Posted on

Another new shop to open in West Ealing

Photo0438

Last week it was Papa John’s and this week it’s Peri Peri Original that’s soon to open in West Ealing. I think that also makes the third such Peri Peri chicken shop on the high street. I own up to not tried this style of cooking so I had to look up what Peri Peri (or Piri Piri) chicken is all about. If I’ve got it right it’s a Portuguese style dish from Africa with a hot chilli sauce made from the peri peri chilli.

I’ve read that the high street average for vacant shops is around 14%. I’m going to have to count how many empty shops we have in West Ealing as I don’t think we have that many. I have written many times about the future of our high street and how I think it is unbalanced by being dominated by budget shopping. However, if my guess is right then we have fewer empty shops than the average and that’s good going in these times.

Posted on

Some signs of action on the new hotel site in West Ealing

Photo0440

After some 10 days of silence and no sign of any builders, a crew was on site today (Saturday) dismantling the scaffolding that appears to one cause of the delay. You can see from my photo (apologies for the poor quality) that they have taken down all the metal sheeting that was across the top of the site. It looks like health and safety concerns are the reason for the scaffolding problems.

Another cause of the delay seems to be the revised planning application for a taller building which is needed to up the number of bedrooms to meet the requirements of Holiday Inn Express.

The one who suffers most from all this delay is our local butcher Tony Luckhurst who is quoted in this week’s Ealing Gazette as hoping he will be back in February or March. Tony is currently working for another butcher to pay his bills. The work will really have to get going if there’s any chance of Tony being back in March but I hope he is as plenty of us are missing him.

 

Posted on

West Ealing Christmas Festival Thursday 12th December 4-8pm

We’re almost there!  Watch out for the marquee and carousels tomorrow in Dean Gardens.

We have carols from St John’s Primary School at 4pm and then more carols from the New Testament Choir at 7.30pm. Here’s the full running order:

4.00 – 4.20 St John’s Primary School choir

4.20 – 4.30 magician

4.30 – 5.15 Gypsy Dynamite (quartet)

5.30 – 6.00 Robert Brookfield

6.00 – 6.10 magician

6.15 – 6.55 The Onironauts

7.00 – 7.20 Piers Hogg

7.30 – 8.00 New Testament Gospel Choir

For your Christmas gifts we have stalls selling:

  • Handmade fragrances, lip gloss, lavender bags
  • Bags made from recycled juice cartons
  • Animal nighlights, metal signs
  • A wide variety of jewellery
  • Cushion covers, baby bibs
  • Greetings cards
  • Terracotta tiles, picture frames, bags
  • Mulled apple juice, quince cheese, jams, chutneys, marmalade

/

 

Posted on

What would attract you to West Ealing at night?

I’ve heard it said that West Ealing lacks a ‘night-time economy’. In other words, there’s nothing going on in the evenings to make you want to come out to West Ealing after dark.  Is that fair and what would attract you to come to West Ealing at night?

In terms of entertainment, our cinema days have long gone (not just in West Ealing but also in Ealing Broadway).  The Drayton Court puts on some excellent comedy and magic shows. OPEN Ealing has some sporadic events such as plays and exhibitions but these are one-off events. This may change if they can secure funding for their ambition to take on the cafe on the new Green Man Estate and turn this in to a cafe-cum-performance/exhibition space. We should know quite soon if this ambition can be realised. A number of our pubs have some excellent live music  – The Grosvenor, The Plough and so on.

If it’s food you’re looking for then West Ealing  has an ever-increasing number of fast food/take-away restaurants. Papa John’s pizza will soon open and Peri Peri Original chicken restaurant is about to open next to the Best Western Maitrise Hotel. We have very few ‘sit-down’ restaurants in West Ealing except in the strip running from the Lido Junction to Culmington Road. These seem to be very popular, especially the Persian ones, and they probably benefit  the nearby pubs and bars such as The Castlebar and Star and Anchor.

What we seem to lack is a strong ‘destination’ venue. Whether it be an entertainment venue with something on every night or a restaurant whose reputation attracts people from miles around.

This is just my personal view. What would make you want to come to West Ealing at night?

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Something different as the Ealing Pop Up Shop comes to West Ealing

Ealing Pop Up Shop

I seem to be taking photos of a lot of shop fronts recently. Here’s another one.  This time it’s the shop next to the new Morrisons, near the corner with St James Ave, which will be a pop up shop for the next few months.  The plan is to offer the shop at low cost to a range of people or groups to sell their products for a trial period. A competition has been run and decisions will be made next week. I believe the first group to take it on will be the winners of a Dragon’s Den type event at the nearby Westside Youth Centre. They will be selling urban clothes.  Watch this blog for more news on this shop as we get it.

I think it’s a great idea to give local people and businesses a chance to try out their ideas at a low risk and bring something new and different to our high street.

 

Posted on

Papa John’s take-away pizza to open in West Ealing

Papa John's

Papa John’s is soon to open where Fu On used to be up near the juncton with Eccleston Road.  Papa John’s looks to be an expanding chain acros the UK.  It will be at least the third take-away pizza place in West Ealing, so competition is getting tough. if you try it please come back and tell us what you think.

Posted on

All very quiet as new hotel submits plans to increase it to 5 storeys

It’s been a little hard to keep track of the hotel plans but a new planning application has been submitted to increase it from 3 to 5 storeys and to 75 bedrooms. The hotel is planned to be a Holiday Inn Express. Local butcher Tony Luckhurst is still due to return to a groundfloor shop on his old site in Melbourne Avenue and the Betfred betting shop will still be on the ground floor at the front of the building.When Tony will be able to return looks to be an open question. What puzzles me is the stop/start nature of the building works.  I would have thought they would be cracking on with the work as quickly as possible but every now and then the site goes quiet and there’s no one to be seen. Maybe having to go back for permission to increase the size of the hotel is the reason for the delay but it would be good to see the work progressing on this important site.

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Have you see Hamdi who has been missing since Monday?

Police in Ealing are appealing to the public to help find a girl who has been missing since Monday, 25 November.

Hamdi Abdulle, 16, went to a mosque in West Ealing with her family for prayers at 17:00hrs but left by herself at 19:00hrs and did not return home.

Hamdi was wearing a long black sarong, an army style print head scarf, a black leather jacket, a purple and burgundy hoody and white Nike Airforce trainers. She was wearing lipstick with a fake lip piercing. She is known to wear a red wig.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Missing Person Unit at Ealing on 101. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.