Lavender-Hill.uk : Supporting Lavender Hill

Three new Cafes for Lavender Hill: Howdy, Maiolica, and 2Love

Posted on October 28, 2019 by David

Who remembers the all day brunches that the Roastery on Wandsworth Road used to offer, complete with giant mushrooms and a corn fritter options? They were the first place in the area to sell Flat Whites (way before they became ubiquitous), and introduced many to to the art of the Anzac cookie. When they closed after more than a decade in business, many missed them – and it also left a local gap in the market for a good quality brunches and lunches.

The Howdy Bistro has opened at 62 Lavender Hill just this week (formerly Noiya, though you won’t recognise the interior), and James and Yasir aim to fill this gap – as well as supplying good coffee and cakes. James is a professional chef, and it shows – it’s fair to say on our first visit Howdy didn’t disappoint – indeed it felt quite under priced for the quality. Child friendly, with high chairs and a children’s menu set to arrive in the next week or so. We hear more is to follow, including a cosy outdoor seating area that will make the most of their front terrace.

Meanwhile The Roastery’s old premises (up the Wandsworth Road heading up the hill from Tesco) has been redecorated and reopened as Maiolica Cafe, serving Sicilian food (including breakfast) and proper Italian coffee. Headed by enthusiastic new owners, it’s definitely worth heading all the way out here to their end-of-the-street location. We were pleased to see that some of the old wall artwork from its days as the Roastery has been preserved!

Nearer the station, established local coffee shop 2Love have outgrown their St Johns Road premises and opened up their second local branch in what used to be the right hand half of Braggins Carpets. It’s way smaller than their first premises but is doing a healthy trade – and they’ve brought with them the huge range of intriguing teas.

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A bit of good news is that the former Valentina (which has been empty for some time after the whole chain went in to administration, and whose garden has been turning in to a bit of a wilderness) has apparently been let and will become a bar with light music (there’s currently a licensing application on the door; neighbours will be pleased to hear that the proposed use of the outdoor garden will be limited to before 9:30pm).

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In pictures: Progress on Lavender Hill’s new urban park

Posted on October 28, 2019 by David

Planters around what will be the outdoor cafe area

Back in December we reported that BAC was developing an ‘urban park’ on Town Hall Road, which at the time was a barriered-off and rather sad-looking road used mainly for deliveries. It was a bold project that faced various hurdles (they didn’t own all the land, they had many other issues on heir hands, and at the time they didn’t have all the cash either) but we’re very happy to see that work is now well underway.

Several new street trees have been planted right along the length of the street. At this point we may have to disappoint any readers who might be hoping that this work will turn the street in to the sort of lush green wilderness you could lose the dog in if you weren’t careful: it’s simply not possible to do that here, because while Town Hall Road is no longer open to traffic it still has to allow for delivery (and fire!) access, as well as being a right of way – however the street level has been raised to be flush with the pavement, and the many planters that will be used create the park effect are currently being prepared.

One of the more unusual features is the creation of a large planted area on the old raised platform, which had been designed as a sort of viewpoint (but which never really worked). This will house large twisted metal girder that was pulled out of the wreckage of the major fire that destroyed the Great Hall – pictured above. Work here is also underway, with steel edging now in place and wiring installed for some lighting.

The two old phone boxes have been restored and repainted (the ultimate aim is for them to house a garden store and a sink to support volunteers during gardening projects). The pavement in front of the main entrance to BAC, which was made of proper stone but which had become cracked and uneven over the years, has been completely resurfaced with new stone, and the heritage street lights have all been fully restored and got back in to working order (with energy efficient white LED lighting that suits the building better).

All in all – this is progressing really well, and it already looks better than it did before. We very much applaud the imagination and enthusiasm of the team at BAC in making this happen.

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New Nando’s on Lavender Hill is up & running

Posted on October 28, 2019 by David

Back in February we reported that Nando’s was coming to Lavender Hill – taking over the short-lived Chicken Cottage site between Debenhams and Whole Foods (previously Wimpy). It’s taken a while, but building work is now complete, and it’s up and running.

The old shop unit has had a proper tidy up, with new windows cut in to the side walls, a rationalisation of the inside layout to make a lot more space, and a smart curved glass corner window. This is only a small branch with a few tables (and it’s a bit of an experiment for the company), as the aim is to do mainly takeaway and delivery orders, taking a bit of pressure off the ever-crowded Northcote Road branch.

In contrast to many other chains Nando’s rarely put a foot wrong and have seen healthy sales and good profits in recent years (with close to a billion pounds in annual turnover), even while funding costly international expansions. They’ve chosen a good spot here and have put in a good effort on the fit-out; we suspect this will do well.

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Battersea’s Post Office is being downgraded

Posted on October 7, 2019 by David

You may have seen posters up in the main Post Office on Lavender Hill, saying that there are ‘changes’ ahead, and that they welcome views. It’s not entirely clear what the change is about – at first glance, the only proposed changes they consulted on (see this pdf document for details) are about the accessibility of the branch.

If you were there this weekend, you may also have seen Mole Meade from the Commercial Workers Union (which covers, among other areas, those who work in Post Offices), pictured above, with a petition as part of the “#Save our Post Office” campaign.

The real change is nothing to do with the consultation on ‘access to the branch’, but rather that in November this post office is changing from a major office that is centrally managed by Royal Mail itself (known as a ‘Crown’ Post Office – typically the top 2% of all post offices, covering the largest and most important branches), to instead be a franchise run by a separate company, along more commercial lines. The Post Office has the right to make this change without any consultation, so unless there are quick policy changes it’s going to happen whether we (and the post office staff) like it or not.

Franchised Post Offices aren’t unusual – indeed the small post office at the back of Costcutters on Queenstown Road (near the eastern end of Lavender Hill) is an example of one. At the end of last year the Post Office proposed to franchise 78 branches to WHSmith, who have made a business out of taking over formerly state-run post offices.

But franchising is controversial – partly because the franchisee firms tend to offer lower wages, and less job security, than the previous Crown Post Offices did. Technically speaking, the only proposed change at Lavender Hill is a slight extension in opening hours (it will open on Saturday afternoons). In the longer term the change may make it easier to close down the post office completely if it underperforms, although as a consistently busy urban post office we don’t see that as a particularly high risk. Recent research by Citizens Advice, using mystery shoppers, found the overall changes were mixed: some aspects of service improved when branches were privatised, but others got worse, maybe reflecting the higher staff turnover and lower wages in a ‘general retail’ environment compared to a centrally run Post Office. Franchisees have a tendency to co-locate post offices with other businesses (usually shops, but sometimes pubs or restaurants) to cut costs, so we may see it move to somewhere else in the area (and the consultation on ‘access in to the premises’ – where one of the two entrances is up some steps – may be a way of justifying such a relocation).

The official consultation documents don’t say who will take over our post office, though we have heard some reports that rather than the ‘usual suspect’ of WHSmith, it may instead be a firm at least loosely linked to ZCO Limited, a small company that runs several existing Post Offices (as well as stationery shops). There seems to be a rather worrying amount of controversy around the company! This article on the Faversham Eye is particualrly forthright:

Since the privatization mania of the 1980’s, the title of most incompetent company getting a fat government contract has been hotly contested. Though not as well as known or as big as many of the others, ZCO/Potent are well placed to compete for this illustrious title. All the key elements are there – an appalling record of broken promises, poor financial reporting and dismal performance.

There has been debate in Parliament about the company – for example in January, the future of Sydenham’s Post Office was discussed at Westminster, with concern being expressed that “the franchise has been awarded to a stationery company, ZCO Ltd, with no good track record of running post offices”. For an exhaustive report in to the firm, see this post about ZCO and Acocks Green Post office.

To be fair there has, however, been some evidence of new and imaginative approaches in some cases – for example in Huddersfield the firm seems to have combined a Post Office with a Cafe-Bar and Bistro rather than a stationery outlet.

We’ll keep you posted on how this develops, in particular if we hear more details of which company is taking over and what they are planning for the office and the staff (and do get in touch with any insights!). Whatever happens, it looks as though change is definitely ahead for our Post Office.

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The betting shops are closing down…

Posted on September 23, 2019 by David

They seem to be everywhere. Few other businesses can claim to have a presence on almost every high street in the country, from the poshest city centres to the bleakest estate parades. It’s not unusual to see several of the same chain on a single street – and Lavender Hill is no exception. There’s a William Hill at 15 Lavender Hill, and another one about four blocks away at 131 Lavender Hill. Ladbrokes have a branch at each end of Lavender Hill. And around the station there’s a Paddy Power, yet another William Hill, and a Betfred.

But not for long.

IMG_20190922_162941606_HDR Betting shops are unusual businesses. There’s nothing perishable, and running costs are low. But they pay staff, rent, and business rates like any other business. They’re inherently vulnerable to online competition. The traditional bets on the horses have been bringing in less and less money in recent years – instead, most of the stores have come to rely on the income from the slot machines – ‘Fixed Odds Betting Terminals’, or FOBTs. These typically take a cut of 3-10% of all bets placed, and with each stake between £1 and £100, they were sometimes fabulously profitable!

Maybe too profitable for the shops, which is why the government has been keen to regulate them for a while. The prospect of losing hundreds of pounds within minuted was just too tempting for some. At first, their numbers were limited to four machines per shop. This probably encouraged the spread of betting shops, as if you had three small shops close to each other, you could have twelve machines rather than four…

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But it wasn’t to last. From April this year, the rules were changed – and the maximum bet on FOBTs was reduced from £100 to just £2. This means that a lot of previously profitable shops have suddenly become loss making – and this week, both the branches of William Hill on Lavender Hill announced they were closing down. Chances are more closures will follow.

Betting shops have always divided opinions. Some of the people we’ve spoken to about these closures see it as a good thing – reducing the number of high-stakes betting opportunities will, after all, make it harder for those who can’t manage their gambling to lose money (FOBTs have, after all, been described as the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling). The impact of problem gambling can be devastating, to those affected and everyone around them. Others saw these shops as adding very little value to Lavender Hill, and (as drinking was banned) indirectly leading customers to drink offsite in local side streets.

IMG_20190922_162501247_HDR But it’s clear that many will be sad to see these go. Obviously it’s a loss of business rates, and jobs for those who managed the shops. There’s clearly also a social side to these businesses – at least for the regular customers, some of whom have been customers for many years. Betting shops (and the fees they pay for the live streaming of racing) are an important source of income for the racing sector, which will lose millions of pounds of annual income. Some argue that all that will happen is that the gambling will be pushed online, where it’s even less regulated and without the presence of store managers trained to recognise ‘problem betters’, gambling addicts could lose even more money.

Wherever you sit on this issue, the once-ubiquitous high street betting shop looks set to become a much rarer sight in the future.

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Sambrook’s Brewery is on the move

Posted on August 15, 2019 by David

Our local brewery Sambrook’s was a pioneer of the small brewery movement that emerged in the early 2000s. It all started with a Gordon Brown-led 50% cut in tax rates for smaller breweries, and led to an explosion in range and variety – and had been credited with helping pubs add interest, and attract new drinkers.

At first Sambrook’s was based in a single rather unglamorous lock-up unit on Yelverton Road (just off the York Road), and its beers were only available at the Falcon pub. It was a definite success and grew rapidly – and from a Lavender Hill perspective, an important milestone was the launch of the Lavender Hill Pale Ale! It started as a limited one-off release but it proved popular and has become a fairly regular annual appearance since.

The range is now widely available, and Sambrook’s premises have expanded a fair bit since – taking over most of the building on Yelverton Road, and expanding to include a shop and a tap room. There’s also an offsite bottling operation in Broadstairs, shared with several other breweries.

But they’ve outgrown the premises. And now they’re moving – to far more luxurious accommodation, in the old Ram Brewery in Wandsworth town centre. Sambrook’s will invest £1.5 million in the new brewery, which will include a museum incorporating some of the old Young’s equipment that remains on site.

It’s unlikely we’ll see a return to the days when Wandsworth gyratory smelt of brewing, and (if you were lucky) you could spot horse-drawn deliveries to the very many nearby Young’s pubs in Wandsworth. But it’s good to see that our most local brewery is growing and continuing to prosper, even if it’s moving slightly further away – and it’s also good to see part of the old Ram Brewery (which has been a brewery, one way or another, all the way back to the 16th century) continuing to make beer.

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The square next to the planned new brewery in Wandsworth, with the towers above Southside shopping centre in the background.

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Interesting new project on Wixs Lane

Posted on August 15, 2019 by David

We see all manner of clumsy opportunist proposals for new buildings in the Lavender Hill area, especially when it’s a case of landlords trying to cram as many tiny and dark flats in to a space as possible – but from time to time we see some rather good designs and this is an example of one of them. This small development is set to go ahead on Wixs Lane, replacing replace the car park of Dacres House (a block of flats on Cedars Road) with two semi-detached modern houses (one three-bed and one four-bed).

Several other plans were previously developed for this site, including blocks of flats – all of which were withdrawn or rejected, before new architects (Add Architects) developed this proposal which now has full planning approval. The development is being taken forward on behalf of the owners of Dacres House (the block of flats next door).

It’s a decent example of a proportionate use of a site – not cramming things in to every possible space, and putting all the parking and servicing in to the ‘underground’ areas to allow as much light and space as possible on the main living floors. Both the houses have outdoor space, and they’ve been fairly thoughtfully designed for the location, with brick echoing the Victorian houses to the left but a design that echoes the Cedars Road Estate buildings on the right. The living room of one house faces south, and the other north, allowing both a good degree of privacy despite the compact urban site.

Wixs Lane is the rather steep path that leads from Lavender Hill to the Wix School. Here’s a Google Street View extract showing the location of the development (roughly where the orange star is). Wixs 3 The current view (© Google StreetView)

The existing long access ramp that leads from Wixs Lane to the car park will remain in use, as the entrance to the garages and lower floors of the new development – it’s visible in the bottom right hand corner of the artists’ impression below.

This seems a decent project; it should be a good quality addition to the area.

Posted in Environment, Planning | 2 Comments

Battersea’s newest street: Avery Walk

Posted on August 14, 2019 by David

It’s not every day a new street appears in Battersea, but Avery Walk (connecting Stormont Road and Sugden Road) is now complete, and open to the public. Actually calling it a new street is maybe overplaying it a bit – but it is a road that runs along nine new houses, with public pedestrian access. It’s also a drivable road, but access to vehicles is only for residents (who have individual parking spaces) and rubbish trucks.

IMG_20190512_144651444_HDR The development was somewhat controversial when it was going through the planning process (the site is only just able to accommodate nine houses, and they are close to their neighbours on Lavender Hill) – however now that work is complete the street looks decent, and the houses look to be well built to a good standard. A bit of greenery would help the feel of the place, and (as it was part of the original plans) may yet be added.

The 3- and 4-bed houses took some time to build (with a lot of excavation at first to create the large basements, and a notable pause of a couple of months when they were nearly complete). The houses all have four stories – with one of them underground and stretching underneath the road surface. They have no gardens but they do all include balconies and roof terraces. A few remain for sale (going for £1.5-1.8 million) and some are for rent, however a good number are now occupied – we hope our new neighbours are enjoying these rather smartly fitted out properties.

As you walk along the street you will notice glazed sections at the Sugden Road end – these provide light to the kitchen / living rooms in the basements of the bigger houses. The original plans had these in all nine of the houses, but we understand that rather late in the day (after work had started) it was spotted that part of the land actually belonged to the Council rather than the developers, which was a bit awkward! It was the service yard for the old factory and everyone had presumably assumed it belonged to Rotoplas, but it didn’t. The design was therefore changed to make the basements of some of the houses at the Stormont Road end shorter, avoiding the ‘non owned’ land – but this meant that there was no longer room for the skylights.

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Avery Walk runs along the site of what used to be the Rotoplas factory, one of the last manufacturing businesses in Battersea, who specialised in making specialist metal components very precisely using electroforming processes. Rotoplas are a successful local business and those who were familiar with them will be pleased to know they haven’t disappeared – they’ve just moved to more modern and spacious premises in Lower Sydenham. Watching the demolition of their old building was interesting – it was really a small complex of buildings, some of them very old, including a section that had many moons ago been a bakery and had a whole load of built-in ovens.

In an intriguing twist, Avery Walk was due to be called Medford Row, but there was a late change of mind (after the formal notifications had gone up) and the name of the as-yet unbuilt street was changed. There’s usually some local relevance to new street names, and we’d be interested if any of our readers knows where the name Avery originated from…

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Work starts on 26 new flats & four houses on the Gideon Road Estate

Posted on August 13, 2019 by David

A while back we reported that Wandsworth Council is planning to start work on the building of 26 flats and 4 large houses, spread across seven different buildings mostly on “spare” bits of land in the Gideon Road Estate. These are all set to be Council-owned, and are mainly designed to accommodate long-term tenants who are being moved out of the Winstanley Estate ahead of its partial demolition and redevelopment.

Work has now started on the first four blocks – the whole site has been fenced off and cleared. All the old lock-up garages have been demolished, and what looks like the beginning of a new drainage and sewerage network is being installed.

It’s good to see the Council investing in what (at least from the plans) looks like decent quality and spacious housing (many of the flats and houses have gardens), though as ever we’ll only really know how well built these are when they’re finished!

Ultimately we’ll see a mix of houses and flats (architects’ impression of what it will look like below), and a reorganised (and smaller) open-air parking area.

gideon after aerial According to the plans that were submitted for approval, three further small blocks are set to be built further to the east (one of them in the sunken car park area behind The Crown pub).

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Inevitably, access routes are likely to be a little constrained for the next few months – as this map shows, the only way through is to squeeze around the edge of the building site.

When the development is complete, the layout will be a bit more logical than what was there before, though the layout of new buildings at the western end of the site means there will be a blind corner and a rather narrow exit route through to Grayshott Road that’ll probably be best avoided after dark.

Posted in Environment, Housing, Planning | 4 Comments

Work starts on the urban park next to BAC

Posted on August 13, 2019 by David

Back in December we reported on plans to convert the street next to BAC in to a small urban park. This was a popular proposal, even though (as we noted) some of the finer details were still likely to need to be ironed out on what is a complicated patch of land with many different owners. The good news is that work has now started on the site – it’s fenced off and the existing pavement has been pulled up. IMG_20190718_170617108 The roof of the storage sheds attached to the neighbouring flats has also been cleared. The intention is for this rather underused space to house plants, as well as a twisted roof girder that was rescued from the fire in the Grand Hall, and which will be reborn as a feature set among the plants.

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The whole idea behind the ‘urban park’ is a good bit of creative thinking by BAC, and this will definitely be a welcome improvement on what was there before, and bring a little green in to a space that wasn’t used for much other than deliveries and occasional storage of materials. The plans provide for some outdoor seating for the Scratch Bar.

Having a more attractive exterior space will also help to make BAC more attractive as a venue for hire, and support the development of the shared workspace on the lower ground floor – an important stream of income for any business, and especially important given that BAC (since it which is now independent from Wandsworth) has to stand on its own feet financially.

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