The Australian

As a former resident of East Dulwich, my thoughts are with you all at this time. Although I am Australian, I called London home for nearly 4 years and spent 2 and a half years living in lovely East Dulwich. To hear about the rioting and looting going on in London right now is honestly breaking my heart. Such an amazing city and one very dear in my memories of my 'walkabout' years. We have had riots in Sydney before (see Redfern and Cronulla riots) but never anything of this scale! It is truly bewildering... the news coverage downunder is non-stop and I just cannot watch anymore. I hope the madness stops soon so that your lives may return to normal. If I was still living there on Derwent Grove I would be out there with you cleaning up. I know London is not unfamiliar with riots but it's still very distressing to see all the same. I wish there was something I could do to help!!!

I agree with clive3300. I dont like giant take away coffee cups. Coffee is not soup. The 'small' at Caffe Nero and Starbucks is too big. The cups might be larger at chain coffee shops but they also charge you more for the priviledge. I'm not for or against the corporates by any means, I wish everyone success in their line of business. When it comes to coffee though, I find chain stores cheapen it and sweeten it beyond what I would reasonably call coffee. They're like the McDonalds of the coffee world... supersize me. I used to work as a Barista in Sydney and I can tell you that Sydneysiders take their coffee very seriously! When I order a cup of coffee, it has to be just right. A true Barista knows that coffee is an artform. Temperature, size, bean quality, milk, presentation... it's not simply a case of making a cup of coffee. Independent cafes generally do not offer varying sizes for their coffee because the glass sizes are suited to the particular type of coffee you order. For example, an espresso shot is in a very small glass, while a latte is served in a tall glass because of the amount of milk added to it. The size of the glass also helps to ensure that you don't overdo it by adding too much milk to a latte for example. Obviously tastes vary from person to person so its a very subjective matter. Yes I have tried coffee at Starbucks and Caffe Nero and it's just not for me. I do like the Egg Nogg Latte that Starbucks do around Christmas time though. Especially if I happen to be in Edinburgh at the time and it's freezing cold out... which is pretty much a certainty. At the end of the day, I'd say it's a case of each to their own. As for me, well, I think I'm going to get off the coffee bandwagon for a while and get down to some serious tea drinking at Le Chandelier. They must have one of the most impressive tea menu's I have ever seen! Cheers, Glen

My take on it is this... If the good people of East Dulwich (of which I am one) truly do not want a Caffe Nero store in their area, then they will not use it. If they don't use it, it will go away. There are plenty of other alternatives for coffee in East Dulwich, it's not like Nero have the monopoly on caffeine on the high street. This reminds me of the suburb of Newtown in Sydney, Australia. For years there was a McDonalds on the high street... but as the area changed and taste buds sought more exotic foods, McDonalds lost a lot of business. The locals didn't want it there anymore and consequently, it closed down. The same will be true of any business if it doesn't do enough trade to stay afloat. The success of any business largely depends on the demand for it and the needs of the community it serves. EDKiwi... you are right in saying that Caffe Nero did abuse Planning Law. They should have applied for Planning Permission before they opened. However, and this is where the real fault in the Planning system lies, operating a business without Planning Permission where Planning Permission is required is not actually an offence under the Town & Country Planning Act 1990. It is a matter of non-compliance with the Act but it is not a criminal offence. This is not a Southwark Policy, the Act applies to the whole of England. It only becomes a criminal offence when an Enforcement Notice is served in respect of the unauthorised use and it is not complied with by the date required within the Notice. As Caffe Nero lodged an Appeal against the Notice served by Southwark before it became effective, this holds the Notice in abeyance until a decision is made by the Planning Inspectorate. In this case, the Planning Inspectorate upheld the Appeal in respect of the cafe use so therefore, at no time were Caffe Nero committing a criminal offence. If the Inspectorate had not found in their favour, Southwark would have most certainly prosecuted Caffe Nero had they continued trading under those circumstances. Again, the Act requires that Planning Permission is needed for this type of change of use and Caffe Nero did not apply for such permission. While no offence was actually committed, the Planning process was abused. Unfortunately, this leniency in the Act is often abused and it is my opinion that it should be changed. Council should be able to issue instant penalties where clear breaches of the Act are identified. It would act as a deterrent from abusing the process if daily fines could be issued. This system is in place in my home state of New South Wales, Australia. Southwark Council rightly served an Enforcement Notice directing the cessation of the use so I must disagree with your statement that Southwark Planning 'missed their opportunity' to show Caffe Nero that this was wrong. The appeal was upheld because the use meets the requirements of the Southwark Plan 2007. That is, there is no reason in Planning Policy terms why ANY individual or business, be it Caffe Nero, Starbucks or an Independant like the Black Cherry, could not have opened a cafe in that location had an application been made. The Inspectorate's decision gives them deemed consent for the use. Regards, Glen Camenzuli Team Leader Planning Enforcement The London Borough of Southwark Chiltern House Portland Street Walworth London SE17 2ES [email protected]

Good morning all, I have re-attached the Appeal Decision PDF and it should work fine now. Regards, Glen Camenzuli Team Leader Planning Enforcement The London Borough of Southwark Chiltern House Portland Street Walworth London SE17 2ES

Not a problem, it's my pleasure. I know this particular case has been of great interest on the ED forum. Regards, Glen Camenzuli Team Leader Planning Enforcement The London Borough of Southwark Chiltern House Portland Street Walworth London SE17 2ES

Good evening all, You will be pleased to know that the Caffe Nero decision is in. I have attached the Appeal Decision Notice from the Planning Inspectorate for your perusal in PDF format. In summary, the Appeal 'A' by Caffe Nero in respect of the air-conditioning units was dismissed and Council's Enforcement Notice upheld. Appeal B against the refusal of Planning Permission for the cafe was upheld and the Enforcement Notice quashed. What that means is that the cafe is staying put but the air-conditioning units to the rear of the building must be removed or suitably attenuated. I feel that this is a fair result given that there is no reason, in planning terms, why the cafe should not be given Planning Permission. The application made to Council for retrospective permission was in fact recommended for approval by the Town Planner but it was later refused at Community Council based on information before the Councillors at the time. I agree that Caffe Nero acted irresponsibly by commencing the use without first applying for Planning Permission but to not do so is not actually an offence under the Town & Country Planning Act 1990. Caffe Nero have set up hundreds of cafes across the country and I am disappointed that they did not apply for Planning Permission before commencing their business in East Dulwich. Corporately, this is irresponsible and is not a good way, I feel, to introduce ones business in a new area. Caffe Nero also applied for costs to be awarded on both Appeals A and B during the Public Inquiry but the Inspector refused both applications. Overall this is the result I was predicting and I think it is a fair result. Regards, Glen Camenzuli Team Leader Planning Enforcement The London Borough of Southwark Chiltern House Portland Street Walworth London SE17 2ES [email protected]

Good evening all, You will be pleased to know that the Caffe Nero decision is in. I have attached the Appeal Decision Notice from the Planning Inspectorate for your perusal. In summary, the Appeal 'A' by Caffe Nero in respect of the air-conditioning units was dismissed and Council's Enforcement Notice upheld. Appeal B against the refusal of Planning Permission for the cafe was upheld and the Enforcement Notice quashed. What that means is that the cafe is staying put but the air-conditioning units to the rear of the building must be removed or suitably attenuated. I feel that this is a fair result given that there is no reason, in planning terms, why the cafe should not be given Planning Permission. The application made to Council for retrospective permission was in fact recommended for approval by the Town Planner but it was later refused at Community Council based on information before the Councillors at the time. I agree that Caffe Nero acted irresponsibly by commencing the use without first applying for Planning Permission but to not do so is not actually an offence under the Town & Country Planning Act 1990. Caffe Nero have set up hundreds of cafes across the country and I am disappointed that they did not apply for Planning Permission before commencing their business in East Dulwich. Corporately, this is irresponsible and is not a good way, I feel, to introduce ones business in a new area. Caffe Nero also applied for costs to be awarded on both Appeals A and B during the Public Inquiry but the Inspector refused both applications. Overall this is the result I was predicting and I think it is a fair result. Regards, Glen Camenzuli Team Leader Planning Enforcement The London Borough of Southwark Chiltern House Portland Street Walworth London SE17 2ES [email protected]