How London’s suburbs can thrive
The flipside to the fall-off in visitors to central London since lockdown was imposed in the UK [link to our central London post here] is that outer London has been significantly busier.
One of the silver linings of lockdown for me was being able to reconnect with many of the retail and restaurant businesses in my local area. I have to stick my hand up and confess that, like many of us who live in the London suburbs and pre-Covid spent much of our work and social life in the heart of the capital, I was guilty of taking these local places for granted.
In March, with my neighbours and I all working from home and eating and shopping local, they became a lifeline and now I’m on first name terms with the family who run the corner shop, Laura who owns the local café and, since the easing of the lockdown restrictions the local Greek takeaway, (Vrisaki’s is a North London institution) is back on speed dial. Having rediscovered the wealth of retail and leisure businesses on my doorstep, I’ve become rather protective towards them, and was starting to be concerned about what might become of them as many of us start steeling ourselves to return to Zone 1.
On reflection, however, I still have high hopes for my new local heroes. And there are two reasons why: Firstly, even as people do go back into central London, it won’t (for the foreseeable future) be anything like in the number pre-lockdown. Secondly, many who previously worked full-time in the heart of the capital will now work from home (ie the suburbs) two or three days a week.
At P-THREE, we believe that the notion that the suburbs will suddenly go from bustling hubs to ghost towns can be roundly dismissed. In fact, it’s the opposite: in those locations, demand for new restaurant sites in particular is already back up to pre-lockdown levels.
We are often asked if there are particular parts of Zone 2 and beyond we tip as growth areas. I think it’s worth stating that already-affluent areas such as Clapham, Wimbledon and Putney, which have developed a holistic (but not overly saturated) retail and leisure base, will thrive. In addition, I suggest the following (in no particular order) are ‘spots to watch’: Hackney, Acton, Elephant & Castle, Battersea, Tottenham Hale and Blackhorse Road (the last two of which have recently seen significant investment).
Ultimately, though, virtually any suburban London location that has a strong convenience-based retail offer (and is firmly linked in to the day-to-day needs of its surrounding customers) has the potential to grow. And that can only be a good thing for the capital as a whole.
Article by Hannah McNamara, Co-founder of P-THREE
