DOMINOs and MILL HILL | LEE MARTIN "THE VOICE OF REASON !"

Today our friends at Inside Mill Hill have had their biggest ever discussion based on a TWEET made by us yesterday about Domino's which has just been granted planning permission to take over the old Lloyds Building.   We have supported Domino's coming to Mill Hill although  our close friends at the Neighbourhood Forum have opposed the original plans as being out of step with the location and desire to have more independent shops on Broadway.  However,  there is a general recognition today that the fly tipping that has happened because of this empty property has become a great blight on our area and Domino's is favoured by the majority of residents who like Pizza and late opening which currently does not happen on the Broadway.

In that discussion LEE MARTIN has written a fantastic piece which we will publish here in full for you to read.   It captures the mood of Modern Mill Hill and how we can see the future of our area ! if you want to join the discussion then head over to Inside Mill Hill on Facebook or our Twitter Account @millhillbwy

Lee Martin Just my thoughts:

1) It’s better to have a business in a shop than an empty vacant shop as that deters other businesses coming in and makes the high street look like a secondary run down location.

2) most people on here I believe would argue whatever business went in... if it was another estate agency or coffee shop I’m sure there would be people saying something negative.

3) dominos cannot be compared to a prezzo or possibly even pizza express - it’s only used as a takeaway/delivery service and I guarantee you it will do very well. Ballards Lane or Hendon are mill hill residents go to branches I believe, I’m sure dominos and all their millions spent in marketing have done their due diligence and worked out how much of their market they are missing or losing by not having a mill hill presence. Which means there are dominos customers who live in mill hill who are residents and therefore there is a requirement for it... might not be everyone’s cup of tea but they clearly have customers waiting, just because it’s not ‘you’ doesn’t mean they aren’t there!

Let’s take an example to the extreme as many like to do on a daily basis on here...Some people don’t like coffee but do they try to scream at Costa? Some people like growing their hair do they not want hairdressers? Some people are wheat intolerant so does that mean we have to lose our bagels? What’s the difference when you get down to the bone?!

4) I would argue that if anyone against this was the landlord of this building they would want it bringing in an income rather than staying vacant. Second to that; a company who is strong and vibrant and isn’t going anywhere is a far safer bet and less risk to your investment... would any of you honestly turn it down and wait for another company to arrive (could be a long wait) and lose out financially in the interim?! I don’t think so... and those who say they’d wait I don’t think would. You can wait and lose out financially and eventually a company may come in who hasn’t the strong brand as dominos possesses and go bust or leave after a year or so. 

5) I think it’s a very sad day when people are squabbling over a shop and a pizza delivery place when there are many more important pressures on our town like stabbings and crime on the whole. Have we not forgotten that the Broadway brought a death to our lives not that long ago, yet we are arguing about pizza. And anyone who sees that as an opportunity or cheap shot to argue that dominos will probably bring more crime into the area is living in dark ages and doesn’t know the demographic of a business like dominos and simply generalises and stereotypes! 

Do you not have families and lives to worry about rather than a dominos pizza?! Where I’m not a betting man; I’d bet money that allot of these people who have so much time to care about dominos and oppose it so vigorously and with so much hate will at some point or their family/children or even close friends order from there! 

I actually think that a dominos shop having one of the longest threads of comments and arguments I’ve seen on this forum in a long time is embarrassing for us and our prioritising and perspectives!

I’m not a big lover of dominos but I admit when the boys come round for the football or similar we may well order a few and I’m sure I’m not alone in that!

I want to finish on a serious note though... I hope people take notice of the following advice as I can see this really is an important and a serious subject matter... 
...don’t dismiss dominos until you’ve tried their cookies... their stuffed crust pizzas are also rather tantalising on the taste buds but those cookies are to die for!!! I believe they have also recently brought out a cheeseburger pizza... see, things could be worse!!!