Perhaps there should equally be a little reminder that quite a lot of local residents don’t shop at Aldi. Just because you do doesn’t automatically make it a good idea or mean that everybody wants to. I’ve never been to Aldi so have no opinion either way. Equally, just because Chris likes shopping in Waitrose it doesn’t automatically make it a good idea.
@anon93536262 thanks for the photos. Definitely captures the gasometers in the best light. Perhaps there could be a photo exhibition inside the new Aldi store, so that people can enjoy the best views at any time. They have a certain beauty and some have been listed, but I’m not convinced that every gasometer needs to be listed.
Why not a choice of non-supermarkets?
Why not include keeping it how it is, building a secondary school (grammar if you want to cause extra page hits), building a Bakerloo line terminus, building housing, or a massive sink hole to replace the ones in the town centre?
@Londondrz - Your comment about parks mystifies me. As someone who uses local parks 365 days a year, I can tell you they are busy, vibrant places packed with people from every demographic you can imagine. As more housing is being built without private outdoor space, we need more not fewer parks.
As someone who has designed questionnaires for a living, I can tell you your survey is meaningless if you are asking respondents to self-select. Not giving other options means also means you can’t draw any conclusions from non-responding rates. And you don’t need multiple polls. One is more efficient and effective.
Of course none of that really matters given the respondents are limited to members of this forum. But I can’t let sloppy methodology go unremarked.
I think the preference for supermarket is really a separate topic from the specific site use of Bell Green. The poll should be separated into a different topic (not necessarily related to Bell Green), or the poll about Bell Green should include a wider diversity of possible uses.
A Bakerloo station, or even a regular station on the existing NR line would be good in both improving access to the site via public transport and also a good facility for local residents, though it may prove a double-edged sword from a traffic perspective if people used the existing car park for commuting/park-and-ride.
I would second a cinema as the parking and space for restaurants on site would make it an attractive option. Surely large supermarkets are becoming a thing of the past with the ease of the delivery options available. Who needs Waitrose when you have Ocado - except for the perceived boost to house prices.
@Chipcity Can I just point out that a lot of people in Bell Green don’t have access to Ocado and the thought of using a Waitrose would be laughable. There are a lot of people there who don’t get to go to the cinema as it is expensive.
Can we step back and view the site through the eyes of the locals as apposed to us from FH who cycle there on our Bromptons.
Look at it from the locals point of view and not near local.
@Londondrz - I agree we shouldn’t assume everyone wants what we want. But I’m wondering if you are also making assumptions about people local to Bell Green. Do you have information on the demographics on the area? As it happens, I live 10 minutes walk from Bell Green which I assume makes me local. It’s a very mixed area as far as socio-economics are concerned. Plenty of Brompton-riders, Ocado vans a-plenty.
Let’s not forget any development with parking will have a larger catchment area than those immediately local.
It was meant somewhat tongue in cheek - the bit about Ocado and Waitrose. I would still like one but could not afford to shop there everyday. I agree that cinema prices are much more expensive than I remember them but I am not sure that there is such a economic divide of people using cinemas as you suggest.
Deliveries are usually free and Tesco and Asda deliver also and without a car surely that is invaluable to people as opposed to another large supermarket.
Being at the far end of Cranston Road I’m about a ten min walk away as well and so I think I can consider myself “local” along with plenty of other people around here. I wonder what gives you the authority to speak for me and all these other local people when you say we/they don’t use the cinema because it is too expensive for the poor dears or they would prefer a certain type of supermarket.
To be clear you nor I speak for anyone other than ourselves.
You might perfectly well argue that having a cinema there makes film watching a much cheaper experience as travel costs are minimised - thus bringing solace and comfort to the huddled impoverished masses of the locality.
Oddly enough one of the biggest sellers of Brompton Bikes in the country is about a mile away from Bell Green in rich affluent Catford - but of course the “locals” can’t afford them…
All very true, however the thing about healthy debate is being able to look at a view from all sides. A cinema has been suggested as has a Waitrose. I am just asking people to think beyond their bubbles and to imagine that which would benefit ALL.
Personally a cinema would be great but under utilised by myself and family, I just checked and Fantastic Beasts for myself, the wife and two kids under 12 would be £66.90. That is for the 3pm show at Greenwich. Now I am sure there are cheaper theaters but you have to admit it’s not cheap. Throw is some overprices nibbles and the cost ratchets up quite a bit.
Now that to you may not be expensive but it is to me and we have a decent income.
Anyway, I hope the debate continues, the important thing is that the site is developed to suit as many as it can.
@Londondrz : But the argument works both ways. I wouldn’t shop at an Aldi because I find they don’t tend to stock what I want to buy. I would use a cinema.
As for thinking outside my bubble - hmm. That assumes you know what my bubble is. My kids went to primary school five minutes walk from Bell Green. Many of their friends live in the area. For ten years Lower Sydenham was the entirety of their social lives. I KNOW people who live in and around Bell Green. Do you? Are you aware of the sweeping generalisations you made in your previous post? I absolutely agree we can only talk from our own experience. Which is not what you were doing when you said most locals couldn’t afford to use a cinema. You also assume all cinema visitors are families. What about couples? Singles? Friends? My kids as teens go to the cinema often as that the cost of one ticket and is an affordable monthly outing with freinds.
