Author: David

I wrote this short piece for our June newsletter:

‘One sure sign of regeneration?
Walking along Northfield Avenue the other day it struck me that a sure sign of an area changing is when estate agents come in to or leave a high street. Northfield Ave has loads of estate agents with new ones moving in regularly. Will a sign that West Ealing is on the up be when a new estate agent opens on the high street? Anyone willing to say when this will happen in West Ealing?’

Crossrail is already having a significant effect on house prices. You’ve only to look at the estate agents’ adverts in the Ealing Gazette to see the regular mention of Crossrail. Then someone recently said to me ‘we’re being gentrified’ referring to the nearly refurbished Grosvenor pub (which I like).  Change is a slow process but it’s happening in West Ealing.

What are the other signs of regeneration – an artisan baker, new restaurants, improved schools, more affordable housing?  I’m curious what others think or whether I’m imagining change is in the air.

Then I read an article in yesterday’s Sunday Times ( 15th June) about spotting the signs of gentrification.  Apparently, if there’s already a Waitrose and Carluccio’s you’re being gentrified. The signs it’s starting to happen include:

1. ‘When the local boozer suddenly gets rebranded as a gastropub’

2. Cupcake stands

3. Organic food outlets

4. Shops billed as ethical or sustainable open up

5. Companies that trade on being cool or hitting a zeitgeist

6. Charity shops moving out to make way for higher-value occupiers

7. Solicitors and accountants noving from the ground floor to the upper floors as rents rise

I can think of two such signs in West Ealing recently. The tired old boozer The Grosvenor being bought up and refurbished and offering decent food. The Warren Evans ‘green’ bed and furniture store opening in the last space on the ground floor of the old Daniels site.  What next?

The Dr Bike team does a fantastic job promoting cycling and checking out bikes.  If you want to get your bike health -checked or get advice on anything to do with cycling drop in to see them at their stall at the farmers’ market in Leeland Road on Saturday 14th JUne 9am-1pm

Big Picnic 2013

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we manage to see some sunshine on Sunday for the second Big Picnic in Dean Gardens.  Last year we had good weather as you can see from the photo above – so here’s hoping we’re lucky again. As last year, it’s open to everyone and please bring along your lunch and just enjoy the day. It’s a chance to meet old friends, make new friends and just have an enjoyable time. There will be live music, information stalls and a variety of activities – more information to follow.

Looking at the four wards that cover most of West Ealing there has been a clear swing to Labour in the 2014 local election.  The most striking being Walpole which went from being all Conservative for the last two elections to now being all Labour. Northfields remains all Conservative whilst Elthorne which had one Labour, one Conservative and one Liberal Democrat is now all Labour. Lastly, Cleveland has gone from all Conservative to only one Conservative and two Labour. In all, Labour considerably increased its majority on the Council with the Conservatives falling by half from 24 to 12 councillors and the Liberal Democrats lost one councillor, Nigel Bakhai,  on the Elthorne ward.

You can find the full results for all the wards here -but the site is running rather slowly at the moment.