Good questions Lucille. Part of this is the deterrent of all that traffic but even Sheen seems to do better with independent shops than we do, so we have to look further. Putney faces far more nearby competition than the towns you mention. Why go to PHS when you can go to Wandsworth, Kingston, Richmond or Barnes for more choice and better surroundings?
There are good people working hard in the BID team but as we can all see what Ruth has pointed out, real progress has been very slow to come. More hanging baskets doesn’t quite do it welcome though they are. Having said that some of our best independents are in LRR, another road with far too much traffic. The PHS landlords seem to be part of the problem - too many small spaces asking for too much rent. |