Cheeky is right. There is nowhere in HOP to buy fresh fruit and vegetables that are actually palatable apart from the deli, but their choice is seasonal and limited. I don’t think "going to Forest Hill or Crofton Park" is particularly useful, we all know about these places, but would rather not have to go for a daily 40 minute round-trip walk just to buy quality, healthy food.

I was on the fence regarding Sainsbury’s arrival for quite some time as I was worried about the other smaller stores suffering, but these same stores have not diversified or improved their offerings whatsoever since the planning application, despite widespread suggestion both on this forum and at the planning meeting that the lack of fresh goods is the sole reason many people are in favour of Sainsbury’s arrival.

That's a good thing, right?

Eight months is a long time, but I assume that's how long it takes when hundreds of people object to applications. They have to deal with all the concerns as far as possible.

It seems odd to object to the principal of a new shop in a shopping parade. OK it's Sainsburys but what other alternatives are on the table??

Maybe somebody wants to volunteer to give the planning office a call for an update?..

Seasonal is good, but also limiting. Hills and Parks rarely has more than four or five different varieties of fruit and vegetables combined. It isn't a criticism, just a consequence of it being a small deli.

Couldn't agree more Bcm, just goes to show that those currently on the highstreet and especially those who started a petition to get all these complaints sent to the council about Sainsbury's have no intention of working with the community and responding to their needs. As long as they don't have competition and they can continue to rest on their laurels being the only places on the parade to buy certain things then they're on to a winner, that's all they're bothered about. They don't want to work/talk with us and provide essential things that the community needs. The sooner people realise this the better. Discracefully selfish if you ask me. Just like the off licence that doesn't accept any form of plastic, but "oh don't worry you can use the cash machine outside our shop" ...where we'll charge you £1.80 to get money out, we'll take that and then you can also spend your money in our shop, thanks very much (although i'm not sure you'll get any thanks from past experience).

Free cash machine willl arrive with Sainsbury's

This post was last modified: 02-08-2012 01:18 PM by Cheeky.

can't disagree with that. if I was a small business I would have responded to the challenge. so many things that can be done without much expense. anyway roll on the announcement, perhaps that will be enough to spur local owners on.

"Discracefully selfish if you ask me", and also hugely ignorant!!!

This post was last modified: 02-08-2012 01:22 PM by Cheeky.

I couldn't agree more with the last posts - what are people trying to save? A high street in gradual decline! A Sainsburys will be a great boost to a flagging high street and will simply mean that more people will shop (£££) along the high street on their way home(rather than L Bridge), walk to the high st and shop rather than drive to Forest Hill or Sydenham etc and this will increase the footfall and thus save our speciality shops. At the moment, the options are elsewhere and will generally mean a bypass of spending in Honor Oak. No brainer!

The high street is for the community and should serve the community needs - it does not at the moment. A free cash point would be a welcome addition for everyone.

Show me a petition for Sainsbury's and I'll sign it.

There is a free cashpoint about a 2 minute walk away at the post office on Brockley Rise,Honor Oak Supermarket do make an effort selling free range eggs, fresh bread and a reasonable supply of quality dry goods as well as very reasonably priced wine often cheaper than any of the supermarkets, to sell fresh meat etc. you would really need to be sure of your footfall.

Sainsbury's clearly don't see this as an issue.

For a high street to be successful, it needs one or two anchor tenants. Its the same principle that shopping malls use. Get a John Lewis, Marks & Spencer's in, and the rest follow.

Declining the application on the grounds of increased competition to the other shops on the parade would be the worst decision since Abraham Lincoln said, "I'm sick of kicking around the house all day, let's go take in a show."

I live in Forest Hill, not HOP..but have friends there, and this argument about there being a free cash point up by the post office is frankly really annoying! More times than not when I have gone up there to use it, it has been out of order or out of cash - but more to the point is that is it not near the station and the surrounding shops. It is frustrating having to walk up to the opposite end of the parade to get cash out, in order to buy something in one of the newsagents/eating places near the station. So yes..a Sainsburys with a cash point would be fantastic.

umm...as a HOP resident who uses both the cash machine and shops/restaurants/take aways/post office regularly, I'd like to say I happily manage to walk the approx. 5 minutes to that cash machine quite frequently and it has not done me or my physical fitness any harm.

The comments about the free cash machine down the post office remind me of Macca's preformance of Hey Jude at the opening ceremony, i've heard it a thousand times before and it's getting tired. The free cash machine by the post office is about as useful as a concrete parachute when i'm walking down past the alotments to the station and I need some cash sharpish as my train leaves in 2 minutes.

I refer back to my previous qoute about people who seem to have this 'why do we need that on the parade' attitude

Arrggghhhhhh, WHY NOT for goodness sake!?!?!?!?!

Poolsneighbour, you are right about the cash machine. For a month this year it only gave out cash during the opening hours of the Post Office. I called RM to complain about it and sure enough a couple of weeks later it was working in the evenings again. By Sunday afternoon it almost never has any money left. I've lived in HOP for a little over two years and in that time I've had to walk to Forest Hill Road in East Dulwich or to the Shell garage in Forest Hill more times than I care to remember because both Gogi and the PO are out of money. The need for a reliable cash machine on the parade is not trivial.

PS - the Macca comment made me spit out my coffee. :D

This post was last modified: 03-08-2012 12:28 PM by Bcm.

It is going to committee on the 29th Aug, everyone should attempt to attned. A decision will be made either way on that day, no more consultations or feet dragging

Apparently the address mix up is why is hasn't been decided yet. Won't say more than that as i don't want to prejudice the decision

Fingers crossed

Presumably 30th August as planning committees meet on Thursdays.

The officer's report should be available one week before the meeting at http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/i...3&MId=2547 if it is included in the agenda for 30th August.

I am actually quite nervous!

Surely the address mix up was an honest mistake on the title of the application. If you look at all the documents within the application all three buildings are clearly marked out on all the plans, drawings and designs, they had to be. The mistake was only picked up at the meeting when those opposed to it pointed it out.

That doesn't make sense to me.

dunno thats what planning told me. I am feeling confident about the decision. Apparently impact on competing units isn't a reason to reject it, so only things like quality of residental units and impact on the highway in terms of added conjection etc can cause it to be rejected

That means we won't be held hostage by those neighbouring shops that have complained. Good.