Grim predictions about the depth and length of a recession mean the number of people with spare cash to spend in Ealing's shops and restaurants will inevitably dwindle further.
Footfall may already be down, but we should be thankful the opening of Westfield has not been as immediately disastrous as some had feared.
The Dickens Yard plans and the Arcadia Centre proposals indicate a brighter future for the borough - and by the time both are completed we will hopefully have clawed our way out of the financial trough and be on the way to another boom.
All involved in guiding the regeneration process should watch the new developments carefully to make sure our town centre is a fantastic environment for generations to come, whatever the financial weather.
Castles beseiged
YOUR home is supposed to be your castle,a place of sanctuary and security.When a mindless knife attack forces a family to flee their beloved base of 12 years, it highlights how many lives are touched - even when the victim makes a full recovery.
Whether the stabbing of Carrington Mgbeanulu was a freak atrocity or an indictment of the mindset of today's youths is one for debate.
But it never fails to shock when such an incident happens so close to home.
