I just got some good news and some rather disappointing news. I now live in a set of three rows of freshly built flats, with two short roads separating each row. It is the type of residential construction which is now appearing all over London: compact, yet pleasantly communal. Each row has about sixteen flats, eight side by side and on two floors. At the end of one row, in the corner opposite to my flat, a space was left for a shop: rather than putting another flat there, the guys in charge decided to use it as a commercial space. It has never been used since I moved here though, and has been empty for months.

However, it now looks like the shop is finally about to open. People have been working on it for weeks, and each time I have rolled past it has looked more and more shop-like. This afternoon, coming back from a trundle, I noticed new signs had been put up saying that the store will open soon, and will sell groceries and basic products, including beer and wine. When I read that I automatically became more enthusiastic – it would make getting hold of my evening libations much easier. I then decided to take a closer look, and for the first time was able to look into the forthcoming shop.

To my total disappointment, I saw that, not only was the place tiny, but there were small flights of steps everywhere. It was only a quick glance, but from the looks of it, there’s no way I’ll be able to get in there. It’s a shame because I thought all new retail outlets were supposed to be wheelchair accessible. I found that very disheartening, and would have hoped that the people behind a new build like this, especially Greenwich council, would have been more thoughtful.