This is typical of the current crass ignorance and lack of understanding of how local commerce and community works.To wind the tape back a bit,The instigation of Zone C CPZ and the subsequent & imminent Zone S, nearly killed South Ealing and St Mary's Road trade. As it was, it killed several small businesses located within the zones away from the shops. Thus the Stop and Shop was an initiative and concession swiftly incorporated. I know this because I was amongst those representative residents who negotiated for it.It was then further enhanced with Zone N and then unified for all three zones.Trade in South Ealing and Northfields is not exclusive to local residents or inhabitants of this borough. What an utterly stupid assumption.In fact as is evident from recent events in Northfields Ave. Local people fall way short of supporting local shops. It is passing trade that save the day more often than not.South Ealing and Northfields are right on the border of Hounslow Borough and Brentford, a town with precious little shopping amenities and no tube station. A great deal of custom comes from over 'the border' and always has.The bits of Brentford north of the A4 are more linked to Ealing than Brentford.When I was a teenager, I had a saturday job in the P&K Hardware store. Well over half of the regular customers on that one weekday alone, came from Brentford. Most of the fuel account customers were in Clayponds. Even then many popped up by car and whilst here shopped in the parade.Times change, but people are still here, far, far more people, and they shop by whatever means, on foot, by bus, by bicycle, motor bike, and car.The big spends and purchases are nearly always from car users. The 65 is now too crowded to even board with shopping. Many car share or do errand for others, that's how local society works. Why is this council hellbent on killing it?Small shops and traders do not have the resources of Amazon or Tescos to deliver. Even if they did, there's no-where to load and operate a delivery vehicle.So this bird brained idea is just an almost cynical attack on a trading community already at a huge disadvantage. Every customer counts.Just what is going on in the heads of those who cook up such 'policies'Brentford has a huge increase in population right at the bottom of South Ealing Road. Brentford has a soon to be lost Supermarket patronised by a large amount of people from Little Ealing, South Ealing and Northfields.Equally South Ealing has shops and services not found in Brentford. It is also on most peoples route home.Passing trade is vital to any shopping parade like South Ealing Road. Parking is vital to commerce.Making it complex to park, registering is total beaurocratic nonsense. Costing how much and benefiting who?South Ealing has barely recovered from the reduction in short term parking, but has suffered already from losing two banks and several small shops.Passing trade is absolutely vital to these sorts of streets and the stop and shop is the best innovation. Even Hounslow, not known for its ability to nurture small businesses recognises this and has introduced 30 mins free parking in small shopping areas.This assumption that everyone has a smartfone is deeply divisive and prejudiced towards older people who are the backbone of local custom and reflects a completely naive mentality that everyone is online all the time.This needs to be widely publicised and shows how local authorities are interfering in things they are inept at whilst still unable to manage things that they ought to be more able at.
Mark Kehoe ● 3665d