The squatter saga on Putney High Street continues to evolve, with fresh developments at the former Ramna restaurant block suggesting the long-running standoff may finally be approaching a resolution — though not without creating new headaches for local residents.
Legal action heats up at Ramna block
The most significant development this week came in the form of a sealed plastic document bag affixed to the front of the former Ramna restaurant. While only the address remains legible through the protective covering, the formal posting suggests Crown Properties is escalating its legal efforts to reclaim the building as part of its ambitious redevelopment plans.
The squatter presence at the site has, if anything, intensified. The former restaurant space now resembles a cramped storage unit, packed with a chaotic jumble of possessions that speaks to a more permanent occupation than the transient presence seen elsewhere along the High Street. The contrast with the methodical legal process unfolding outside couldn’t be starker.
Clear-out signals development progress
The legal notice coincides with a telling shift in the surrounding shops within the block. For once, the empty storefronts aren’t the result of failed businesses — they’ve been deliberately cleared in preparation for the long-awaited demolition and reconstruction. The ambitious project promises four new retail units topped by a hotel, finally bringing movement to what has become one of Putney’s most prominent dead zones.
Only Preto Brazilian restaurant remains operational within the affected area, presumably counting down its final weeks of service before the wrecking ball arrives.
Traffic chaos on the horizon
While the prospect of new development offers hope for the area’s regeneration, the proposed construction logistics threaten to create fresh misery for commuters. Plans for the deconstruction and building phases would see lorries using the bus lane on Putney Bridge Road — a prospect that has local residents questioning whether the cure might be worse than the disease.
The bus lane proposal would transform what’s already one of Putney’s worst congestion hotspots into something approaching gridlock. For a area that’s spent months watching squatters operate with apparent impunity, the irony of legitimate development threatening even greater disruption won’t be lost on anyone who regularly battles through Putney Bridge Road traffic.
M&S Food Hall plans advance with licensing application
While squatters dig in elsewhere, Marks & Spencer is moving ahead with its transformation of the former clothing store into a food hall. The company has applied for an alcohol licence permitting sales between 7am and 11pm daily, extending to 6am-midnight for the week before Christmas.
The proposed hours are notably longer than other local supermarkets, and the application faces an uncertain path under Wandsworth Council’s new Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP) for Putney High Street. The policy’s first test case last month descended into confusion when officials couldn’t agree on what it actually said or whether it applied. M&S will likely get approval, but the process remains unclear. Residents have until 1 October to contact the licensing authority with their views.
Defensive boarding spreads beyond squatter sites
The squatter crisis has prompted an increasingly aggressive response from landlords, with the latest casualty being Eastern Natural Care. The therapy center, which offered acupuncture, massage and Chinese herbs, has finally succumbed after struggling for some time. While other local options remain available for these services, what’s striking is the response: the entire frontage has been boarded up, including the first-floor window, as an active squatter deterrent.
Landlords have clearly absorbed the lesson from recent events, but the result is another boarded-up property contributing to the High Street’s increasingly rundown appearance. No number of M&S food halls can counteract the visual impact of these defensive fortifications.
Lost Society standoff continues
There’s been little progress at the former Lost Society opposite the train station. The squatters have removed their sign asking the landlord to contact them, replaced by a new LASPO notice. The ongoing mystery remains why police won’t act despite having photographic evidence of the break-in at the building’s rear entrance.
New arrivals and questionable additions
The former Barclays Bank renovation is progressing well, with window glimpses revealing that Tiny Feet — selling high-end prams and family goods — should prove a useful High Street addition, despite some initial local confusion about the store’s purpose.
Less promising is the newly opened vape and tech store in the former Whoop salon space. Like nail salons before them, it’s unclear why one High Street needs quite so many stores selling identical goods. The new arrival joins several others likely to experience the same underwhelming trade that characterizes Putney’s oversaturated vape/tech market.
The wider malaise persists
The broader picture remains depressingly familiar. Simmons and Be At One cocktail bars remain shuttered, with a homeless person now living in Be At One’s entryway. The White Lion hotel stays on the market at an unrealistic price, made even less appealing by squatter damage. The Boilermaker sits empty, though its landlady claims active efforts to secure new tenants.
The roster of vacant properties — Lloyds Bank, Wasabi, the former Bill’s — continues unchanged. The fundamental problem persists: landlords demanding rents that Putney High Street’s diminished footfall cannot justify, creating a vicious circle that traffic problems only worsen.
Two bright spots
Amid the gloom, there are signs of life though it seems to be happening off the High Street. Blabar on Lacy Road has completed its refit, emerging freshly painted and open for business again.
More significantly, the new Raaz Indian restaurant on Lower Richmond Road is scheduled to open tonight. Putney.news has booked a table to review what the chef ambitiously hopes will become a Michelin-starred establishment. Whether Putney High Street can sustain fine dining ambitions remains to be seen, but the attempt itself feels like a radical act of optimism.
The bigger picture
As Crown Properties moves forward with its legal processes and M&S prepares its food hall transformation, the High Street presents a study in contrasts: legitimate businesses fighting through bureaucratic hoops while squatters operate with apparent impunity, defensive boarding proliferating alongside genuine regeneration efforts.
The sealed document bag fluttering in the Ramna window may signal progress, but Putney’s recovery depends on breaking the cycle of unrealistic rents and declining footfall that keeps too many properties empty and vulnerable. Whether Raaz’s Michelin ambitions prove prescient or quixotic may tell us everything about the area’s true prospects.
