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?Camden Passage traders with their petition on Tuesday. Left to right: Esme Johnston, Mark Gorringe, Yvette Pathare, Lindsey Jones and Janet Holdstock |
Calls to stop closure of Camden Passage
A petition signed by more than 600 customers and traders was presented at Islington Town Hall in a last ditch campaign against “inappropriate” development at world famous Camden Passage antique market.
The petition, which was presented to full council on Tuesday night by a delegation of traders, called for “conservation protection” to stop chain stores from moving in and ruining the traditional character of the market.
To huge applause from the public gallery, Labour Councillor Martin Klute urged Islington to use its legal powers to halt the march of developers and chain store outlets threatening to change the colourful market for ever.
He pointed out that powers are available to the council. In West London, for example, Portobello Road antique market had been declared a Business Conservation Area by Kensington and Chelsea council to stop “insensitive and inappropriate” commercial developments in the area.
He added: “If we don’t act now Camden Passage antique market will become just another average shopping parade and will lose its character, colour and customers – and tourists who come from all over the world.”
The latest concern follows the announcement that the popular three-storey Angel Arcade in the market is to close at the end of this month.
As reported in the Tribune last month, at least 20 traders have been told they must move out when work begins on converting the arcade into a modern furniture store.
The building, owned by Bush Investments, has been sold to furniture suppliers Lombok.
Traders estimate that the market has lost 200 small shops and outlets in the past eight years, involving hundreds of jobs. The toll includes York Arcade, the Gateway Arcade (now Foxtons estate agent), the Central Gallery, now an empty shop, and the Georgian Village two years ago which has become a clothing store.
Yvette Pathare from Pierre Point Row said she was very worried about the future. “The council are rolling out the red carpet for big business like multiple chain stores who can come in and take over.
“We have 600 names on our petition and they are not just local people. They include foreign visitors from America, Europe and other parts of the world.
“These are all people who feel that in Camden Passage we have something special but we are going to lose it if we don’t act now.”
Antique lighting trader Janet Holdstock is a former tenant in the Angel Arcade who moved out last year after she suspected that moves were afoot to sell the premises. She now occupies another shop in the passage.
“I obviously did the right thing,” she said, “but I’m very sad for the traders left in the Angel Arcade who are going to be turfed out. I want the council to rethink their strategy and to make Camden Passage – or what’s left of it – a specialist shopping area for antiques.
“Kensington and Chelsea provide special protection to Portobello Road as does Westminster Council for Marylebone High Street. Why can’t we have the same?”
Antique collectables and jeweller Esme Johnston has an outlet in the Mall, a former tramshed also under threat earlier this year.
In this case council leader Lib Dem Cllr James Kempton has gone on record in this paper with a promise to ensure the Mall is protected from change of use.
However, Ms Johnston is not satisfied that the offer of protection is strong enough in the event of a major take-over. “Unless there is proper legal protection we are always going to live with insecurity.
“I’ve been a trader here for 25 years. I’ve had stalls, I been thrown out of the Georgian Village when that was acquired. I’ve never felt secure.”
Cllr Kempton said he shared traders’ frustration with the lack of protection afforded to small shops under present planning legislation.
But he explained that current planning law meant they had no powers to prevent multiple units being consolidated.
He added that he supported the move to protect Portobello Road antiques shops but added that, while it would allow London boroughs to protect unique shopping areas from being taken over by some chains, it would do nothing to prevent other small shops, including furniture shops, replacing antiques shops, as has already happened in Camden Passage.
He thought the best way to safeguard local interest is to support the Islington Business Improvement District’s attempts to bolster the trading environment and shopping in Camden Passage.
“I think this is the right way forward rather than relying on planning powers which everyone agrees are inadequate for the purposes of protecting specialist and antique shops,” he said. |
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