Bohemia Village Voice

Local opinion from Tower Road

“Don’t ask us!” This was the overwhelming response the Voice got from Tower Road residents when we ran the latest in our street surveys of opinions. Out of forty questionnaires only eight were returned, and half of these were from businesses. Our thanks go to those who did take the trouble to fill them in, and especially to Katy Rolfe, who emailed us with her comments. Others said they had never received them (though we know that they had), lost them, or simply declined to comment.
Of those who replied, all but one said they liked living in Bohemia, and every single one of them shops there at least once a week. Five said that Bohemia is a friendly neighbourhood, though one had “experienced both extremes.” The others had only just moved into the area, so did not yet know. Opinions were divided between “yes” and “don’t know” on whether the area needs a community centre, though the “don’t know’s” were either new residents or businesses. One person out of the eight was a regular churchgoer.
Four said they would like to have a red phone box in Bohemia, though Katy Rolfe said, “A bit nostalgic, I feel. There is no longer a place for these, is there?”
Six out of eight wanted a post office and said if there was one they would use it at least weekly. Three were looking forward to the coming of ADSA in Silverhill, but four were not, plus one “don’t know.” Katy Rolfe said, “There’s absolutely no need as we have a wealth of independent shops that already struggle against two Co-ops and a Tesco.”
Not a single person was satisfied with the standard of street cleaning. Eiley Smith asked whose responsibility it is to keep the alleyways clean, and spoke of the problems concerning the alleyway behind her garden. She would like to see it gated and kept locked, “like the alleyway opposite.”
All who voiced an opinion said that they wanted Bohemia’s architectural features preserved.
There was overwhelming support for our suggestion that people who let their dogs foul the pavement should be put in the village stocks! Katy Rolfe went one further and said, “Hang them!!! I am sick of scraping it off my pushchair wheels and walking out of my front door finding stinking piles of it.” She added, “We need a red bin urgently. It’s a health risk near the school.” She had seen an old lady pick it up after her little dog, but then go on to push it, bag and all, down a drain, “the very drain that blocked when we had that downpour!”
Almost everyone said they liked to see street bobbies on patrol, and everyone who had an opinion about buses said that the services are good, or at least adequate.
Eiley Smith spoke out on how dangerous it is trying to cross the road, and voiced concern at the speed of motorists using Tower Road to cut through from Bohemia Road to London Road. Katy Rolfe named the emergency services and taxis in particular as offending in this respect. She added, “I would love to see speed bumps, but know this won’t happen until the council get statistics of people being killed or injured.”
All were satisfied with the level of street lighting, and, not surprisingly, all who responded were regular readers of Bohemia Village Voice.

Tower Road has a mixture of school, pubs, shops, flats and houses.

Tower Road houses

Tower Road school run

Christchurch School