This week, we were shown around Belsize Village and it’s beautiful “Streatery”, and came away feeling totally inspired. We’d arranged to meet Bob Stephenson-Padron OBE.
Bob is a truly dapper force of nature. He runs a local business here, and is the co-head of the Belsize Village Business Association. Bob didn’t actually receive his OBE for services to living streets, but he could have done.
He has been instrumental, with a number of others, in transforming this area. He explained that the square here was actually closed to traffic in 1990, but that when Bob started running a business in 2012, “it was a rubbish dump.
There was just rubbish everywhere. No-one wanted to walk around here and use the shops, and footfall started to decline”.
Between 2014 and 2019, over 10 businesses closed Bob tells us. And that at any one time, five business units stood empty, which sure looks bad for everyone else too. “It was a vicious circle” Bob says. “This is how you end up with failing high streets”.
He says 2017-18 was the worst period, but also an epiphany moment. He founded the Belsize Park Business Association with Aya Khazaal at Pivoine Nail Spa, and they got to work.
Their plan involved cleaning up the neighbourhood, encouraging people to shop here on social media, and engaging with the council.
The planters are new, as is a lot of the Al Fresco seating, and they filled their last business vacancy here in 2022.
The changes here cost £54,000, raised working with Cllrs, and what a difference! There’s now a lovely space for people to enjoy the local traffic-free village square, and enjoy it they do.
Patricia Pearce has lived here for 60 years, and told us that she really likes being out here now. “I usually bump into people I know because I’ve lived here so long, oh and there’s one woman I always get the gossip from. A lot of children come after school to play because it’s safe here, it’s really peaceful. It’s lovely being out here and watching children play”.
Patricia wrote a moving piece about the “streatery” in the Camden New Journal.
We then met Michelene Wandor, a prolific playwright, poet, writer, and social commentator who has lived in the area nearly as long as Patricia.
Patricia remembers Michelene’s sons playing football in the street many moons ago. (Of course there was a man who told them to stop playing football, they say, who was by the sounds of things, ignored 😃)
We asked Michelene if she likes the square as it is now. “Well yes”, she replied, “but of course there are a few people I try and avoid. But I just look old and vague and they tend to go away”.
But she did admit that the square is a good place to catch up with scandal and gossip.
“There is definitely scandal under these flagstones”, she said, “in fact, I heard something scandalous here just the other day”. (We imagine there was a glint in her eye, but couldn’t tell because of her sunglasses).
Oh and by the way, Michelene has her first novel out, Orfeo’s Last Act. You could all buy it, perhaps. Her website is here.
We spoke to a local mum who said her daughters, 10 and 12, can walk from their home nearby, across the square, and use the shops on their own. She told us that her girls know all the shopkeepers, and love it here.
“The fact that there are no cars here is what makes it so special, so successful” she tells us. “This feels like the Piazzas in Italy, where I’m from originally”.
She had a message for the councillors in Westminster about Connaught Village, where we’d love a square. “They need to be brave. Change takes courage and a push. If there were cars here and councillors wanted them to go, of course there would be noise.
I’ve been to those meetings where there’s complaining from a vocal minority about traffic. But once these schemes are in place, people love them. And they always prove popular in consultations.
Businesses would not be happy with traffic here. No-one would open this up to traffic now. People need to get used to not having cars everywhere” she says. “It makes it feel more normal”. Hear hear.
Mark Ostrow has an interesting story. He was looking for an area to live in London when in Seattle, scrolling though Google Maps.
“I always look for the little yellow spots” he says. “It’s supposed to be areas of interest. I came across Belsize Village and thought wow this looks amazing. And it’s everything I hoped it would be. There’s people here all the time, whatever the weather”.
John has lived in the area for 25 years and also loves the square and the sense of community it brings.
“People are just so nice here” he says. “It’s a real village atmosphere, and you walk a dog you see everybody”. He says that everybody knows Skye, who loves it here (but hates motorbikes).
“It’s good for business having this lovely square” says John. “We have a lovely fishmonger now too with fresh fish. Fantastic”.
Bob also introduced us to Mr Khan who’s a skilled experienced tailor in Pyramid Dry Cleaners. “Khan like the Mayor, Sadiq!” He told us cheerfully.
“Bob is one in a million” said Mr Khan. He told us he loves looking out on the clean square, and knowing so many customers.
We can’t think of anything more we’d want in Connaught Village than our own village square, where people of all ages could enjoy themselves, catch up on the scandal, and enjoy avoiding others.
If that wouldn’t revive local business footfall, we don’t know what would!
Revitalising Belsize Village is certainly a big feather in Bob’s cap!