Former Parlez could become a grocery, deli and wine shop
A generated illustration based on the submitted elevations. It is not an official planning image.
The large glass frontage beside Brockley station could soon look more like the older cafés further along Coulgate Street.
Gladwell's Brockley Ltd has submitted plans to replace the former Parlez frontage at 16 Coulgate Street with a timber shopfront and retractable awning. The premises would become a grocery store, delicatessen, café and wine shop.[1][2]
The comparison with its neighbours is written into the application. The design statement names Browns of Brockley and The Broca as references for the proposed windows and awning.[1]
From Parlez to Gladwell's
Parlez announced its closure in September 2026 after nine years at 16 Coulgate Street. The restaurant and bar opened in 2017 and also hosted music and community events.[3][4]
The new applicant, Gladwell's Brockley Ltd, says it already operates two similar neighbourhood grocery and delicatessen businesses in Camberwell and Waterloo.[1] Gladwell's describes its Camberwell shop as combining a greengrocer, deli, butcher, bakery, fishmonger, wine merchant and cheesemonger.[5]
Its plans for Brockley include fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, pantry goods, flowers and baked goods. A deli counter would serve coffee, pastries and sandwiches, while a butcher's counter would sell British meat and house-made sausages. Wine and beer would be available to take away or drink during café hours.[1][2]
The application proposes retail opening hours of 7am to 9pm every day. It estimates that staffing would rise from 11 to 12 full-time-equivalent jobs.[1][2]
More information about the existing business is available on the Gladwell's website and its Instagram profile.[5][6]
A shopfront shaped by Coulgate Street
Parlez used a full-height aluminium and glass frontage that could fold open across most of the unit. The applicant says that arrangement limits space for grocery displays and makes it harder to control heat around chilled food.[1]
The replacement would have central double doors, timber-framed display windows and tall solid panels known as stallrisers beneath the glass. A retractable awning would run above the shopfront.[1]
The design statement describes this as a modern version of the traditional shopfronts at Browns of Brockley and The Broca. It also points to the awnings already used by both cafés.[1]
That approach would change the modern ground-floor unit without trying to make the building above look older. The applicant's heritage statement says the shopfront would have a neutral effect on the Brockley Conservation Area and would relate to the commercial units nearby.[1]
Cooling, bins and neighbouring flats
The most technical parts of the application sit behind the shop. Five cooling units are proposed at the rear: two air-conditioning units and three refrigeration condensers.[1]
A noise assessment measured the existing background sound, which includes trains and other commercial equipment. It concluded that the air-conditioning units would not need extra mitigation, but the three refrigeration units would need acoustic enclosures to meet the council's standard.[1]
The plans also include a separate commercial bin store on the forecourt. It would match the brick finish and form of the existing residential bin store, ending the current arrangement in which the flats and commercial unit share waste space.[1]
What happens next
Application DC/26/145128 has been submitted to Lewisham Council. The dates in the form suggest work could begin in October 2026 and finish in March 2027, but those are the applicant's estimates and depend on permission being granted.[1][2]
If approved, the frontage facing Brockley station would change from a broad restaurant opening to a row of timber-framed shop windows. The awning and window proportions are intended to pick up the pattern already established by Browns and The Broca along Coulgate Street.[1]
Sources
- 1.^
Gladwell's Brockley Ltd and supporting consultants, Planning application DC/26/145128: 16 Coulgate Street, 2026 — Lewisham Council planning register (Source archive)
- 2.^
Emily Davison, Plans to turn Parlez Brockley restaurant into deli and wine shop, News Shopper, 18 September 2026 — newsshopper.co.uk (Source archive)
- 3.^
Emily Davison, Brockley restaurant and bar Parlez to close after nine years, News Shopper, 15 September 2026 — newsshopper.co.uk (Source archive)
- 4.^
Brockley Central, Parlez view, 5 January 2017 — brockleycentral.blogspot.com (Source archive)
- 5.^
Gladwell's Deli & Grocery, Gladwell's Camberwell website, accessed 19 September 2026 — gladwells.co.uk (Source archive)
- 6.^
Gladwell's, Official Instagram profile, accessed 19 September 2026 — instagram.com/gladwellslondon (Source archive)