Category Archives: Useful to know

A new type of extension on the Shaftesbury estate

The quiet streets of picturesque Victorian houses in Battersea’s Shaftesbury Estate have an enduring appeal – but even its most fervent admirers have to concede that they’re not the biggest houses around. They were built by the Artisans, Labourers and … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Planning, Street by street, Useful to know | 1 Comment

Compulsory water meters are coming to Clapham Common Northside

You may have noticed a lot of Thames Water vans around in the last few weeks, and people in Thames Water uniforms taking lots of photos of tiny drain covers in the pavement, as well as painting them white. As … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Street by street, Useful to know | 2 Comments

Part of the Queenstown Road cycle route’s set for an upgrade – but the worst bit may not see much change.

Plans are being developed to improve the cycle lane along the northern end of Queenstown Road. As the last chance for cycle commuters from much of south west London to safely cross the river before the nightmare of Vauxhall gyratory, … Continue reading

Posted in Street by street, Transport, Useful to know | Leave a comment

The long-planned second entrance to Queenstown Road station may still be on track

It’s been a while, but there’s finally a little bit of progress on the planned new entrance to Queenstown Road station. The Battersea Exchange development that’s funding it is complete, but in February last year we noted that things had … Continue reading

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Lavender Hill’s back in business

As of today Lavender Hill’s shops, hairdressers & salons, and businesses are back open, as well as an ongoing expansion in outdoor seating at several cafes & restaurants. Good to see a decent lunchtime crowd at The Crown‘s outdoor terrace … Continue reading

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Another twist in the development project at Parma Crescent

Over the last year we’ve been following the twists and turns of a proposed development on Parma Crescent (on the opposite side of Lavender Hill to Asda). The picture above is the house that is currently on the site: a … Continue reading

Posted in Planning, Street by street, Useful to know | 1 Comment

Megan’s innovative new outdoor restaurant on the Common opens this Friday

We’ve taken a quick look behind the scenes. Small-but-growing local business Megan’s took a new lease on the long-closed and dilapidated Recovery Cafe next to the skate park & basketball courts, and for the last month they have since been … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Environment, Food & drink, Useful to know | 2 Comments

At last, the lights on Clapham Common are being repaired properly

Good news on Clapham Common: the street lights running from the Bandstand to the abandoned toilets by the South Circular road are finally having a major overhaul. This particular row of a dozen or so lights has been very problematic … Continue reading

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Vaacinations at Battersea Arts Centre

A positive sign: The queue at the Battersea Arts centre vaccination site. It’s one of London’s NHS-run vaccination centres, available for those booking vaccinations directly with the NHS (the link to do this, if you’re in the relevant age and … Continue reading

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Feeling brave? The toilets in the woods on Clapham Common are up for rent, to entrepreneurs with ideas.

They’ve been boarded up for as long as most of us can remember. At one stage someone stole part of the roof. The whole building leans just slightly. And they narrowly escaped complete demolition over a decade ago. But somehow, … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Food & drink, Planning, Useful to know | 3 Comments