Address the suspicious vape shops and excess betting shops on Lower Road and other smaller high streets in the area
From "Emerging Priorities for Rotherhithe"
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Lower Road, like other roads in the area, has become a congregation of betting shops (two within 100m of each other) and vape shops (currently three within 200m of each other). This pattern is reflected across the borough. It encourages anti-social behaviour and raises a serious question: in a cost of living crisis, when small businesses are closing daily, how can three vape shops afford to rent prime real estate in Zone 2 within 200m of one another?
There have also been growing reports of shops like these becoming hubs for organised crime. It’s about time the council addressed this and provided a high street fit for its residents. People want shops that offer real value and use, not a high street defined by clutter, loitering and questionable businesses. Genuine small businesses on the road are being negatively impacted by the rise of these shops.
With Canada Water shopping centre closing and needing to become more useful for residents, now is the time for the council to invest in local high streets across the area, through both funding and infrastructure. We need more of what actually serves the community: the bike repair shop, the key cutter, the cobbler. Real small businesses that give back to the people who live here.