Blackheath could see Asda store open in village
Asda are seeking to open a new supermarket in Blackheath village within the former Lloyds bank.
You may recall that Danish bakery Ole & Steen applied to open on site in 2021. It was refused by Greenwich Council then the company won on appeal.
In May this year plans went in for exterior alterations.
However now Asda plans are in for the site according to signs in the building’s window.
Though that may be a tad premature. Last week news broken that the company are scaling back on smaller store openings as their market share drops sharply.
Asda are also planning a small store in Greenwich, but again that process was in motion before last week’s news.
The company have been in a state of turmoil since current owners took over – so while these applications are being made don’t expect the stores to actually open.
The Blackheath situation is all rather odd. Ole & Steen would no doubt be popular and after going to so much effort why pull out – as they appear to have done.
Whatever happens, if Asda are now on the backfoot it could stay empty for some time. Greenwich Council may have wished they’d approved modest changes three years ago and now be receiving rates and tax revenue for the empty unit.
Running a site alone takes time and a fair bit of money. Adverts are far from enough to cover it and my living costs as a private renter.
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Looks like Ole & Steen may have paused expansion too:
https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/News/2024/July/Lagkagehuset-to-pause-outlet-expansion-amid-ongoin
Definitely missed a boat on this one. Also puts a spotlight how strange it is that Blackheath village is split between planning boroughs… 🙁
Poor Shepherd, how will they justify the prices they’ve been charging? Not the end I’d choose to meet, at the hands of asda
Shepherds are a nice shop but expensive. Asda may do well at this location as easonably priced for a local convenience store to grab a few items you need before going to larger supermarket to do your main shop.
I agree Graham. I use local stores as much as possible for items I can carry and only go to larger stores for the main shop.
I do support shopping locally to support local businesses and local economies..
I think these chain stores are killing small businesses. There is no way small shops can compete with their prices. I understand that the consumers prefer lower prices but at what cost?
Buying local is nice, but they don’t have anything nice beyond the exact same stuff you buy everywhere else. And at double the price, just because they can
Looking at the latest planning application for a glass sliding door further up Cresswell Park (and the fact that this was submitted much later than the initial planning application for the changes to the windows) it seems very odd that Ole and Steen would have requested this themselves for their own purposes. I wonder if Ole and Steen know that Savilles submitted the later application in their name.
This turned up on YT at the weekend, a walk around historic Black heath: https://youtu.be/FJ-bOHQwq1k?si=H68SthF9cNz-6520
The bank is detailed and I was surprised to hear that this building was initially a leisure centre which still has a pool in the basement.
As to Asda’s plans, I don’t think it fits in with the rest of Black heath, it’s not ‘sympathetic’. It might be an idea to use the existing facade and build around and above it.
It’s Blackheath and not “Black Heath”.
I don’t see Asda as a good fit for the Blackheath Village location, although it would be more convenient for me living as I do close to Lee Green, rather than schlepping out to the Lewisham store.
I for one welcome Asda to the village. Shepherds have been overpriced and monopolising the village for years, it’s about time they had a wake up call and took a look at the rip off prices they’ve been charging.
I feel sorry for the Morrisons Local though, their shelves are always mostly empty and how they’ll compete I do not know.