Open letter to Cllr Rachael Robathan, Leader of Westminster City Council & Cllr Heather Acton, Lead Member for Communities & Regeneration, concerning regeneration proposals for Church Street – Site A

• WE the undersigned are a number of leading voluntary, community, faith, educational institutions and businesses working in and for the communities of Church Street.

We are writing to express strong concerns around the current prop­osals for develop­ments along Church Street. We are particularly unhappy about the proposals for the new library and about the height of the planned new housing.

1. Church Street Library 

We are all deeply worried that the new library, which is planned to be one-third smaller than the existing space, will simply not be big enough to meet the needs of an increased resident population.

The library will continue to be the cultural centre of our neighbourhood and an essential facility for the community and families with children of all ages.

Regeneration must mean more than simply providing new housing. Plans must therefore include adequate cultural and social facilities, in order to enable people to lead fulfilling lives.

As has been evidenced throughout the pandemic, Church Street residents are disadvantaged by having many people without access to the internet or IT devices. Having a local, accessible library with plenty of IT facilities is therefore totally essential.

Space will be needed to ensure that different activities can take place at the same time, and we are not persuaded that the current plans allow for this. Specific and separate places for young children will be especially important.

The library will also need to ensure that confidential and personal advice sessions can take place within one-to-one spaces and, again, we do not think the current proposals allow for this.

We note a decision has been taken to keep the library in Church Street itself, but call on you to expand the proposed space into the adjacent retail outlet spaces on either side, in order to provide additional space to meet the needs of our increased population. Any loss of retail amenity can be made up for when work is undertaken on site C.

2. New housing on Church Street

We all recognise the financial challenges the council faces as it makes its decisions about housing need etc. However, we are genuinely horrified at the proposal to build flats up to 10 storeys high along Church Street.

We strongly oppose the abandonment of the human scale to over-tall buildings and do not believe a busy open-air public space and market can flourish if turned into an oppressively bordered corridor robbed of sunlight.

We are deeply worried that your current proposals will result in the market being completely overwhelmed and that the existing “village” atmosphere that we all love so much, will be totally lost by overpoweringly tall buildings looming over the street.

Our market provides much-needed, low-priced, fresh fish and fruit and vegetables, all of which are so necessary for residents’ general health in a ward with the lowest life expectancy in Westminster. The market is also one of the main attractions bringing visitors and income to the area.

Church Street market and Church Street itself are the heart of our densely-crowded community, a community which is set to be further expanded over the years ahead.

We believe you must reconsider these proposals and place any new high-rise buildings on the Edgware Road frontage parallel to Venables Street or elsewhere on the edge of the ward in order to protect our precious market and street.

SIGNATORIES —
LENA CHOUDARY-SALTER Mosaic Community Trust; PAUL CAMPBELL Future Men; KHALED AHMED HOQUE Central London Youth Development Trust; HALALEH TAHERI & ROSE FATHERAZI Middle East Women & Society Organisation; JOANNA WHITE Portman Early Childhood Centre; CAROLE SPEDDING 4 Rivers Residents’ Association; DAVE WYBROW & JENNIE BUCKLEY The Cockpit Theatre; JACKIE ROSENBERG Paddington Development Trust; SHAJAD HUSSAIN Hafs Academy MB; LEON YOUNG Young & Son; ASH RAHMAN Pro Touch SA; GEOFF BIGGS Westbourne Park Family Centre & Westbourne Park Baptist Church; PATIENCE OWEN Westbourne Forum; SEEMA MANCHANDA The Showroom; ESRA ABD ELRAHMAN & STEPHEN SPAVIN & SUSAN MUSTAFA Age UK Westminster; REVD CLARE DOWDING St Paul’s Church, Marylebone; MOHAMED ELNAIEM Sudanese Community & information Centre; LINDA HARDMAN Co-ordinator Friends of Church Street Library; GLENYS ARTHUR Safer Neighbourhood Panel Church Street; JASON SWERLING Westbourne Forum; BENNIE GRAY Alfies Antique Market; ALAN STIRLING Alan Stirling Technology Ltd; EILEEN STIRLING Eileen Stirling Designs; V VARA Santana Hardware; SHIEAZ MOHAMED Market Chemist