krosfyah

I do feel that the place is overtly smacking of poncey gentrification, with middle class yumminess and the sort of thing i specifically wanted to avoid by not living in Dulwich Village environs when i first moved here. When i moved here, there was an edginess to the place that was vibrant, alive and all consuming. Now it's all about consuming overpriced beer and food, an estate agent for every shop, poncey new developments that are pricing up the whole area making it hard or impossible for first time buyers to move into what was once not long ago a very affordable area and general "oh yah dahling, lets kit cosmo out in that wonderful eco-hemp outfit and go for a stroll on The Lane, while sipping Starbucks and clucking our tongues at anyone who doesn't meet my every whim and need". It's really going up it's own arse, something i saw in North London and specifically came south of the river to get away from. And judging by some of the responses on this thread, it's not hard to see the gentrification process has worked a treat.

pk you hit the nail on the head son. I live and work in this area and have for 6 years. A work colleague is a 35 year old veteran of Peckham. When people talk about the "regeneration" of the area, it makes him and i laugh (and i haven't been around anywhere near as long as he has in this area). It's blatant gentrification disguised as regeneration, and it is pretty bad all in all with those who have spent decade after decade, living, growing roots and enjoying what the community has built, being able to afford to live in an area that serves their needs well, suddenly being driven out by 23 year olds, living off the bank of mum and dad, wanting to be in the next "up and coming", hipster hang out, amazed there isn't yet a Starbucks on the corner, but glad they atleast have their GBK. Have i added to the problem of gentrification? I don't know. I'm not a born and bred SE5'er but this is where i'm based now. The thing is, i figure i moved here in 2001, so it was largely before places like ED were what they are today. But did i help bring on the "yumminess" of the whole thing? Sometimes i can't help but feel much as i blast the hell out of the people who have sprung up and their ponce-ified lifestyle, that i might have got the snowball rolling so to speak. pk you make some good points, and i respect your opinion - what do you think about this last point?

Hi there!!!! Just found this forum, interesting little place. This has been puzzling me for a while. I lived in Loughborough Junction from 2001 (being a north Londoner before that)before moving to E Dulwich area in 2003. I have known the SE21, SE22, SE24 and SE5 area pretty well in that time, however I can't seem to remember when it happened, and have no idea why, but what the heck has happened to ED? It's full of poncey mums in their ?500 push chairs sipping lattes and young student-look-a-likes who dress in rags and then drop money on champage at the EDT and snap up ?250k 1 bed flats somehow. What has happened to the place that changed it into a nothing sort of place, into a mini-Hampstead village full of ponces in their Selfridges designer tshirts? I haven't been out much in ED over the years but i defnitely remember it wasn't like this a few years back. What the heck has happened and what caused it? I'm not bitter, just genuinely confused as to how and why this has happened. Cheerio!