E.D. Warehouse

[Rolo Tomasi]

^No it's Goose Green^

[ladyruskin]

Is there any update on this - it sounds fantastic and I am looking forward to it opening!

[Ultraconsultancy]

Lady Ruskin

My understanding is that there are some very interesting traders signed up, including a discount book retailer, a photographic printer, and some classy antique furnishing, among others in the planning stage. Certainly those of you disappointed by some of the recent business openings in LL will find something to grab your attention. you're right tho - it is a fantastic addition to the area.

Plan is to open in grand style on second Saturday in November, 10th I think, and on schedule to acheive that.

I'll keep you posted.

Ultraconsultancy

[annt]

Does anyone have a contact number for Eddie at the ED Warehouse? I've sent an email expressing an interest in trading my goodies there but haven't received a reply yet.

[ratty]

Did this happen? Did I miss anything?

[Mark]

I've had a look inside and it's defiantly going to be a good addition to the area and now there's a sign outside it saying it's opening mid-November so I guess in the next week or so. There was also a centre page ad about it in the last SE22 magazine.

[Ultraconsultancy]

ratty Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Did this happen? Did I miss anything?

As far as I know there was an unforeseen building hiccup, and the Grand Opening is now Saturday 17th November.

Ultraconsultancy

[ratty]

Marvelous! I look forward to popping down there next Saturday!

[Rolo Tomasi]

Anyone know the opening times? Is it just open on the weekends?

[Ultraconsultancy]

As far as I know, Rolo, its open seven days. Certainly weekdays plus Saturday, anyhoo.

Top moniker BTW

Ultraconsultancy

[Rolo Tomasi]

Cheers Ultra(tu) That's good to know as i'm off work next week so i can finally get a chance to look around the new ED places!

Are you all set for the opening?

[Residents Zenoria St]

Just come across this forum and read with horror the comments about the ?Ed Warehouse?. As residents of Zenoria Street we are in strong opposition to this new development which is being set up without any consultation with local residents or planning permission from Southwark Council. Three planning applications for commercial enterprises on this site have been turned down in the past 18 months, the most recent in July 2007. One of the reasons given for these refusals was that the proposed developments would significantly increase the number of visitors to this residential street causing 'increased noise and disturbance which would be to the detriment of the amenity of local residents'. Do 'Ed Warehouse' really believe they are above planning laws and consider that it is not necessary to give local residents the opportunity to voice their objections through the due planning process?

Planning laws exist (among other things) to protect local residents from creeping commercial development and to preserve the character of local areas. One of the reasons why the residents of Zenoria Street opposed the Cafe Nero development was to attempt to halt this commercial intrusion into their residential street. ?Ed Warehouse?, while stressing in their advertising their commitment to local traders and their independent status are using the existence of Caf? Nero as a justification for their commercial enterprise. Since ?Ed Warehouse? have made no formal Application for Planning permission we have been kept completely in the dark about their intentions for the site.

Their work on the site (at times from 7am ? 11.30pm) for the past seven weeks has been without any regard for the feelings of local residents, causing considerable noise and disturbance. This high handed approach has characterised the whole development. The advert in 'SE22' was the first we knew about their plans for a retail outlet of 25 individual units being developed in our street and visiting this forum today is the first we knew of their additional plans for a caf? and juice bar.

The only contact made by ?Ed Warehouse? came last night via a letter to residents of Zenoria Street stating ?We would have hated to have seen a traditional Victorian building changed to facilitate a high street chain like Tesco, resulting in a complete change to the front of the building, not to mention an influx of large delivery lorries blocking up the street.? Do ?Ed Warehouse? think their development won?t result in increased traffic in this street? They clearly do not understand that any retail outlet is neither acceptable to residents of this street nor allowable through planning laws. It is not a choice between Tesco?s and ?Ed Warehouse??

Apparently, we should be grateful they are setting up this development ? we are not and we will fight it all the way.

[Rolo Tomasi]

Shocking! I honestly thought they had permission to set up the warehouse. And just like Caf? Nero I wont enter the place. Good luck residents of Zenoria St.(tu)

[Mark]

How many Residents of Zenoria St are you speaking on behalf of Residents Zenoria St?

[Keef]

If this is all true...

... It's a real shame, as the ED Warehouse sounds like such a good idea (in theory, although it could be full of a load of sh!te), but if they have truly been underhanded in their actions, then they should be stopped until they've gone through the same red tape as everyone else is meant to.

I see what you're saying Mark, but even if it's actually just one person, they could still have a very good point. Plus, if this was a big high street name, everyone would be up in arms, but just because it's something that we all felt excited about, doesn't mean they should be able to take the p!ss.

Having said all that, Zenoria Street, it might be really nice having something like this open... Go on, be a sport ;-)

[lozzyloz]

Was the location not a commercial premises before Eddie took it on? If so, were there legit objections raised by residents when it was previously in use with regard to commercial traffic etc? Zenoria St is a tiny road but it has always existed in the heart of ED's busy shopping center. Furthermore the WH is up one end not slap bang in the middle of a row of terraced housing.

I'd like to hear the other side of the argument but if it's true that it's not playing by the rules then I will not be using it either until it fulfills its obligation.

[*Bob*]

Let's hear from Eddie.

Eddie?

[hatcheckclerk]

Well to answer your question - at least 12 households on Zenoria Street that I currently know of.

I personally have lived in Zenoria Street for 20 years and have seen a lot of changes in East Dulwich in that time. The warehouse we are discussing was part of the Edwardes Brothers property that sold wholesale electrical goods from the Caffe Nero property and used the warehouse and No. 3 Zenoria Street for storage. The property was sold and No. 3 was converted back into residential. Since then there have been 3 planning applications that the residents have lodged complaints against - one was for a restaurant that had a major air exhaust expelling fumes right over our street!

Our concern remains that this is a tiny residential street and surely there is enough retail on Lordship Lane/North Cross Road to fulfil all our needs - there are plenty of empty properties still in Lordship Lane. We can barely park in our street anymore due to the popularity of Lordship Lane, and we already have plenty of lorry deliveries in the street because of the flower shop etc. Can you imagine having 25 different stalls, juice bar and cafe delivering at all hours of the day in our small street? The street has been recently changed into a one way, so we're often trapped behind vans unloading as it is.

I don't think we're being spoilsports to want to preserve the character of the 3 small streets that make up our little bit of East Dulwich: Zenoria Street/Tintagel Gardens/Oxonian Street. I, and a good number of neighbours, believe this development will be a disaster for us and seriously affect our quality of life.

[Mootown]

posted in wrong thread

[Quaywe]

Zenoria residents; I think we've all learned that planning permission can only do so much (i.e. stop too many curry houses opening in the one street...apparently), but it can't stop a business opening on a premises that already has the correct Class of Use. I'm not saying that's the case for EDW but it's a possibility. It could also be that they have got around a PP application because technically there's nothing in there at the moment. Maybe the individual stalls will have to get PP depending on what they want to sell. I wouldn't worry about it. If they are ignoring a law I'm sure it will catch up with them in the end.

As the person who started the "Say NO to Caffe Nero" petition way back when (which unfortunately achieved nothing) I can completely sympathise with your cause. I guess on the other hand however, it's going to be a commercial business of some sort like it or not (after all it IS a commercial premises and always has been) so I think it's a case of you all deciding what business you actually could handle being in there and picking your battles. You can only object for so long before the planning office just says "oh bugger this lot, they object to everything! APPROVED!").

Maybe if there are that many of you that don't want it to be a commercial premises at all then you should all have a whip around, approach Parkhill Properties and ask them to sell it to you. Then you could turn it into a low density block of flats and flog it off (assuming you get planning permission, that is...LOL!)

[hatcheckclerk]

Thanks EDKiwi - I think you make a good point - the planning applications we've opposed have been for major retail/restaurant uses that is a totally different planning use to a more static 'warehouse/office' use. I doubt there would be a complaint if the premises were turned into a 'quiet' use as offices, or as you point out, residential!

Sorry about your Caffe Nero petition . . .

[char1ie]

Say no to Cafe Nero? It was an electrical shop, now it's a coffee shop? What's the big deal? And the ED warehouse would have to do a lot of harm to be a 'disaster' to the residential area it's part of. Do a few stallholders in a small warehouse really warrant this much fear and worry?

Charlie

[*Bob*]

Unfortunately for The Zenorians (*evil echoey laughter*) I think 99.94% of the rest of SE22 is looking forward to 'The Warehouse'..

[Ultraconsultancy]

Very true, Charlie.

I'm generally in the 'no to chains' camp, and would usually prefer retail to food/cafe; but frankly, before EDW took it on, it was a big empty space waiting to be squatted or arsoned. As EDKiwi says, uless the residents want to land-bank it themselves, keeping it empty isn't going to be an option.

The great british public vote with their feet in the long run anyway...

[char1ie]

I was a bit gutted cos I had my eye on the warehouse to house my racing car in. Then I realised that I couldn't even afford to buy a square foot of land in ED so I'm keeping the Surbiton workshop operational for now.

On a more common sense note and with less of the panic at the possibility of change, I would be surprised that the business model makes sense. The warehouse must have been very expensive, business rates are very high and I remember that the stalls were being offered at very cheap weekly rents.

If it's a sustainable business, it sounds exciting and a worthwhile addition to Lordship Lane, and should allow some low turnover entertaining stalls including marketing-obsessed cheese merchants, used record dealers and no-doubt the fudge and flapjack brigade.

Of course, what would make it even more of a laugh is if the friendly local residents staged a daily protest outside and shouted "Just say no! The ED Warehouse must go!" or some such.

Charlie