Eltham High Street 'so dirty and grim that it's driving shoppers away'

Eltham town centre sits in Greenwich borough and is known for its historic palace that dates back to the 14th century, as well as its bustling high street.

Greenwich Council said in a statement on July 31 that the authority’s jet-washing service for streets across the borough had returned after being paused for three years.

The council’s most recent budget saw £578,000 being set aside to return the service to Eltham High Street, alongside other town centres such as Greenwich and Woolwich.

The sum will also reportedly be used to enlist special teams to reduce the high levels of fly tipping in such areas.

Denise Wind, 58, said she lived in Eltham for five years while she was in her twenties, and still regularly shops in the area for a change of scenery.

The resident said the jet-washing scheme was a “very good idea”, as she has noticed the street declining over the years by getting dirtier and pavement slabs becoming loose.

Ms Wind told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’ve noticed a lot that it used to be really clean in Eltham, but it’s gone slightly downhill. It’s not pleasant for other people because then it stops people from coming to Eltham.”

She added: “The noise has got worse. Even motorbikes, that’s got worse. Eltham used to be calm.”

Arnold, who did not wish to give his second name, said he has lived in Eltham for 15 years and often sits on the high street to watch people.

He said the area has become “awful” in recent years and that people seem “oblivious” to the state of the road.

He told the LDRS: “I’ve lived abroad for 24 years of my life and streets were kept clean where I lived for many years.

"Hosed down, disinfected. Bus shelters washed down, swiped with the window type thing. But we don’t do that here in England, do we?”

He added: “They laid all these pavements here and down there in Passey Place. They did a lovely job, but it takes a year or two and it looks like it’s 100 years old. Dirty, grim and unkept.”

Michael Thomas, 78, said he has lived in Eltham for 30 years and uses the high street three times a week.

He also welcomed the return of the council’s jet-washing service, after saying he had never seen the streets being cleaned in his time there.

He told the LDRS: “It looks a mess, you go over there and there’s all chewing gum everywhere and it’s a terrible mess.

"We’re paying quite a lot to the council so they should get their finger out.”

Mr Thomas said the street’s appearance has not drastically changed over the years. He said he feels the high street is good overall and has got “everything you need”.

He said: “Most of them have been here all the time. It’s been hard for the shops, hasn’t it, since COVID?

"For two years they were losing money and they still had to pay the rent so a lot of the smaller shops did go, but the big ones can afford it obviously.”

Jack Scovell, 36, has sold fruit on Chequers Parade, just off Eltham High Street, for three and a half years. Mr Scovell said trade has been “massively impacted” by shops closing over the years.

Jack Scovell

He told the LDRS: “A lot of what you would call the big shops that attract people have closed down and haven’t really been replaced with anything that attracts people to come to the high street anymore.

"Even just the influx of people walking up and down the high street, [it’s] not as much as it was when I first came up here.”

Mr Scovell said he has never noticed the stretch on the street where he sells fruit being jet-washed.

He said that shoppers’ perceptions of the area may improve once the council makes it more “nice and tidy”, and that he sometimes cleans the ground around his stall himself in the summer months.

The trader told the LDRS: “I’ll get a couple of bottles of bleach and some water and I’ll chuck it down and scrub it as good as I can.

"Some people might look at it and think, ‘It’s a bit grubby round there, I’m not going to buy off that fruit stall’. It’s people’s perceptions.”

The Greenwich Conservative Group said in a statement on July 25 that the service should never have been cut and it was pleased to see it being reintroduced.

The group said they had also proposed to extend the jet-washing service to other smaller communities in the borough, but the plans were rejected.

Conservative Councillor Pat Greenwell, representing the Eltham Town and Avery Hill ward, said: “I was pleased to see pavement jet-washing finally back in action on Eltham High Street today, after campaigning for its return for so long.

"Last year, Greenwich Council voted against Conservative councillors’ proposal to re-introduce jet-washing – but a year later, they’ve now changed their mind and reversed this cut. As your local councillor I will keep campaigning for more to be done to keep our High Street clean.”

Labour Councillor Ann-Marie Cousins, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement for Greenwich Council, said in a statement: “The return of the jet washing programme will help make our town centres much cleaner, well-maintained places. We would encourage pedestrians to help us take care of these areas, and to use bins to dispose of gum and litter.”

The cabinet member said that the authority is also cracking down on fly tipping in the area.

She said the council will take action against anyone caught illegally dumping rubbish and encouraged local people to report any incidents through the council website.

Greenwich Council was approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.