Why Can't Brooklynites Be More Like The British?

(Photo Credit: The Evening Standard)

Brooklynites, take note. We complain quite a bit about loosing all of our neighborhood stores and the reckless over-development of our fair borough. However, we don't seem to back up our kvetching with action. Not so in London, or more precisely Notting Hill . People there are taking to the streets to protest the closing of a Woolworths. (A Woolworths! Imagine! I used to love those stores. I can't believe that they are still around.) The reason for the demo? Residents are afraid that developers are going to tear down the beloved neighborhood store to build, what else, something overpriced or useless to the community. That's what we need more of here in Brooklyn: Some good old fashioned activism. How about it! Any store closings we can protest? I'll make the banners if you design the fliers.

Locals' bid to save Notting Hill's Woolworths

Evening Standard 09.11.07

Residents and shopkeepers in Notting Hill are to stage a demonstration today over the future of their local Woolworths store.
They are concerned the freeholders of the site, UK Investments, will demolish the Portobello Road store once the lease expires in June 2009.
Woolworths has stood on the site since 1928 and locals, particularly small shop owners who are already under pressure from rising rents, want it to remain.
In February, Kensington and Chelsea Liberal Democrats discovered that JMW Barnard, the managing agents for UK Investments, were in talks with the council over planning permission to redevelop as flats the entire Woolworths block when the lease expires.
Lib-Dem chairman Robin Meltzer said the news caused "uproar" but when the agents heard
this they said the plans had been shelved.
Mr Meltzer claimed the decision was only made due to pressure from the local community and said that until a new lease was signed which guaranteed Woolworths would remain, the campaign would continue, including the demonstration outside the store this afternoon.
JMW Barnard has said the protest is unnecessary because it has stated the firm wants to keep Woolworths open. But Mr Meltzer said: "UK Investments are not obliged to renew the lease and they could change their mind and decide to go ahead with the redevelopment.
"They've already proved they are capable of this sort of plan and then shelved the idea. What's to say they won't change their mind again?
"Although we welcome JMW Barnard's newly professed love for the Woolworths store, we must ensure their talk is turned into action.
"The public demonstration is intended to send a loud message - not just to UK Investments but to all 'super-landlords' - that local people do not want much-used local stores to be replaced by buildings that will have little or no use for them."

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