大象传媒

Roy's pie and mash shop on the Heathway has been serving up the customary grub for over 10 years.

But Roy and his son Perry, who runs the shop with him, say that for the past 18 months business has been falling.

They blame the changing demographic of the area, and say newcomers are reluctant to try out the traditional food.

Perry explained: 鈥淚f you were to draw a 10 mile radius outside of London no-one would actually know what pie and mash is鈥�

So you can imagine the sort of difficulty we've got if we've got all sorts of people coming from all over the world moving into the Heathway...

If we're trying to introduce a meal to them that they've never even heard of before, and won't try鈥� we're battling against something we just can't overcome鈥�

Local councillor Charles Fairbrass grew up in the area, and he disagrees.

He argues shops need to adapt to change, and offer what customers want at a good price:

鈥淚f you sell people what they want at a reasonable price they'll buy鈥�

鈥淏arking has had the highest proportion of demographic change in this borough, and there are many successful pie and mash shops here.

Go to the borough next door (Ilford), which has got a 60 per cent Asian population, and they've still got successful pie and mash shops there"

He continued "we've got fish and chip shops, pie and mash, pizzas, Chinese, Indian [restaurants]鈥� all used by the local population of all colours and races.鈥�

There are also other factors which have been affecting local businesses.

Shopkeepers on the Heathway say they've been hit hard by its鈥� decline in recent years.

Once a thriving high street with a Sainsbury's, people would travel from surrounding areas to shop there.

But shopkeepers say since the superstore closed, niche businesses such as butchers, and greengrocers have had to close because shoppers just weren't coming into the area in the same numbers.

In their place pound shops, pawn brokers and off licenses now stand.

The council has recently started work to regenerate the area.

For many though these efforts are too little too late. They they say resulting road closure is driving what's left of their customers away.

Councillor Fairbrass was keen to stress they are working to make things better:

鈥淭here have been problems on the Heathway [but] 鈥e are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds renovating it.

鈥淭hat will cause disruption but [shopkeepers] were all consulted before the work [started]鈥�

Hopefully by the end of November we'll see everything 鈥eady to use again鈥�

Perry says for his family, it's the end of an era:

鈥淚t鈥檚 sad because we've been here for 10 years. It鈥檚 not a light move for us. It鈥檚 a hard move. But it鈥檚 one we have to make.鈥�