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 Karen Murdock |
‘We can help save the Passage’
Council leader gives backing to small shops under threat following sell-off
ISLINGTON council leader Lib Dem councillor James Kempton has promised to “do all he can” to save The Mall – the “jewel in the crown” at the world-famous Camden Passage.
In a move which brought smiles to antique traders this week, Cllr Kempton said he believes that the council will have conservation powers to protect the individual shops at the arcade.
The Mall, a grade II-listed former tram shed, has been sold to property developers, and traders fear that it could become yet another large department store.
Cllr Kempton, in his letter to The Mall Antiques Traders Association, said he didn’t want the arcade sold off like the old Georgian Village where 90 traders were evicted after the building was turned into a clothing retail store last year.
He said: “The Mall is a statutory listed building and, according to the assistant director of planning, the council does have greater control compared with the Georgian Village.
“The professional advice I have had at this stage is that the council would seek to protect the small units by arguing that they make an important contribution to the character of the Passage and should be retained.”
However, Cllr Kempton added a note of caution in that any protection the council gave could ultimately be over-ruled by a government planning inspector.
Trader Esme Jones said she was “delighted” that the council were finally taking the threat to the Passage seriously.
“It’s good to know that council leader Cllr Kempton supports The Mall and the antique traders at a time when many of the outlets are under threat,” she said.
Labour councillor Martin Klute, who has been campaigning to have the Passage officially protected, said: “The traders have good reason to be worried.
“A little digging on the internet reveals that the new owner’s business plan for The Mall is ‘to generate rental growth by reconfiguring units to attract top retailers and associated high rents’.
“In other words, kick out the small businesses, join all the little shop units into one, and then rent the resulting enlarged space to a multiple.”
Meanwhile, at nearby Pierpoint Parade, Karen Murdock, whose father founded Camden Passage in the 1960s, said that rather than struggling, many traders were reporting good business.
“Business for the majority of traders has never been better.”
She pointed out that many of the outlets are now open seven days a week. |
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