Category: Archived News

Over fifty walkers joined the Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum’s North Kentish Town Walkabout in delightful autumn sunshine on October 6th and 7th. It was a pleasure to welcome so many interested Kentish Towners – perhaps curious after the Kentish Towner Blog described the area as “bucolic”.

On our walks we saw development sites in several areas: at the lower end of College Lane backing onto gardens in Evangelist Road; on the empty triangular site on the lower end of Lady Somerset Road; the site of the former Railway Club between College Lane and Little Green Street. For more information about this site go to http://www.littlegreenstreet.com/

The Ingestre Road Estate has been subject to a few proposals by the London Borough of Camden over the years including turning underused garages into light industrial units and, more recently under the Council’s Community Investment Programme, redevelopment of the elderly people’s home and the community centre. All these proposals have been rejected totally by the Tenants and Residents Association.

Ingestre Road leads to a railway footbridge much used by Dartmouth Park residents heading for Tufnell Park Station, La Swap students, and North Kentish Towners walking to the Heath. The bridge is in a lamentable state of repair.

Another planning issue in this part of Kentish Town is redevelopment of industrial or light industrial premises where there is a presumption by developers to build high density flats or houses in difficult to access spaces close to existing dwellings. Of especial concern to residents is that these developments overlook gardens and existing houses. The development of back gardens in corner properties converted into flats has been resisted in some places and not in others. The loss of amenity and over- development where this has occurred means that we should be asking Camden for clearer policy on this.

The refurbishment of the shops in Fortess Road has led to a more flourishing shopping street – including a well stocked greengrocers long needed in the area, a friendly stationers and a fabulous ice cream shop in addition to our Somali bakers. Thanks are due to Chris Ruocco, tailor to the stars, who opened his shop for walkers even on Sunday.

Everyone objected to the wasted boarded up ground floor of the flats on the Tally Ho site.

For one walker’s view of the walkabout please go to:

http://www.andrewwhitehead.net/1/post/2012/10/north-kentish-town-walkabout.html

The KTNF boundary will be discussed at the Haverstock Area Action Group meeting on Thursday 6^th September, 6.30pm until 9.30pm, at Cresswood Hall, 215 Queen’s Crescent.

We have heard that people feel passionately that Kentish Town West is very much part of Kentish Town. Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum has responded and is inviting the West to join the Forum. Now it looks like West Kentish Towners have the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is.

On Thursday 6^th September the western boundary of KTNF will be discussed and agreed upon. This is the chance for Kentish Town West to decide once and for all if they would like to be included or not, and, if so, where the boundary should be. KTNF, therefore, asks that those who feel Kentish Town West should be included come along and support their campaign and this decision making.

This summer Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum ran a 6 day street engagement strategy in Kentish Town. Our two main objectives were firstly to ask people, who live or work in Kentish Town, what they want to see and happen in their area – the results of this consultation will help us with the formation of our Neighbourhood Plan. Secondly we wanted to publicize the 3 day Planning Event that was going to happen immediately afterwards. Previously a group of us had made everything we would need, like banners and a giant A frame board onto which people could fix post-it notes with their wishes for Kentish Town. We had balloons, wish cards and business cards printed with details of the Planning Event and KTNF. The 6 day street engagement was most amazing. 22 members of KTNF took part over the 6 days, some of them helping on most of the days. We all enjoyed it because we got to talk to hundreds of people who live or work in Kentish Town, and to hear their views about Kentish Town.

In May Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum had a stall at Alma Street Fair. A banner printed with a huge heading and printed balloons were ordered. The banner never turned up but at least we had the balloons. Four of us manned the stall – Angela Koch, Hannah Westwood, Caroline Hill and Alan Cane. We decorated the stall with our balloons and donated bunting. Angela had brought a big board onto which people could fix post-it notes with their wishes for Kentish Town. It was a hot summer’s day, would you believe it, and hordes of people turned up. There was a great deal of interest in the KTNF stall. Lots of people came to talk to us and ask us about the Forum and we signed up 31 new members. We had good fun too.