I havnt counted them all yet but I sense that there are over 5 distinct and separate coffee shops on Victoria Road although i think one was lost recently. Is this enough? has it finally hit saturation point or is there an insatiable thirst for expensive cappuccinos? would a mega coffee shop in the old woolworths create too much competition (I note that Coffee Republic is not yet represented on Victoria Road). Do other roads deserve a chance at the cafe society? EG Ewell Road?
Are there enough coffee shops in Victoria Road?
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Comments
Never been in one and have no intention of.
Like Ionkontrol,I have never been in one,climbing over the riff raff with their dogs and fags sitting outside some is enough to put you off.
In fact I have not had a cup of coffee since October 1986 at a McDonalds in Innsbruck,come to think of it I have not had a McD since then either.
independent cafes are the way forward!!!
It is a shame Bosco is going, i went just after it opened and it was rammed. Plus i liked the idea of lunchtime opera even if i didn't go. I think it would be good if we had more restaurants, not fewer. And we need a town square where the front of the station is
A town square in front of the station is a great idea.
I'd go further and knock down the tacky chicken joint and cheque cashing shops that block the view of our impressive modernist station.
It's a great pity that the council have allowed the roof extension at DST house - it will now overshadow the Surbiton Station clock tower.
Instead of being a feature, it will now be hidden and obscured.
What's the point of the station building being a grade 2 listed building when idiot councillors can approve whatever they like on neighbouring sites?
100% agree. That parade in front of the station is hardly the best introduction to Surbiton - a kebab shop and loan store!
The planners in Kingston really have no idea. If you look at the conservation area in the river roads, it specifically excludes anything built after 1900. People who own the older flats and houses are limited in what modifications they can make, whilst those that own the newer places can do exactly as they please - further changing the charater of the street scene.
The DST building will overshadow the whole of the centre of town including the attractive parade on Claremont Road. Surbiton will soon look like any other suburb with small remnants of the original Victorian architecture overshadowed by new modern buildings. It would not be so bad if the council admitted that this was their intention.
A town square would be brilliant for Surbiton, but I am not sure where it would go. The station would be the obvious place, but I think that this would lead to too many kids hanging around - there are loads of people aimlessly hanging around by the station anyway, and this would get much worse if there was seating and less traffic.
I don't quite understnad what happened to the bar. It used to be very busy, but the last couple of times I have been in there (Fri/Sat night) it has been half empty.
I thought this would have gone down well in Surbiton as it is a bit different to the bars already there, and is actually relatively cheap compared to places like Gordon Bennett or Rubicon. I suppose the problem is that it is in the worng part of town, so is competing more with Wetherspoons and Corky's rather than the better places.
It will be a great shame to lose this bar/restaurant, but I guess it would not have supported the hotel side of the business for too long anyway.
Any shop is better than an empty one,Bosco is in administration but still trades.
The market will decide who and what survives but the small shop owner is doomed unless rents and business rates are lowered and and the crazy labour laws are adjusted so that staff can be employed without fear of endless maternity/paternity and sick leave with compulsory pension provisions.It is also nonsense for ALL employees to be granted 20 plus days leave regardless of the costs to the employer,the USA survives on 2 weeks leave why cant we?
I am sorry to hear that Bosco is in administration already. They have a lovely bar area, and the building itself is a great improvement over the eyesore that was previously on the site.
Unfortunately, the hotel side of the business was always going to be a risk. Even with nice rooms and facilities, there are very few people who will be prepared to pay £150 to stay in Surbiton when they can stay in central London for similar money. This is not helped by the fact that they are right next to rowdy Wetherspoons and overlooking the current carnage at DST House.
Please like the new Holiday Inn and Travelodge in Kingston may be no better located, but they are a lot cheaper.
Coffee Republic went into adminstration last week. How about estate agents?
Surbiton is actually being used as a Coffee taste perfection research centre, until that perfect pick me up cup is created then more must be invested for new projects.
Coffee Republic has gone into administration so it's not only Surbiton that has been saturated.
Independent coffee shops are the way forward. Nothing beats a place promoting it's individuality. Coffee is then allowed to be superb, not a generic formulaic hot liquid.