TJ

Just received this - a bloody joke. Dear Mr Re: Bus Route 63 Thank you for your email dated 1 September, regarding bus route 63. Please rest assured that we routinely monitor the bus network with an aim of ensuring that the best possible service is provided. Suggestions to extend bus route 63 to Honor Oak Station have been reviewed and assessed by Transport for London's (TfL) transport planners. All planned network developments, such as the introduction of Overground services at Honor Oak Park Station, were been taken into consideration in respect of the route 63 service request. Subsequently, I can confirm that it became apparent that such a service change would be very expensive to implement due to the additional resources which would be required. The comparative benefit in terms of additional incoming revenue mean that an extension of the route could not be financially justified. Therefore, suggestions to extend route 63 to Honor Oak Park Station have not been pursued. While we have no plans to amend route 63 in the manner suggested, we will continue to monitor services in the area. We also regularly review the bus network to identify whether service changes are required and suggestions made by bus users are taken into consideration. Thank you for your correspondence on this subject. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of further assistance. Yours sincerely Paul Lawley Customer Services

If this is true it is great news. That end of LL suffers from under investment as there are few shops to attract customers. Many people head the extra 500yrs to the main drag to get a better choice. I hope the arrival of Sainsbury's will force the other shops to up their game. It is a competitive world out there, small independents have their place and if they sell the right product will continue to do well. A sainsburys local will inevitably damage someone like costcutter, but IMHO, they were pretty awful anyway.. Where they fail is by the owners being lazy with their sourcing, with poor product and over pricing it. Many of the shops up that end of LL are great, and i am sure this will increase business for some (the dry cleaners for example). I would assume the arrival of a sainsbury's will also attract people over from Dulwich village so will benefit this side of ED too. As other people have said, it may encourage other shops such as a decent wine merchant, a bar, maybe even some of the other shops may decide to have a facelift to attract new customers?

Surely ED Sainsbury's is the most accurate barometer? The moxon's / Rose posse shop there and i bet even the Iceland Posse swing by regularly for something that lived once.

Powerful air rifle and don't tell anyone what you are up to. shhhh.

Next to the baked beans and kendal mint cake? Don't panic cappin' mannering...

Dear James, I notice Crystal Palace Road was receiving a new pavement - which is great, but i would like to bring the state of the Lordship Lane pavement to your attention. The main drag from the EDT, past Northcross road up to the police station (mainly that side of the road) is awful. Holes, mismatched slabs, various trees, roots and street furniture all over the place. I think it is GREAT some shops spill out onto the pavement as it really adds character and makes for a really cool bustling environment, however, this does mean the space left on the public footpath really needs looking at. I appreciate it is a very expensive task, but really, it is becoming essential. We have already had injuries outside the Bishop due to a hole and I am sure more will appear soon. What actions / reviews have already taken place, and what are the plans for this? Thanks

Just did the same.the burst is on the junction of Friern and LL.

Ok, this isn't just mr then and we are also on Hillcort. Anyone else in meighbouring streets or is it just us?

Does anyone know what caused his and when it will be resolved. I can't fi d I fo on the Thames Water website.

Dear James - Pls refer to the thread on the no.63 which I have also emailed you about (without reply). Can you also advise who the other local councilors are (Labour & Tory). I would like to see some co-operation between you, the Labour Peckham Rye team and whoever the other boundary Councilors are rather than any petty point scoring. I am being quite serious. Many thanks TJ

Peckwich Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I have a couple of questions: > > 1. I would like to know how these 4 extra buses > would be distributed on the timetable. On some > mornings the bus can get full as early on in the > route as The Gardens. I used to live further along > the route in Peckham. Needless to say it was > impossible to get on the 63 bus half of the time. > I used to think that if I walked back a few stops > I would have a better chance of getting on but now > having moved to ED and taken the bus from here I > realise it wouldn't have made a difference most > mornings. > > 2. Unless I am missing the obvious, I still don't > understand the idea of the bus terminating at > Honor Oak Park Station then looping round Brockley > Rise to come back to station at the Forest Hill > Tavern. That appears to mean there would be no > northbound service from Honor Oak Park to FHT (I > think someone else has pointed this out as well). i don't think this is what the general idea was. the main idea is simply to request the 63 is extended to Brockley Rd where it can either terminate or turn round. More busses on this route can't be sniffed at if you found the existing ones packed? The requirement is for them to go the other way from ED to HOP, not the other way round (so much anyway!).

Now can we have a vote on who would want to live in ED in 1994 vs those who would today?! ;-)

I would also suggest including our local councilors in this as i am sure they have a way of accessing the TFL hierarchy much more quickly. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Laurie - have TFL also noted it would provide a link from the Peckham Rye hub to Honor oak and include the new boys school which is currently impossible to get to from south of Forest hill rd except by foot. I have been after this extension for ages - lets get this thing sorted out.

I don't think builders are not necessarily all bad - the ones we have used are all public school educated... which is a bit surreal (conversations about existentialism etc). i do think 8 year old kids outside a pup with a pissed father at 10.30 on a friday night is a bit off though.

I drove past on friday night on my scooter - and was greeted by a charming little scallywag dressed in a very shiny Chelsea kit going 'gimme some pizza maaaaate' onto to be told by his similarly charming father to 'shut it you little fuka' I wonder if the landlord could refurbish the punters too?

Ask him for his mobile as security. That will get rid of him sharpish.

!!!!!!!!!! WTF? Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I cant wait for the reopen, and will certainly be > popping in for some of the black stuff. Seem's a > shame the owner felt it needed smartening up, as > long as it doesnt attract the pretentious > Claphamite edgy mob I will be happy. :)-D > > Louisa.

Hoping for a twat free policy too, but unlikely.

I passed this recently - and thought it was looking really good. I have only ventured in there once before - simply because it looked such a dump. I don't want the usual barrage of 'your not welcome anyway' rubbish form the old skool brigade, but what are the plans for this place? Is it going up-market, staying as a boozer, doing food?? I think another good local pub is a great thing and it is so good to see the place smartened up - it looks great and really raises the whole area. Good on the landlord for shelling out in these hard times. Anyone know when it opens?

Which is fine as they are industry professionals and as i said, get paid to do their job and therefore have a mandate. louisiana Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > "you can't be a critic until someone is willing to > pay for your services and you can claim to have a > mandate." > > There a quite a few people who are not paid to > write about a subject who nevertheless have very > worthwhile opinions. For example, on the subject > of wine, producers, specialist distributors, > dealers, and collectors. I have always valued > reports from specialists of their visits to > vineyards, or about new producers, or tastings > conducted, and have always listened to opinions > from subject-matter specialists on particular > niche areas. If the person has a particular > expertise and interest, then they are worth > listening to in my books, whether anyone pays them > to write about those opinions or not. > > Unfortunately, much of mainstream wine writing in > the generalist UK press is directed at supporting > a particular market segment (cheap exports of > plonk to UK supermarkets). Plonk reviews are paid > for, but they are often not worth the paper they > are written on (particularly when some element of > the payment is in kind, by the > producer/distributor concerned: free cases of wine > at Christmas; weekends away at the vineyard with > spouse; or even grand national tours of wineries, > all-expenses paid). > > I write as someone who was paid in the distant > past to write about wine and fortified wine from > particular parts of Europe (including in UK > broadsheets), and who has in the past been served > free meals and drinks by restaurateurs and other > traders seeking published kind words about their > products. I've just been doing up the house, and > OMG I have here a case of slides that include a > box of bizarre pix from an Australian outfit that > invited me along to an eight-person presentation > dinner of Oz food and drink. It went on for six > hours. Entertaining, but why they invited me I > shall never know. And recently some old not-bad > Spanish distillate in some truly naff bottles > emerged while I was doing up the kitchen: six > flasks were flown across Europe at vast expense on > Christmas Eve one year, in a desperate attempt by > the producers to get some reviews from any old > hacks (including two political journalists). > Thankfully, all of that is a long way behind me > now, and I'm about to throw away the evidence :-S

lozzyloz Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'd have to disagree with that. Not anybody can do > Brain Surgery but most people can pass a valid > opinion on a restaurant. There are some food > bloggers that have a similar taste to mine and > appear fairly consistent and trustworthy. I take > their views into account but wouldn't necessarily > rush out to an establishment nor blank it solely > on their opinion. Actually i disagree with you. To be a critic requires a pretty solid knowledge of cooking, sourcing, wine and the history of restaurants. it is a full time job. This only comes with extensive experience and a very deep pocket - which is normally funded by some kind of pubication. I can only assume fodstories does not have such resources and is therefore unable to claim a valid point.

lenk Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We don't have 'Citizen Surgeons', so why should > 'Citizen journalism' be any better? > > The subjective opinion of someone whose blog gets > literally tens of hits isn't going to sway where I > choose to eat. I kind of agree with you here, and also, you can't be a critic until someone is willing to pay for your services and you can claim to have a mandate.

Louisa / Louisiana... Can we set up a special section of the site where the two of them can just nitpick at each other and not bother any of us again?

What is that supposed to mean!? Are people who take on a dying venture and turn it into a successful restaurant, managing to avoid bankruptcy and failure (as well as the local luddites) in someway guilty of fat-cat behavior if they buy a car? Do you know what? I bet he does drive a nice car, and I bet he deserves it.