Happy New Year! It’s going to be a busy one for the Campaign to Stop London Underground bulldozing a large chunk of Camden Town and putting up a huge office block on the site occupied by two of Camdens markets, The Electric Ballroom, a church, community centre and many small businesses. In 2001 LU were forced back to the drawing board when Camden Council and the Mayor of London turned down their proposals. Now they are back with new designs and have won the backing in principle of the Mayor, Ken Livingstone. They are applying for Compulsory Purchase Powers, which would allow them to force everyone off the site. What you can do easily 1 Forward this email to your mates. They can respond to it and also ask to go on our email list. 2 Boycott the organisations which are pushing the rents up in Camden Town and squeezing out the smaller shops that make the place what it is. There is a list at www.camdenlock.co.uk/boycotts.htm 3 Your next step is very simple. Email or write to the Council. They have to get planning permission and last time we persuaded the councillors not to give it to them. Just cut and past the following text into your own letters or emails and you will have added greatly to the amount of objections raised. These will then be passed to the Councillors who make these decisions. You will also receive notification of when the matter will next be debated and should be able to watch the debate live on Camden Council’s web site. The camdenlock.co.uk web site has been updated and we will email you with other people to write to as the campaign gears up for the next round. There are other people you can write to now, including the mayor at www.camdenlock.co.uk/writenow.htm Email or write to the following at the Environment Department of Camden Council with the following text. Feel free to edit it. Make the following requests and points, and any other points that you want to make. Each point will then be added to a report/recommendations given to the relevant committee so they can decide whether or not to grant London Underground permission - and the amount of objections received will be counted up. So simply pasting the following points into your email or letter will boost our campaign enormously. If you want to receive a copy of the report that will be given to the Councillors, include a postal address for yourself. Addresses: john.davies@camden.gov.uk mary.davidson@camden.gov.uk Environment Department 6th Floor Camden Town Hall Extension Argyle Street London WC1H 8EQ Requests: Please send me a copy of the agenda/report for the meeting of the Development Control Committee when it is due to look at the issue of granting permission for the proposed redevelopment of Camden Town underground station and/or any accompanying development. I understand that this is usually available around five days before the Councillors are due to consider it, that it will probably be on the Internet at www.camden.gov.uk/camden/democracy and will include the times and places etc. Comments and points: The proposed development would limit my choice of goods by removing two of Camden's markets, Buck Street Market and the Electric Ballroom Market, which are the only place I can buy unique, hand made items. It would remove a unique and valued facility. London Underground has not taken part in due consultation because it will not send people the full Environment Impact Assessment unless they pay £50 each. This cost is clearly prohibitive and the report should be available free to anyone who wants it or at least be made Copyright Free. Ideally, the full text would also be placed on the Internet and its exact location (URL) publicised. The proposed development would remove the famous Electric Ballroom, which has a huge musical history (laid out in The Rock 'N' Roll Guide to Camden, by Anne Scanlon) and which has a unique atmosphere and blend of music. The development will remove an irreplaceable and valued facility. The new proposed development would limit my choice of goods by removing a host of shops. For example, the British Boot Store, some of which have a notable heritage and a reputation for selling goods I cannot find elsewhere. (The British Boot Store was the first shop in England to Sell DrMartens shoes.) It would remove valued facilities. London Underground has demonstrated that it does not understand the flow of traffic at Camden Town station because it has placed a new set of ticket barriers too close to the top of the escalators. Even with the barriers open, at peak flow on weekends, there would be too many people massing and trying to get through the barriers and this could obstruct those coming off the escalators, causing a dangerous crush on them while they are moving. Removing two of Camden's markets will cause over crowding in the other markets, one of which (The Stables Market) is also to be redeveloped. Foreign tourists will continue to arrive as they will be following outdated advice in tour guides. Rebuilding the station to cater for the crowds at weekends would not be necessary because, by the time it was finished, people would no longer wish to come to Camden Town. This is because they come here for the markets and the atmosphere, which is the opposite of Corporate and which would be taken away. Rebuilding the station to cater for the crowds at weekends is not be necessary because London Underground is not using its many advertising opportunities to disburse people over: · the several days the markets are open, instead of just one or two as people think the market is only open at the weekends · three other tube stations within walking distance, one of which (Kentish Town) is an escalator station and which can therefore sustain a 30% increase in its flow of customers at weekends · the many buses that come through the area · the Waterbus Service run during peak times at summer Using: · Poster sites · Various leafleting/map opportunities · Its public address system · Its web site · Its staff in actively warning people to use other stations/modes or transport/days of the week when they ask how to get to Camden. (All station staff are issued with a pocket sized ring binder full of information. This information is not in the binder, though a request was made that it should be some time ago.) All of which could remove a considerable amount of people from Camden Town tube station at peak times, weekends. Rebuilding the station to cater for the crowds at weekends would not be necessary because people could be removed to other stations by renaming Kentish Town station "Camden" station, or adding the words "For Camden Market" to all three local stations, the other two being Mornington Crescent and Chalk Farm. The words "for Camdens markets" has not even been added to maps and leaflets LU prints as a matter of course. This would be infinitely cheaper than rebuilding a whole station, with all of the negative effects. The proposed development would remove a church which is also a valued community centre catering for various groups in the local community. This valued facility should not be lost. The above ground buildings of the proposed development would be totally out of character with the surrounding area and buildings and as such would be an eyesore. They should reflect the character of the area, as the new office buildings at Camden Lock Market did. The height and bulk of the above ground buildings of the proposed development are too great for the surrounding buildings and are clearly out of place. The character of the interior of the proposed tube station is out of keeping with the existing station and local area. It should retain its character just as Mornington Crescent station on the same road has. The proposed development would destroy a unique area of considerable value because the charm and attraction of the area surrounding the proposed development is that it is unique, rather than bland and corporate. The proposed development would damaged the local economy because the charm and attraction of the area surrounding the proposed development is that it is unique, rather than bland and corporate. The proposed development would damaged the national economy because the attraction of the UK to foreign visitors is that it is an island of high contrast between the old such as our heritage/monarchy, and the newer and up and coming things, such as punk and whatever else is up and coming. Unlike areas like Covent Garden where which goods can be sold is vetted by a panel of existing, older market traders, Camden Town is unique in that the new/cutting edge constantly flows from it. This would change if the two markets were lost and/or the character of the place changed. The proposed development would remove an area of great diversity from a city which is becoming a sterile, corporate landscape. If we are to maintain a vibrant city, Camden Town, above all other creative areas, should be maintained as it is. The proposed development could cause seven years of noise and inconvenience to local residents and workers if it is given the go ahead and this period could be longer if the work takes longer than expected. Although the proposed development would cost around £80million at today's prices, costs on other large building projects have spiraled out of control, meaning the project could remain uncompleted for years if funds run out. (We were originally told the project would cost £60 million and two years later the price we are being given is £80 million.) The cut through proposed in the development would be a haven for drugs dealers and muggers, just as Buck Street close by is at night and this would lead to a rise in crime in the area. The cut through proposed in the development would be dark even during the day, as it will have high sided buildings on both sides and this would lead to a rise in crime in the area. The siting of ticket machines onto the cut through proposed in the development would provide opportunities for muggers and pick pockets to operate while people are distracted and looking away from them on the street. This is an area already frequented by pickpockets and also muggers at night and this would lead to a rise in crime in the area.