A letter to the the Licensing Committee, copied to the Mayor....the first four paragraphs sum it up.
Dear Sir /Madam,
I wish to formally object in the strongest possible terms to the granting of yet another betting shop licence in Deptford High St. This would bring the total to ten which is absurd and a threat to the fabric of the local population.
Even on days of inclement weather local "punters" gather in numbers outside the existing establishments drinking and often haranguing passing shoppers and families or pawning what little they have in the "conveniently located" pawnbrokers.
A child in Deptford already perceives gambling as the norm and an extra shop will simply reinforce this. This is surely contrary to legislation.
Deptford already has the highest unemployment in south London and it is surely unfair to place such temptation in the form of vacuous get rich quickly promises in front of people who are already struggling with little chance of relief in the form of employment.
Deptford High St was once the most vibrant and diverse street in London with a market to match. It still is pretty special. Its survival up to now has been due to the preservation of shops' individual freeholds. Thanks to the lacklustre and callous treatment by Lewisham town "planners" this is all changing.
The few remaining employment sites are being snapped up by residential developers boosting unemployment further and they justify this by saying they have to fulfill City Hall and Government targets.
It's about time L.B. Lewisham stopped "dumping on Deptford" and showed a bit of pride and care for the most historically important part of their borough.
Yours Faithfully,
Julian Kingston
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