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Good, Bad or Ugly?
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Attractive display of
vegetables & fruit
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The sign doesn't conceal a rubbish tip
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Always a controversial subject at our Sydenham
Assembles is the use of pavement by shopkeepers to display their goods. It may
help them sell more but can we spare the pavement space? Scott Hamilton has
followed up Lewisham Council's promise to reveal their licensing arrangements
and rules for pavement displays by working with TCM Julie Sutch to produce the
«attached»list.
Here is what Scott shared with me during a recent trip
down our shopping centre.
Shopkeepers who own or lease the land immediately in
front of their shop are free to display what they want. Blue Mountain
Café use it for tables & chairs outside, Kirkdale Bookshop (below
left) use if for secondhand paperbacks and Sydenham DIY use it for anything
from dustbin bins to security gates.
On the other side of the bridge - down Sydenham Road -
things are a little different. Some own a small area in front of their shop
where the basement extends under the pavement. You can spot many of these by
the pavement lights used to allow light to pass through into the basement
(below right).
All other shops that wish to display on the pavement
should lease the pavement space from Lewisham Council. Many do but some of
these exceed their allotted space. Some use use space but without a licence.
Pedestrians have problem when the space between
displays and some of the inconveniently placed street furniture (bins,
railings, lamposts etc) causes a choke point. There should be 7ft (2.1m) of
unobstructed space for pedestrians. The pavement on the north side of Sydenham
Road is around 11ft wide. However, as Scott shows (left below) 4'6" can be
taken up by just railings and a bin. That leaves no space for a display if it
happens to be in front of a shop. And, as I'm sure you have already spotted a
real waste of space in that it could easily have been positioned in line with
railings.
We found in most instances it was the placement of the
street furniture that was causing the obstruction - not the shop display. Much
of this could be moved. There will be an opportunity to rationalise this as
part of the £2m regeneration if or when it comes to pass.
But the Council is not the only offender! Above (right)
you see a display that has strayed to block a flat entrance - or the pavement
when people have to move it into the path of pedestrians in order to get
access. The bin is also well over the allotted 3'6" space. And it doesn't look
very pretty.
We did note that Council's proposals to increase the
number of traffic light controlled crossings comes at a price. Each set has a
huge ugly box (behind the WU sign above left) and around 7 or 8 manhole covers.
And what about the board signs (above left, below right) and other objects
which take little space but provide key information on what is available? Do
these require a licence or advertising permit?
Remember some stuff is essential. That box (above left)
can be found outside any newsagent and is there for overnight delivery. Without
that - no newspapers. Maybe we should find a way of making it more attractive.
The final picture shows that we also need leave space for disabled scooter
parking. Oh and able cyclists!
Click here for list of licensed traders and
licence regulations
Click for more
on Scott Hamilton's initiative
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