17 December (Part 2) - Tavy Bridge - No hub, no hope
It’s
not just surreptitious underhand mission creep with 24/7 parking charges that
gets readers scurrying to their keyboards, Gallions Housing Association is far
from popular too. This is what a Tavy Bridge resident had to say about the weekend feature on his area.
The regeneration of Tavy Bridge is taking years, with no date set for completion. The chemist
that was there has now apparently merged with the one in Abbey Wood near the train station. [Browne’s in Wilton Road.]
With the few shops remaining, which will be next to go? Gallions, along with Bexley Council, should be
addressing the lack of shops now, there will soon be none left willing to move back in after the
regeneration. Or is this the idea? New shop owners willing to pay greatly inflated rents?
How much do the councillors for Thamesmead know about Thamesmead? In the New Year I may address this by sending some questions.
Tavy Bridge itself is in Thamesmead East ward
but it is close to the border with Lesnes Abbey ward. Two Thamesmead East councillors (Malik and
Persaud) live miles away in Welling and I do not recall either of them speaking about Thamesmead,
indeed I do not recall one of them speaking about anything. The
third councillor, Sandra Bauer, doesn’t even live in the borough but also
expressed concern about the shops when the plan was approved. If Tavy Bridge was
the reader’s nearest shopping area but lives in Lesnes ward, then the best of luck
getting any sense out of councillor John Davey.