| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Hewson Books not reopening | |
| Posted by: | Raymond Havelock | |
| Date/Time: | 04/04/25 18:00:00 |
| I quite agree too. Brentford for generations and way after other areas had altered remained very much a stable mix of everything. Obviously with it's industrial core, a large working class populous, but a fair mix of others in management and a great many local small and self employed range of artisans and very small businesses. It had a good mix and surprisingly harmonious way in to the 1990s. It had changed a bit, but slowly and in a rather organic way. And whilst rather down at heel, the real regeneration was the lifting of the cloud of demolition that loomed over what is now the St Pauls / Griffin Park area. Probably the best thing Hounslow ever did was creating the Conservation area. it is unrecognisable from how I remember at at school in the 1970s, Run down, loads of condemned properties. But oddly, alive. And it is still alive, It is really nice now. Still revolves around a handful of great Pubs with great Landlords and Ladies. In a much better state. The demographic changed, slightly at first, moreso in the last dozen years. But it is an enclave that needs to be expanded and over to the other side of the A4. The stability of the CA and its rules make it worth investing and keeping the essence of its origins and harmony with its environs. But the marketing and selling of visions for new developments has been the undoing of Brentford as a great place to live by creating a faux vision with all too eager authorities buying into it without question. Especially poor and forced architecture. It's better than it was going to be and that's down to the efforts of a few but not as good as it could and should be. It was never really going to work and much has not. Part of the faux vision creates upmarket shops and venues, but with the loss of a great many well salaried jobs and a not there very often occupation of new dwellings it's unsustainable and especially at high end rent and rate charges. Then there's the online revolution, that's been coming for a long time now but still developers and agents still want to push retail that has diminished and is unviable at the market prices for sites that they create. Quite probably arrival of Lidl will suit Brentford and perk it up a bit. Morrisons must be livid having been stitched up to leave the site. Lovely that the new store is, with near 300 lines less stocked, poked away and difficult to get to and from with shopping, I wonder once Lidl are established how Morrisons will fare. |