I’ve been trying to find out what’s happening to the now empty Peacock’s store and am told there have been holes drilled down in to the ground to look at the foundations. The view is that it’s testing the strength of the building for building flats above. I’m also told the owner of the store now also owns the empty store next door on the corner of Uxbridge Road and Melbourne Ave. So, expect to see plans for a redevelopment of this whole corner before long.
Anyway, during my efforts to find out all this I got talking to a guy who cleans many shop windows in West Ealing and who I’ve seen about for years. He was telling me that more and more shops in West Ealing, and mostly those that are part of a chain, are stopping using his services and taking out central contracts with national companies. All of which means the money that was going in to the local economy is now going out of it.
It may only be one small example but multiply it for other services that shops and offices need and you start to build up to a significant amount of money that could be spent locally but looks gradually to be going out of the area. I don’t pretend to know how to stop this but it just struck me again that all of us who live locally need to be aware of the importance of thinking carefully how and where we spend our money. A conscious decision to use local shops and services could be a key factor in whether or not these businesses survive and people keep their jobs.
I’ve always thought a cafe with upstairs seating – and windows along Melbourne Avenue to catch the sun and give customers a view of the marketplace below – would be a good use of this corner site. It’s certainly in a busy spot, pretty much the centre of West Ealing shopping precinct. I could imagine library users, students from any remaining colleges/language schools, those waiting for the bus and general shoppers to use it.
Does anyone know what’s going into the old Oxfam shop which is currently being refurbished?
The old Oxfam shop, which is owned by Catalyst Housing, has been leased to a group of its London tenants who want to open it as an advice and information centre for all tenants. WEN has spoken to the group and put forward the idea of the shop also having a presence of various other local community groups. They are interested in this idea. Their first step though is to raise the money to refit the shop so I’m not sure of teh timescale for it to open.
This seems like a very good idea. What we really need is a Citizen’s Advice Bureaux. With all the bewildering changes to the benefits system upon us even well informed able bodied and able mainded residents find it all baffling – never mind those in poor health, the disabled, elderly and those with no close family.
Allan’s idea for an upstairs cafe sounds good too.
Thanks for that info. It will be good to have the old Oxfam shop occupied again.