...

Enough takeaways please..any person considering a new business should do some research into what people would like in ladywell..

Simon said...

The issue here seems to be landlords looking for a quick, easy buck.

Ladywell is fast becoming the Chicken Capital of the South East. We'll have people from far and wide doing "Chicken Crawls" soon.

Am I being stupid but don't the unused Masons and the unused old cafe next to Mason's both already have use approval as a cafe / restaurant?

Good luck in the opposition to this madness.

Anonymous said...

i would welcome another chicken shop

Tubby Teen said...

Mmmm yes, me too.

Anonymous said...

We could call it The Hungry Village Chicken Hut just to cover all the options.

Anonymous said...

We don't know what it is yet - It could be a nice cafe. We've lost Masons and Oscars is expensive, so why not another cafe? (if that is what it is going to be). A1/A5 doesn't have to mean chicken shop....

Anonymous said...

Per Anonymous above, certainly true it could be anything. However if it genuinely wants to be a nice cafe (or even another Chicken takeaway) then why not move in to Masons or even the old cafe next door (which has stayed empty for an eternity) rather than changing the use of En Gedi.

Anonymous said...

Noooo! Please not another poor take away.
Lewisham Council - please take note and get a grip. Fried chicken and bookies - that is all the area is known for. Oh and pound shops.
Such a shame.

Geoffrey said...

Apparently, Planning Officers have refused permission for the change of use. The applicant can, of course, appeal to the Government's Planning Inspectorate.

Anonymous said...

I find it a little worrying that this has been turned down. I am not in-love with chicken shops either, but on the other hand this may not have been one of those. The shops at Ladywell are poor (as a collection - I can see some are trying) and while chattier locals may hope that it might become more like Blackheath one day the fact is it won't. In the meantime viable businesses even of they are not as cute as some would like are better than no businesses at all. I think the Lewisham end of Lee High Road - which is thriving with non chain stores run by what appears to be a variety of immigrants is a reasonable template. Ladywell's best retail future may be a mixture of catering establishments. Clearly whatever the council's strategy has been for it, coupled with the locals squeamishness, it has given us what we have now.

Geoffrey said...

The reason for refusal on the planning website is:
The proposed change of use would result in an over-concentration of non-retail uses and would undermine the vitality and viability of the local shopping parade contrary to Policy STC 8 Local Shopping Parades and Corner Shops of the UDP (July 2004).

If you look at the mix of premises, including offices, hairdressers etc, retail units are in the minority. Apparently the new "Hunger Hut" is not doing as well as had been hoped.

Anonymous said...

Just walked past this today and it looks like it is going to be a Barbers!

Anonymous said...

I'm not surprised the Hunger Hut isn't doing well. It has no USP and no character whatever so far as I can tell even given it's downmarket aspirations.

Nevetheless I think catering and services rather than retail per-se are the way forward whatever LBL's "strategy" says (presumably they want John Lewis Local to set up in Ladywell but can only get Ade Odeolu, Mo Odeglu and Ali-Intikhab to show an interest. They should take what they can get.

Apriltsng said...

We don't know what it is yet - It could be a nice cafe. We've lost Masons and Oscars is expensive, so why not another cafe? (if that is what it is going to be). A1/A5 doesn't have to mean chicken shop....

Anonymous said...

Ladywell is a very lovely area to live in, fair enough too much chicken shops but so what? If you want to buy well buy if not its their loss.... By the way its about time they finish with the road works, its becoming a complete nightmare. ILoveladywell
Kathy