The lay of the land fitzrovia.org.uk/news Fitzrovia News Fitzrovia News is produced by residents and volunteers and distributed free to all businesses and residential addresses in Fitzrovia Issue 121 Summer 2011 Mail delays threatened Workers have voted to strike against the closure of the Royal Selling of delivery office Mail delivery and distribution office in Rathbone Place, which they fear would worsen local provokes furious response deliveries and hit jobs. pulsory redundancies and have assurance that this was not the The Royal Mail has voted by 79 per cent in a ballot case they were refused. announced it intends to sell the to resist the closures. And there “The new regime seems office for millions of pounds and was an overwhelming vote at intent on stripping assets to transfer the work to Mount the union's national conference make a profit. But these are Pleasant, about one and a half last month against taking any assets needed for an efficient miles away. work transferred from closed business, and will amount to a Picking up post from that far offices. short term profit at the expense away will inevitably delay “We are worried about com - of the long term interests of the postal deliveries to Fitzrovia. pulsory redundancies and have service,” he added. And if people are not in to col - tried to negotiate with manage - “There is talk about compul - lect deliveries they will have to ment over this and have got the sory transfers to other offices go further in order to pick them support of independent consult - within a 15 mile radius, but up if the Rathbone Place centre when people have asked for jobs ants,” said Andy Hyatt, the West The last post. Opened in 1963 by Queen Elizabeth, the West End Delivery is shut down. Central Distribution representa - nearer their home they have It is one of three mail centres been told there are no jobs Centre is due to close. The land is to be sold and speculative development tive of the Communication plans are currently with Westmisnter City Council. threatened with closure, the Workers’ Union. “But negotia - there.” other two being in East London, tions have broken down.” He and at Nine Elms in Vauxhall. believes 600 jobs could go About 3,500 workers are between the three offices. When News in brief involved, including 600 at they asked management for Film actor Ewan McGregor Rathbone Place. They fear com - has a taste for single speed bikes and bought one at Fitzrovia Bicycles on New COUNCIL KILLS Cavendish Street. Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton and Radiohead ’s Thom Yorke ‘GROTESQUE OVER- have also taken an interest in the shop. DEVELOPMENT’ More people would cycle if there were better facilities in Plans to hugely enlarge an office block in the heart of Fitzrovia have Fitzrovia say survey respon - been rejected, thanks to local residents’ groups. dents http://wp.me/puay0- Camden planning officers had recommended permission be M8 given to increase the size of the Ridgeview Fitzrovia Saatchi block at 80 Charlotte Sparkling Rosé 2004 was Street from 18,000 to 31,000 served at the Buckingham square metres, and up to nine Banksy gets mystery protection Palace state dinner to honour floors high. the visit of President Barack But local groups, councillors A sheet of protective perspex has been installed over an artwork Obama . The Sussex-based and MP Frank Dobson all object - which is believed to be the work of street artist Banksy, writes winery names its classic ed because the plans were an Angela Lovely. The painting is on a wall on Westminster City Champagne after central overdevelopment, failed to pro - Council’s property in Clipstone Street. The Council had said they London neighbourhoods. vide enough public open space would have the art removed because they have a policy of removing or affordable housing. grafitti and see Banksy’s work as no different. However, it remains Changes to way residents are Camden’s development con - unknown who drilled 18 holes into the wall, fitted plugs then consulted on licensing appli - trol committee supported the screwed a sheet of perspex to it before finishing the edges with objections and rejected the sealant. Camden councillor Adam Harrison is a fan of Banksy and Continued on page 5 column 5 scheme. had started a petition to get the work protected. FULL STORY PAGE 3 GIGS est. 1964 The home of traditional Fish & Chips Fully licensed Greek restaurant “The secret’s out. Gigs is back” 12 Tottenham Street 020 7636 1424 2 News and comment Fitzrovia News Summer 2011 Fitzrovia News Society and offenders can benefit Formerly The Tower from crime and find the good life established 1973 By Denise Julien fitzrovia.org.uk/news twitter.com/fitzrovianews The government’s Big Society facebook.com/fitzrovianews initiative is not so much about [email protected] getting people to do unpaid 020 7580 4576 work. It has enabled communi - ties who want to bring about change, the freedom to do so Issue 120, Summer 2011/2011 without the red-tape and 7 June 2011 bureaucracy of public sector workers who oppose any change Fitzrovia News is published that would threaten their easy quarterly by the Fitzrovia life. Community Newspaper I originally asked the Group, and supported by the New Community Centre building Payback team to do work at Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Holcroft Court two years ago. Association complete but signing of contracts Two mini-bus loads of nine Offenders restored garden furniture (registered charity no. 1111649) offenders would arrive with two under the government’s 39 Tottenham Street, delays public opening supervisors, slowly get out the Community Payback scheme London, W1T 4RX equipment, talk about what to ISSN: 0967-1404 The new Fitzrovia Community Centre has now been completed (as do, have a cigarette break, then Holcroft Court was not due reported in Fitzrovia News 120) however arrangements for the draw - it was a coffee break, go through to be repainted for a few years, Editorial Team ing up of contracts and taking control of the building have yet to be the motions of working, go to so the work has not replaced Mike Pentelow: finalised. Users of the building are likely to start moving in over the lunch, then at 2.30 pm, it would jobs from the paid sector. And, editor and features editor summer months as each contract for use is signed. be time to clear up and return the standard of the work done is Linus Rees: The Fitzrovia Community Centre Trust (FCCT) who will control home. very good. I am also in the assistant editor and fundraiser the building will know in September how much financial support Because I complained about process of decorating the court - Pete Whyatt: Camden Council will give to the running of the building over the this, those in charge closed yard and the garden furniture, news and production editor next three years. All community centres in Camden are applying for down the project because they which has never been cared for. Fiona Green: funding at a time when the Council’s Government grant is being cut. will not put their supervisors in All benches and tables have arts and listings editor FCCT will also be looking for some financial support from a position where they have to been sanded down and re-var - Brian Jarman: Westminster City Council to support Fitzrovia’s Westminster resi - explain why no work is getting nished, giving them a near new writer and sub-editor dents. done. I renegotiated for them to appearance. Barb Jacobson: Increasingly councils are expecting community centres to be self come back, but the same hap - As a volunteer I am able to associate editor financing from a mixed economy of incomes. This makes the setting pened, twice. give offenders a reference to Jennifer Kavanagh: up and running of a community centre particularly challenging. Now the Payback scheme enable them to get a job, which associate editor has changed for the better, as the probation department is Chris Webb: volunteers like myself are able unable to do. Furthermore, the sub-editor to organise the work. Gone are high visibility of the orange the lazy supervisors who vests that they are obliged to Contributors: Bloomsbury ward believed that the taxpayer owed wear send out a strong signal to them an easy living, and who potential trouble makers that Peter Arkell made the public believe that all crime and antisocial behaviour Sally Beerworth councillors’ surgeries offenders are troublesome and will not be tolerated here, and is George Binning dangerous just to justify their a deterrent for those who would 6.00-7.00pm on the first and third Fridays of the month at Beryl Burton position. be tempted. Etienne Gilfillan Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre, 39 Tottenham Street, W1T 4RX On the contrary, all the There are also many benefits Captain Gripper And on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at offenders that have been sent for the volunteer. You get the Clifford Harper Marchmont Community Centre, 62 Marchmont Street, WC1N 1AB my way were absolutely fine. work done for free at your own Clive Jennings The Community Payback specifications. Joining in with Denise Julien Adam Harrison, Milena Nuti, and Abdul Quadir : 020 7974 3111 scheme allows them to pay their the work is very good exercise, Gustav Langshaft [email protected], [email protected], debt to society without having and you get to know all your Danielle le Poupou [email protected] their whole life ruined by a neighbours, many of whom will Angela Lovely prison sentence.