New shops in Dulwich Village and Park Hall West Dulwich

The Dulwich Estate has confirmed that a convenience store called ‘Simply Fresh’ will be taking over the former Shepherds unit in the Village but we don’t yet know when they will start trading.  We await information on the opening date. The ‘Proud Sow’ the new butcher did not open as originally promised at the end of August. It appears that it has yet to receive planning permission for alterations to the shopfront.

The former ‘Park Garage’ is under offer as a yoga studio and refurbishment work is ongoing. The former ‘Audi Showroom’ unit is also apparently under offer but we don’t know as what - the ‘Sari project’ is the current temporary occupier and its lease runs out in December.  

In West Dulwich, the former pizza restaurant next to Tesco’s has been taken by Eastern Mediterranean restaurant Peckham Bazaar. In the new development by the surgery, the chemist is due to open in October and one of the other four units has been let to the existing orthodontic practice in Park Hall Road. The Estate’s recent eNewsletter says that ‘it will provide state of the art cosmetic orthodontist services including providing semi and totally invisible braces. There will also be a retail section selling dentist and orthodontist products’

The Estate also says that the former kitchen shop on the corner of Alleyn Road is under offer, and that it will be carrying out a small-scale refurbishment of the former Lloyds bank before putting it on the market. There has also been some work in the former Phase Eight shop but there is no information on who the new tenant will actually be.

The Gilkes, the former S G Smith workshop site in Gilkes Place

Demolition work progressed over the August/early September period & the building is now a pile of rubble. Crushing machinery arrived on site last week - to begin crushing the old concrete slab and foundations. The work should be complete by the end of September.

Belair House

The restaurant at Belair House has closed. The building will continue as a venue for weddings and private events.

Letter from Helen Hayes MP to the Home Secretary about vehicle crime in Dulwich

The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Home Office Direct Communications Unit 2
Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

13 August 2018

I have recently been contacted by constituents in Dulwich and West Norwood, regarding an increase in motor vehicle crime and moped and bicycle-enabled crimes in the local area. These crimes include theft of motor vehicles and theft and misuse of mopeds and hire bicycles, particularly docking-station free hire bikes.

My constituents would like to see the government take a more proactive approach to moped crime, including working with moped manufacturers to ensure that they introduce better security measures to stop mopeds from being so easy to steal, and by funding councils to install more secure anchor points for mopeds, an effective way to reduce the theft of mopeds and prevent stolen mopeds from being used to facilitate other crimes.

My constituents are further anxious to see the government act to reduce vehicle theft. It is clear that action is needed to urge ensure that manufacturers improve security and locking mechanisms in order to stem the epidemic of “relay” and other types of vehicle theft. Many manufacturers use the same electronic key to both open vehicles and start the engine and this appears to be a key weakness.

I have also received reports of docking-station free hire bikes being used to facilitate robbery in my constituency, particularly those brands of bikes with weak locking mechanisms which are easy to break by hand. I fully support measures to increase cycling and to make bike hire more accessible, but it is clear that this unintended consequence is not acceptable and must be addressed. I am therefore requesting that you engage the providers of docking station-free hire bikes to address this issue as a matter of urgency.

Finally, I have highlighted on many occasions the cuts to police budgets which are stretching our local teams to the limit. Reversing the £1 billion cut to the Metropolitan Police budget would ensure that the police have the resources to be proactive in addressing these crimes. I look forward to hearing from you.

Helen Hayes MP

Sydenham Hill Ridge Neighbourhood Planning Forum

There is a new emerging “neighbourhood planning” group for Sydenham Hill Ridge – and it will join the nascent one in Dulwich Village and the one in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood.

Broadly, the area they are looking at a neighbourhood planning area running along the top of Sydenham Hill and covering Southwark and Lewisham (including Sydenham and Dulwich Woods). The proposed Neighbourhood Area would run in a north east/south westerly direction from opposite Horniman Museum in the north east, to the meeting point of Sydenham Hill road with Crystal Palace roundabout in the south west, following the line of Sydenham Hill road.

If of interest, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. he can add you into their communications for upcoming meetings and walkabouts.  The group is just beginning to set up a web site and planning future activities.

Boots on the Ground - Tangled Feet

Originally commissioned by Salisbury Playhouse in collaboration with Army SW, Southwark Council is promoting a local version of the event as part of their programme for Dulwich Park - it will take place on the weekend of 9, 10, 11 of November. ‘Boots on the Ground’ is a headphone performance created by physical theatre ensemble and charity Tangled Feet, (www.tangledfeet.com). Inspired by the centenary of the WW1 Armistice, it explores the experience of demobilising from the Armed Forces and returning to civilian life after the experience of conflict. Each performance is aimed at roughly 30 participants and starts in an Army tent stationed in a public space. The audience 'enlist' to take part and are invited to step inside the boots of a soldier who is being demobilised from the Armed Forces. Wearing headphones, the audience leave the tent and are instructed how to march together. On their route around the local area, two storylines play out - one set in 1918 and one in the current day. Part of the story is told via binaural recordings, and part by our two professional actors. The performance is designed to respond to the local history and environment of Dulwich. The performance will happen three times a day, lasting about an hour in total each time. Tangled Feet are looking for a wide range of participants including local schools, local historians, local forces/ex-forces communities and volunteer stewards. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..