{"id":343,"date":"2024-03-29T16:36:55","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T16:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/?p=343"},"modified":"2024-03-29T16:43:43","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T16:43:43","slug":"we-now-have-a-village-square-we-can-be-proud-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/29\/we-now-have-a-village-square-we-can-be-proud-of\/","title":{"rendered":"We now have a village square we can be proud of!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This week, we were shown around Belsize Village and it\u2019s beautiful \u201cStreatery\u201d, and came away feeling totally inspired. We\u2019d arranged to meet Bob Stephenson-Padron OBE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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\u2019t actually receive his OBE for services to living streets, but he could have done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cit was a rubbish dump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was just rubbish everywhere. No-one wanted to walk around here and use the shops, and footfall started to decline\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Between 2014 and 2019, over 10 businesses closed Bob tells us. \u00a0And that at any one time, five business units stood empty, which sure looks bad for everyone else too. \u201cIt was a vicious circle\u201d Bob says. \u201cThis is how you end up with failing high streets\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their plan involved cleaning up the neighbourhood, encouraging people to shop here on social media, and engaging with the council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The planters are new, as is a lot of the Al Fresco seating, and they filled their last business vacancy here in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The changes here cost \u00a354,000, raised working with Cllrs, and what a difference! There\u2019s now a lovely space for people to enjoy the local traffic-free village square, and enjoy it they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Patricia Pearce has lived here for 60 years, and told us that she really likes being out here now. \u201cI usually bump into people I know because I\u2019ve lived here so long, oh and there\u2019s one woman I always get the gossip from. A lot of children come after school to play because it\u2019s safe here, it\u2019s really peaceful. It\u2019s lovely being out here and watching children play\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Patricia wrote a moving piece about the \u00a0\u201cstreatery\u201d in the Camden New Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then met Michelene Wandor, a prolific playwright, poet, writer, and social commentator who has lived in the area nearly as long as Patricia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patricia remembers Michelene\u2019s 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 \ud83d\ude03)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she did admit that the square is a good place to catch up with scandal and gossip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is definitely scandal under these flagstones”, she said, “in fact, I heard something scandalous here just the other day”.\u00a0(We imagine there was a glint in her eye, but couldn\u2019t tell because of her sunglasses).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh and by the way, Michelene has her first novel out, Orfeo\u2019s Last Act. You could all buy it, perhaps. Her website is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that there are no cars here is what makes it so special, so successful\u201d she tells us. \u201cThis feels like the Piazzas in Italy, where I\u2019m from originally\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She had a message for the councillors in Westminster about Connaught Village, where we\u2019d love a square. \u201cThey 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been to those meetings where there\u2019s complaining from a vocal minority about traffic. But once these schemes are in place, people love them. And they always prove popular in consultations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201d she says. \u201cIt makes it feel more normal\u201d. Hear hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mark Ostrow has an interesting story. He was looking for an area to live in London when in Seattle, scrolling though Google Maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always look for the little yellow spots\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s supposed to be areas of interest. I came across Belsize Village and thought wow this looks amazing. And it\u2019s everything I hoped it would be. There\u2019s people here all the time, whatever the weather\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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John has lived in the area for 25 years and also loves the square and the sense of community it brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are just so nice here\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a real village atmosphere, and you walk a dog you see everybody\u201d. He says that everybody knows Skye, who loves it here (but hates motorbikes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for business having this lovely square\u201d says John. \u201cWe have a lovely fishmonger now too with fresh fish. Fantastic\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bob also introduced us to Mr Khan who\u2019s a skilled experienced tailor in Pyramid Dry Cleaners. \u201cKhan like the Mayor, Sadiq!\u201d He told us cheerfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBob is one in a million\u201d said Mr Khan. He told us he loves looking out on the clean square, and knowing so many customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If that wouldn’t revive local business footfall, we don’t know what would!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revitalising Belsize Village is certainly a big feather in Bob\u2019s cap!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, we were shown around Belsize Village and it\u2019s beautiful \u201cStreatery\u201d, and came away feeling totally inspired. We\u2019d 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\u2019t actually receive his OBE … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":377,"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343\/revisions\/377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshminster.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}