Supermarket instead of Lendlease marketing suite

Found this new petition, asking for a supermarket to replace the current Lendlease marketing suite in Newington Butts next to Pret. It's under the OTE (One The Elephant) building. Such a prime location for retail, which has been wasted for years:

https://www.change.org/p/the-landlord-of-ote-m-s-or-waitrose-to-move-into-ote-when-lendlease-moves-out-from-the-marketing-suite-in-2021

The idea of a supermarket is a good one in principle, especially as there isn't any choice anymore. However, you're very specific about which retailer it should be.

Could it not be an Aldi or Lidl metro-type supermarket on the site?

Personally I don't care, as long as it's not another Sainsburys/Tesco/Coop.

The fantasists continue. This will be none of these things. If any of these things are to appear then they will be in the thick of the redeveloped shopping centre not over the road from it.

for heavens sake it is only a short walk to m&s walworth road

I must admit, if you live in Kennigton, there is very little choice. There are two tiny Tescos and not much else. A Waitrose or M&S would be very welcome but what we really need is a LARGE supermarket especially now that the Tesco superstore in Oval/Vauxhall is no longer there (which was quite a walk anyway). Elephant is in dire need of more outlets though but mot aure where they’ll put them as all space seems to be dedicated to new apartment buildings.

ldw wrote:

for heavens sake it is only a short walk to m&s walworth road

Depends where you're starting from! But if Walworth Road is a bit out of the way, Waterloo station might be manageable.

I would like to see more alternatives to Sainburys & Tescos, but we're pretty well served in this area. I know it's less convenient but I'd rather live somewhere with a variety of small shops than one massive supermarket.

The waitrose crowd might be better off petitioning Greensmiths to stay open later in the evenings.

ldw wrote:

for heavens sake it is only a short walk to m&s walworth road

15 minutes walk is hardly the definition of a convenience store.

That's not the point though. A lot of people would benefit from a small supermarket in that location, while Lendlease is the only one benefiting from a marketing suite.

With the closure of the shopping centre we lost the Co-op, Iceland and the various fruit&veg stalls in/around the shopping centre. I would bet money that the "thick of the redeveloped shopping centre" mentioned by @boroughbloke won't be ready for another 10+ years.

MarcoC wrote:

ldw wrote:

for heavens sake it is only a short walk to m&s walworth road

15 minutes walk is hardly the definition of a convenience store.

That's not the point though. A lot of people would benefit from a small supermarket in that location, while Lendlease is the only one benefiting from a marketing suite.

With the closure of the shopping centre we lost the Co-op, Iceland and the various fruit&veg stalls in/around the shopping centre. I would bet money that the "thick of the redeveloped shopping centre" mentioned by @boroughbloke won't be ready for another 10+ years.

All I actually miss with the closure of the shopping centre are WH Smith's - particularly when it extended over two floors - and the secondhand bookshop (although that closed years ago) - and Woolworth's. I could give a list of shops the Elephant lacks - like Robert Dyas, Rymans, real shoe shops, men's and women's clothing stores, furniture and furnishing, electrical goods, cooking and household equipment (somewhere like Lakeland?). We certainly don't need yet another supermarket/food store of whatever brand or size.

Ever since I moved south of the river I've been in the habit of taking the tube up to Oxford Street whenever I've got any serious shopping to do. I tried Peckham and Lewisham, but soon concluded that the nearest real shopping centre in south London is Croydon!

Croydon is a pedestrian shopping center too IMO all shopping centers should be traffic free for safety and clean air. All areas that have pedestrian only areas report higher footfall and increased takings for the shops.