Our house is equidistant between the Griffin Park development and the soon-to-commence demolition and redevelopment of Charlton and Albany houses. Lovely for those who will have new homes (and I mean that), considerably less lovely for those who’ll be trying to live - and work - between two building sites and an indeterminate timeline of works. Noise, dust and the sort of vibration which isn’t kind to Victorian structures in what’s supposed to be a conservation area. When we moved here, the biggest issue was the redevelopment of the garages in Brook Road South - flagged as a concern when we bought the house. Oh, happy days. We didn’t have a clue what was around the corner. Now, it’s EVERYWHERE and there is no escape - construction, noise, vibration. On top of that is the ongoing traffic disruption and the game of Find the Bus Stop (again, I’m a big ULEZ supporter - cycles and buses for the win). My husband and I repeatedly found ourselves scratching our heads and saying ‘Where TF do we go today?’ I’m not a great fan of the Ballymore and Ballymore-adjacent developments and never have been. They’re just not good enough. I recently spoke with one of the construction crew who said that the High Street re-development was absolute rubbish and that within 20 years it would be a slum. I’m inclined to agree. What upsets me is the disruption to existing residents. It’s not NIMBYism, it’s just ruining our quality of life and it’s only going to get worse - and no one seems to care.
Tracie Dudley Craig ● 268d