Warren Road in Woodingdean is thriving with a range of retail shops that any village high street would be proud of. We have, from West to East the shops in Woodingdean are;
Brighton Auction Rooms, , Clearwell Mobility, Best One Convenience store and newsagent, Uncle Sam’s hamburger express, Coastway Vets, I want that Present (gifts and toys for boys and girls) , The Dog Boutique, Achilles Foot Clinic Mings, Chinese Takeaway, Alicia Photographics, Build14me web site builders and SEO specialists , Ricky Clarke Hair and Beauty, Pretty Pascalles Co-op funeral care, Woodingdean Café, Sussex Blinds, Completely Carpets, Woodingdean Dry Cleaners, Circa Deli And Tesco Express.
And once you cross the Falmer Road traffic lights onto Warren Way there is an equally eclectic mix of retail shops in Woodingdean:
Downs Baptist Church Community greengrocers, The Co-operative foodstore,
Co-op, The Wine centre, Well pharmacy, Coral Bookmakers, Martlets Hopsice charity shop, Warrens Hardware, Woodingdean Fish and Chip shop, King of India take away and the Java Community Cafe.
In addition to the Warren Road shops there are also shops on Cowley Drive Woodingdean. AG Hammond a post office that sells sweets and stationery items, Bridgman Pharmacy (116 Cowley Dr, Brighton BN2 6TD Tel 01273 303273) Rosalyn’s Hairdressers and Premier sports.
Another shop in Woodingdean to add to the list is Lockwood Stores, 43 Lockwood Cres, Brighton BN2 6UH – Lockwood stores sell a range of essentials and are able to take delivery of parcels etc during opening hours – speak to the owners about this service.
The Guardian reported that there were 15 shop closures a day across the uk in the first half of 2016 but actually in Woodingdean this pattern has not been replicated. In fact on Warren Road we do not have any empty shopfronts – and most of the businesses seem to be thriving.
It is difficult to gage why Woodingdean has bucked the trend but I believe that it is a combination of:
- relatively low rent combined with a beneficial rates relief schemes for businesses
- a thriving and supportive business community
- a community focused population who support local businesses
There are a number of issues for all the businesses in Woodingdean – traffic is becoming a major problem, with queues at the Downs Hotel Junction often stretching back for half a mile up Warren Road, down Falmer Road as far as Cowley drive and up Falmer Road to the Stadium. What used to be the exception has now become the rule. Parking is also a bone of contention with issues around parking time limits and general policing of the by-laws. Bus services are also an issue. For many of the businesses in the area the natural recruitment areas include Newhaven, Peacehaven and Saltdean – but there is not public transport directly to these places. For staff at the BUPA care home who may have a shift starting at 7.30 am at the weekend – they simply have no alternative but to use a taxi service to work (and the taxi ride will cost them two hours pay).
But what we have here is a community that wants to work together – a community that appreciates what we have and a number of really active community groups that take it upon themselves to make the lives of all of us better. We have a thriving high street because we want one and we support the businesses who support us.
I appreciate it is a cliché – but it is important to support your local shops in Woodingdean, services, restaurants and businesses. Use them – or loose them.
Shops in Woodingdean
Woodingdean Shops
Thanks