23 November - Bexley council desecrates Sidcup, now Blackfen is in its sights
As predicted I took myself along to Blackfen yesterday, a place I had never set foot in before. I’ve driven through it a few times
but never stopped; which is maybe a good thing because that could have earned me a parking ticket but it also means that I have missed
out on a little shopping centre which I found more interesting than the council favoured Bexleyheath Broadway. One has to wonder why that
single shopping centre is so honoured by Bexley council, probably it is self-interest as their staff can simply cross one road to do
their own shopping.
I went to Blackfen because of persistent reports of harassment of shoppers and
traders alike by councillor Craske’s gestapo team and when the word got around that I was
there to report it here I was given free tea, offered a free meal in the cafe
and use of their toilets; there being none available in the street. I obtained
so much material that most of it will be held over for another day but meanwhile
here is a brief summary of the situation.
There used to be a free council car park behind the pub, but the council sold
it off leaving the 40 plus commercial premises to the east of the centre of town with just
seven on-street parking places; for which a charge of 40 pence for half an hour has now been introduced.
Are any other of the borough’s small shopping communities made to suffer in this
way? Selling off parking spaces is reminiscent of
Craske’s stupidity in Sidcup. It seems that Bexley council is intent on damaging
businesses. We’ve seen it recently in Albany Park
and in Pickford Lane. It was narrowly avoided in Nuxley Road,
Sidcup is a disaster zone and now it is Blackfen’s turn. Councillor Peter Craske the architect of all this misery
must be a truly evil man.