Mixed feelings really.

For me, London is definitely losing its vitality. Central London is still buzzing, or rather will be once again, and undoubtedly looks better than it used to do but as you move out through the zones, it becomes so much more of a mixed picture.

A good example is where my mum still lives in East Dulwich. On the face of it, then thriving. Lordship Lane is full of designer shops and bars and coffee shops. But most of the side roads are now blocked off, making it a nightmare to travel through. And where my mum lives the nice yummy mummy types are trying to get a bus-route redirected because they don't want the noise of it.

And yet down the road in Peckham, you have gang related shootings and stabbings going on next to art galleries on Peckham Rye Lane.

Its bizarre. Schizophrenic almost. Like South London on Prozac. One half of it wanting to see everything through a fuzzy prism that ignores the fact that London is a trading city that is meant to be busy and noisy whilst the other half are being submerged into an alternative reality in which they are allowed to commit the most henious of crimes which nobody really wants to talk about. As long as it is black people being s*** to other black people then nobody really caring about it. Almost like nobody involved in any meaningful way expects any better of them.

Strangely,was in Croydon high street today and the melting pot was impressive, nothing much to report other than there are lots more beggers in the past month, and street drinkers. The usual suspects are there, Romanian gang, well, couple of blokes with crutches and twisted hand out, usual ladies in doorways with cup in hand,(other half of the Romanian gang), bIack guy on spice outside west Croydon station. The thing I have noticed is there"s lots more English out there begging, white English i mean, saw one get a fiver off a lady on friday outside m an s, the cheeky cnut snatched it out of her hand and turned and on his way, there"s gratitude I thought.On the other hand, was walking behind two cracking girls, great asses, white jeans, and they were happy as anyone, chatting, laughing, and talking, in Polish. It gave me a warm chill to be honest, these young ladys have come here to start a new life I thought, good luck to them!

Commuting into London has anyone seen the size of the battersea developments and the amount of building going up in East croydon!
It doesn't look like the capital is shrinking

Commuting into London has anyone seen the size of the battersea developments and the amount of building going up in East croydon!
It doesn't look like the capital is shrinking

I have lived in or around Croydon all my life and see no reason to move out .
The trouble with Croydon , is what people from outside the area think Croydon is and full of crime .
Crime is no higher than other parts of London or the rest of the UK
They come to the town centre and see [ what it is ] a run down , non investment town . This is the only part I don't like .
Go out of the town centre and it is a wonderful place lots of green area's to walk , wild life and Crystal Palace FC etc .
Remember Croydon is the greenest Borough in London .