Sutton High Street redevelopment

The highly esteemed Parkerilla sent me an email a couple of weeks ago:

Hi Brinkster,
saw this in the Evening Standard on the way home today, I imagine you've already seen it but if not, I was going to say make you smile, but maybe turn into the Incredible Hulk on one of his bad mood days is another option ...

He knows me too well. When I think about the money that's been spent on Sutton High Street I vary between ironic laughter, deep depression and incandescent rage. The graphic on the left is taken from the Sutton Guardian's unscientific, but telling, poll on the subject and as politicians both love and implicitly believe polls Sutton Council will have to admit that the findings are true.

Hats off to the Sutton Guardian though whose video on the subject is quite illuminating, particularly the interview with Councillor Jayne McCoy, Sutton Council’s spokesperson for planning, economic development and housing.


For those with video-click-o-phobia here's a snippet
"Well there's no denying we've had quite a few problems. The log benches are a big problem, the mechanism didn't work properly. We've taken the benches out and we're going to get proper ones fixed now. We've had delays, it's complicated, there's a number of reasons the project's had its problems but we are looking to do everything we can do to get the prject completed and obviously started a review via our internal audit team to have a look at the lessons to be learned from the project".

Here's hoping the internal audit team don't get cut in the budget then! It's far too big a subject for me to adequately cover here but I have unearthed a video that purports to reveal the truth from inside Civic Centre.....well... see for yourselves.