Welcome to the first Fitzrovia News newsletter of 2023.
Covid infections are again a concern with a new variant known as XBB1.5 spreading from the US to Britain and Europe. Please follow NHS advice to avoid catching and spreading coronavirus. How to get vaccinated is on Camden Council’s coronavirus web page and Westminster Council’s coronavirus web page.
This March will be 50 years since a free community newspaper was first produced in Fitzrovia. We’ll be completing our community newspaper archive which will have every issue of Tower, Fitzrovia Neighbourhood News, and Fitzrovia News in time for our 50th anniversary. We’ll also be producing a small, black and white printed news sheet every month until June; then after a summer break, monthly from September until the end of the year. In 2024 we’ll probably go back to quarterly printed editions.
Much of our reporting recently has been about the Camden side of the neighbourhood but we do want to cover more about Fitzrovia West and Westminster Council. The new Labour council in Westminster has an ambitious agenda and we’ll be looking to hold them to account on the many promises made in their Manifesto for a Fairer Westminster, hopefully with additional stories from the Local Democracy Reporters in Westminster.
If you want to get in touch with us to tell us what you think of our reporting, have a question, or would like to contribute to Fitzrovia News please email us at news@fitzrovianews.com
— Linus Rees, editor
The latest on our website
Goodge Street residents have been let down by these councillors
It is a terribly bad decision by a Camden Council licensing panel to allow a fast food restaurant and takeaway on Goodge Street to open until 2am, writes Linus Rees. https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/01/03/goodge-street-residents-have-been-let-down-by-these-councillors/
Westminster Council leader sends out message for 2023
The leader of Westminster Council Adam Hug and some of his cabinet colleagues have set out some their priorities for the year ahead in a video message to residents, restating some of the promises made in their ambitious 2022 Manifesto for a Fairer Westminster and its Fairer Westminster Strategy, writes Linus Rees. https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/01/04/westminster-council-leader-sends-out-message-for-2023/
Housing watchdog censures Camden over ‘maladministration’ in dealing with complaints
Camden Council housing managers have been told to improve the way they deal with complaints after a watchdog found maladministration in more than half the cases it looked at from April 2021 to March 2022, writes Julia Gregory, Local Democracy Reporter. https://fitzrovianews.com/2022/12/24/housing-watchdog-censures-camden-over-maladministration-in-dealing-with-complaints/
Middlesex Hospital’s Aids wards exhibition returns to Fitzrovia Chapel with new installation
A new exhibition and a second edition of a book of photographs capturing the patients, staff and visitors to the Middlesex Hospital’s Aids wards is revealed this week at the Fitzrovia Chapel. https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/01/04/middlesex-hospitals-aids-wards-exhibition-returns-to-fitzrovia-chapel-with-new-installation/
Illustrated talk on social class and passengers on the Titanic
The first event of 2023 at Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre will be an illustrated talk by historian Kevin Brown about the social class of the passengers of the Titanic, and its connections with Camden. https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/01/03/illustrated-talk-on-social-class-and-passengers-on-the-titanic/
Public consultations
Licensing application: Gallo, 16 Bloomsbury Street
Marco Gallo has applied to Camden Council for a new premises licence at Gallo on the ground floor and basement at 16 Bloomsbury Street. https://fitzrovianews.com/2022/12/12/licensing-application-gallo-16-bloomsbury-street/
Licensing application: Basement, Portland House, 4 Great Portland Street
The London Cocktail Club Limited has applied to Westminster Council to vary the premises licence at the basement of Portland House, 4 Great Portland Street in Fitzrovia West. https://fitzrovianews.com/2022/12/23/licensing-application-basement-portland-house-4-great-portland-street-2/
Planning applications in Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia East, December 2022
Camden Council registered 27 planning applications in Bloomsbury ward, which includes Fitzrovia East, during December 2022. Among the list are applications at: Great Russell Street, Cleveland Street, Tottenham Court Road, Store Street, Conway Street, Charlotte Street, and Charlotte Mews. See the full list: https://fitzrovianews.com/2022/12/09/planning-applications-in-bloomsbury-and-fitzrovia-east-december-2022/
Planning applications in Fitzrovia West, December 2022
Westminster Council validated 17 planning applications in Fitzrovia West during December 2022. Among them are applications at: Berners Street, Berners Mews, Rathbone Place, Hanson Street; and Charlotte Street. See the full list at: https://fitzrovianews.com/2022/12/09/planning-applications-in-fitzrovia-west-december-2022/
Evening and night time economy in Camden
Camden Council is developing a strategy for the evening and night time economy (ENTE) and wants to hear from residents in a new public consultation it is running. https://fitzrovianews.com/2022/10/26/camden-wants-residents-views-on-the-evening-and-night-time-economy/
Camden Local Plan
Camden is consulting on its Local Plan review. The consultation closes on 13 January 2023. https://consultations.wearecamden.org/supporting-communities/camden-local-plan-review/
Fitzrovia News in print
Our latest printed newspaper — all two pages of it — is available from outside Fitzrovia Community Centre, 2 Foley Street from Wednesday 5 January. March 2023 will be 50 years since the first edition of Tower — the forerunner to Fitzrovia News — was published. We hope to complete our online archive of Fitzrovia community newspapers by then. https://archive.fitzrovianews.com/
News from elsewhere
Camden and Westminster news
The Camden New Journal has good coverage of news and features on Camden, and its other paper the Westminster Extra covers Westminster. Both papers can be collected every Friday from outside Fitzrovia Community Centre, 2 Foley Street as well as read online via the e-editions on their websites.
Could new Omicron variant XBB.1.5 fuel further Covid infections?
Scientists have raised concerns about a new Covid variant that is spreading fast in the US and threatening to cause further waves of infection, reports the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/03/could-new-omicron-variant-xbb15-fuel-further-covid-infections