West Hampstead Life

Tag: west hampstead

  • Growth area plans: Clear guidelines or muddy waters?

    West Hampstead is growing – that’s blindingly obvious to anyone who’s walked past the marketing suite promoting West Hampstead Square since the paper came down from the windows. How, therefore, do we keep some sort of oversight of all the plans and proposals so that the end result isn’t some hideous mish-mash of buildings that are under-supported by local services.

    “Surely that’s what the Neighbourhood Development Plan is about?”, you ask, sensibly.

    You’d think so, but Camden seems to want to something more formal on top of that, looking specifically at the “growth area”, which is around the stations. What role is left for the NDF then when it comes to policies in that growth area? It already has to dovetail with the borough plan, the London plan, and national planning policies.

    It is not at all clear how Camden’s Growth Area planning guidelines would fit in with existing plans for the area. Is this going to play into the hands of developers who’ll find the inevitable loopholes between the various documents and push through proposals that may not serve West Hampstead well.

    At the last Neighbourhood Development Forum meeting, Richard Mileham from Camden planning, presented a few slides on Camden’s latest thinking. Judging by the the slides and the questions that followed, it wasn’t as illuminating as many had hoped.

    The London Plan has identified this area as suitable for 800 new homes and 100 new jobs. Already, it’s expected that West Hampstead will deliver more than this – certainly in terms of homes. “Future change needs to be coordinated and allow stakeholders to be involved.” Er, yes.

    There was one slide titled “Draft urban design principles”, which gives some insight into the sort of planning decisions at stake. Click the map below for a larger picture, but it includes a “major new public park” where the Audi garage is now. It also suggests moving Homebase nearer to the O2, and generally improving pedestrian access around the area. Clearly it is just a draft idea, but it suggests that the plans could involve some quite major reshaping, including of course the anticipated development of the O2 car park itself.

    Specifically on green spaces, council officers said they would very much like to have residents’ views regarding a preference for many small spaces or fewer large spaces.

    At the whampforum I held a couple of months ago the majority view was that large-scale development of the area was broadly welcomed with the important proviso that it wasn’t just cookie cutter blocks of flats, and that these were well designed spaces at ground level.

    There is a set of objectives for this new growth area plan, each of which ties in with both the place plan and objectives of the current draft of the NDP, which makes one wonder what exactly this new initiative is adding.

    Growth and uses

    • Growth to exceed London Plan targets and to be in the region of 1,000 homes and 7,000 sq m of business floorspace (along with some other uses)
    • A mix of uses, including substantial new housing, town centre, employment and community uses, and open space

    Street environment

    • Improved street environment and interchange around transport facilities, including improved crossing and wider pavements by ensuring that developments are set back adequately
    • Upgrade routes and community safety along Blackburn Road to the O2 Centre, Billy Fury Way, Black Path and Potteries footpaths
    • Investigate long term opportunities for improving the movement routes around the area including north to south across the railways
    • Improved bicycle movement and routes and deliver improvements to cycle safety, ease of movement and cycle parking

    Public open space

    • On-site public open space and improve existing parks and open spaces and identify potential new sites
    • Address the missing green habitat link along the railway lands and enhance biodiversity

    Design

    • Sustainable and safe design of the highest quality that respects the character and heritage value of West Hampstead

    The next steps apparently are to undertake initial feasibility and urban design work, then to engage the public on the options in the autumn. Once the option has been decided (and it’s really not at all clear what sort of options we’re talking about), then it could either feed into the NDP or be a separate, council-led Supplementary Planning Document, which seeks to clarify issues for a particular site or topic within a larger planning framework.

    At the NDF meeting, there were a lot of questions asked, and answers given where possible.

    • What did “sustainability” mean in this context? It refers to modifying energy efficiency and use of renewable materials.
    • Is design quality written in as a standard? There are general objectives pertaining to this and the current work/consultation will look at them in more detail. New council criteria is ‘building for life’.
    • What about community facilities (GPs/schools/parking etc.): When plans are considered, infrastructure requirements are taken into account.
    • Would developments start before the NDP came into force? This is unlikely to be a problem as the timescale of both are similar.
    • What about the pressure on transport? TfL considers the area a strategic interchange. With regards to lifts at stations – accessibility is a TfL priority [also see this article].
    • What about environment and space – would the same foresight be applied as was around Swiss Cottage? Will it be safe along the railway tracks? The paths are being widened and turned into a public area.
    • Would there be a masterplan for the area, like the Olympic site has? This is difficult due to the various different owners. Can only develop objectives rather than a masterplan.
    • Will there be height restrictions to preserve traditional views in area? A plan of views needs to be prepared for consideration. High walls could be ‘greened’ and green roofs could be a possibility.
    • Do trees have to be replaced? If they are protected, or if planners oblige developers to care for trees.
    • Will infrastructure, e.g., new surgery/medical centre and even sewerage be adequate? The planning document will take about a year and will tie in with NDP.

    What can we deduce from all this? The positive angle is that Camden is conscious of the pace and scale of change in West Hampstead and wants to be sure that firm guidelines and planning principles are in place. A less positive spin on it suggests that this is duplicating the work of the NDP, potentially undermining it. Actively incorporating ideas developed by Camden in this process into the NDP would lead to less confusion for residents and developers alike. Why muddy the waters?

  • What’s with the cucumbers?

    [updated: July 16 1pm]
    [updated: July 18 11am] 
    [updated July 22 9am] 
    [updated July 24 9.30am] 
    [updated July 24 2pm]
    [updated July 25 9am] 
    [updated July 28 7pm] 
    [updated August 5 9.30am] 
    There’s an old journalist adage: two’s a coincidence, three’s a trend.


    What’s going on? Are they breeding? Is this a Day of the Triffids sort of thing?

    My first guess was that it was linked to the new Mexican restaurant opening where Love Food was, but as you can see in the comments below, they’ve denied this.

    Then a fourth cucumber was spotted:


    The mystery continued. Then, on Monday, there was a sniff of a lead:


    I followed up…


    Where were all the cucumbers coming from? Sainsbury’s?

    On Tuesday morning – it seemed the trend was taking hold – now with added spring onions.

    After a quiet day on Wednesday with no leads, there was a sighting in Chalk Farm in the evening.


    This cucumber, lying in the road, was always at risk and swiftly became just another squished vegetable statistic.

    A commenter below also spotted on on the platform at Burnt Oak station that same day.

    The story made the national press finally, with a short piece in the Independent which sadly confused West Hampstead with Hampstead and didn’t mention this page as the top source of all local cucumber news.

    On Monday morning (23rd), Mark captured this brilliant copycat cucumber move by Gospel Oak pub The Southampton Arms. The caption gives away that this is not an original cucumber though.

    The media, er, frenzy continued on Wednesday with the Telegraph covering the piece in its print edition, and adding a dash of celebrity and a woeful grasp of London geography. The BBC Paper Monitor has addressed the fact that all these journalists (who surely all live in north London?) are confusing different neighbourhoods as they report the story.

    Then, as if this wasn’t excitement enough, the BBC London Breakfast show wanted to talk to me about it – luckily I was out of bed in time to get the message and had my 90 seconds of fame. Presenter Paul Ross mused that a marrow in Harrow might be next!

    The very next BBC London programme was Vanessa Feltz. She brought in Geoff Martin, editor of the Ham & High, who was able to shed no more light on the mystery, despite being grilled for 10 minutes about it (ff to 2h02’19”).

    Geoff claimed 40 cucumbers had been spottted, though I have no idea where this – or the 36 cited in the Telegraph – comes from. Vanessa then read out the entire Telegraph article before saying “Maybe we’ll see if we can get that guy from the blog and see if he can talk to us about it.” That would be me – the producers of these programmes clearly don’t speak to each other.

    The story then spread to TV. On The Wright Stuff’s review of the papers, comedian and actor Steve Furst picked out the story, though inexplicably there was some debate as to whether it qualified as news. Clearly some mistake there. Catch it here (ff to 53’02”).

    The media exposure has revealed at least one more sighting:


    Thursday morning (25th) and my original suspected culprit, the soon to open Mexican restaurant, spotted a cucumber in a local West Hampstead taxi. Investigations are ongoing.


    It’s been a quiet weekend (thankfully). The last sighting was on Friday:


    It’s now August 5th. I’d really hoped the cucumber phenomenon had waned. TimeOut had picked the story up (though who these bloggers plural are I have no clue) but no more sightings.

    Then late last night, Marcia left a comment below and then e-mailed me the photo. The cucumber mystery continues…

  • New Overground station to be built next year

    New Overground station to be built next year

    At the end of last month, Camden held its annual public meeting on transport issues in the north of the borough for the first time. A good proportion of the questions on the night related to the local area.

    Overground
    WHAT (West Hampstead Amenities & Transport) asked for an update on the platform and lifts upgrades at West Hampstead Overground station.

    Work will start on new Overground station next year
    Photo via James Lovett

    Some context is needed here. TfL have recognised that the Overground station needs an overhaul. It handles more than 3 million passengers a year, making it one of the busier train stations in the country. According to WHAT, a new footbridge and station building, with lifts and wide access, will be constructed about halfway down the existing platforms. This will allow the station building to continue to function until the new one is ready. The first stage will be to lengthen and widen the platforms to allow use of 5-car trains on the Overground (which are due early 2015). Building work on the station is expected to take place during 2014, with completion hoped for in early 2015.

    WHAT has lobbied for this for the last two years and wants to ensure that the provision of lifts is co-ordinated with the Ballymore housing development next door. The money that TfL allocated for installing the lifts was on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, but given the length of the Ballymore build, it will have to be applied for again. The consensus seems to be that there won’t be a problem in having it awarded again.

    Cycle hire at West Hampstead Thameslink
    Emily Turner asked whether TfL had considered expanding Cycle Hire to West Hampstead Thameslink? The existing plan is to expand the Barclays “Boris” Bike scheme around Westminster and the City of London where demand is greatest. TfL has no plans to expand further north-west. In 2012, the scheme extended to Camden Town, with the northernmost docking station on Castlehaven Road towards Chalk Farm. A further extension to West Hampstead would require a number of docking stations throughout the area to the north-west of Swiss Cottage, which, say TfL may presentsome topographical and operational difficulties.

    TfL met with Camden officers in March 2013 to discuss Camden’s aspirations for Cycle Hire and these will be considered within wider discussions for the building programme in the King’s Cross area.

    Personally, I think our part of NW London should look at one of the alternative bike hire schemes that are popping up elsewhere in the country. These require less infrastructure than Boris Bikes and would benefit people moving around the area rather than just commuting to and from work, which would lead to limited numbers of bikes being available during the day. I’m looking into this in more detail.

    West End Lane disruptions
    WHAT asked if Camden could outline how it plans to deal with disruptions, such as those occurring on West End Lane due to burst water mains?

    The council explained the impact the bridges and train lines have on the options for road diversions around West Hampstead, which can lead to bus passengers being a long way off course. It also said that planning for unexpected disruptions is difficult and usually consists of diversions and these will be announced by the driver. On occasion a disruption will sometimes lead to a longer term response being required, which may include the use of information at bus stops.

    Bus stops
    WHAT (again) asked TfL for an update on bus reliability and on the use of information during bus journeys, and live information at key locations to keep passengers informed of changes and delays to buses.

    TFL has a large amount of bus data available, which is used to measure performance by the bus operators and enforce service level agreements in contracts. Camden said it would consider paying for real-time bus information at key locations in West Hampstead through Section 106 money (the money paid by developers to offset the impact of new developments).

    Jubilee Line
    WHAT asked TFL to provide an update on Jubilee Line closures and the impact these have on the West Hampstead community, particularly during the Christmas period. It also pointed out that more explanation about the nature of the works would be appreciated, rather than “engineering works” being a catch-all term.

    TFL confirmed that essential maintenance to reline a section of the tunnel near Bond Street started on June 16th and will require three remaining closures and two late Sunday starts in 2013, with some intermittent closures also required in 2014 and possibly 2015.A full list of all planned closures is available on the TfL website.

    Around Christmas, the Jubilee Line will be closed from Waterloo to Finchley Road from Thursday 26th December to Monday 30th Dec.

    Traffic lights and other issues
    WHAT asked for an update on the proposal to improve the traffic lights outside West Hampstead tube station.

    The installation of secondary signals at the West End Lane / Broadhurst Gardens junction is scheduled for this financial year.

    June Perrin: Could Camden review the traffic light sequence at the junction of Kilburn High Road and Quex Road? 

    An scheme is being developed in this area, which could include the phasing of the signals.

    Mel Wright asked whether there are plans to improve pedestrian crossing times along Kilburn High Road, perhaps using the live countdown technology. 

    TFL confirmed that Quex Road has been identified as one of 200 sites in London for the implementation of live countdown

    Maryam Alaghband: Could TFL could comment on the traffic light system at Swiss Cottage gyratory where traffic going south onto Park Road collides with traffic coming from Avenue Rd and going to Finchley Rd? 

    David Harris: Can the traffic lights from Finchley Road and Fitzjohns Avenue be timed so that both lights do not allow the traffic to move together in such a way that the traffic becomes a racing track where the motorists cross in front of one another in order to reach the right lane?

    Same answer to both questions: “TfL is reviewing this site and although there are likely to be significant challenges in terms of maintaining network resilience at this location by the full or partial removal of the gyratory system, TfL will be seriously considering the options available and will welcome community involvement in the development of these plans.”

    David Douglas: Can TFL plant more trees at the gyratory to combat air pollution; and can air quality information at Swiss Cottage be publicised?
    The ground conditions along Finchley Road have proved to be very challenging for planting new trees. TfL proactively looks for suitable places to plant new trees, but on this occasion, the ground conditions meant that this area was not suited, and the trees would not have prospered.

    An overview of pollution levels in Camden is published on the London Air Quality Network website and there is specific data for the Swiss Cottage monitoring station.

  • Could new Iverson proposal merge with existing plan?

    Iverson Tyres sits next to the old Hampstead Garden Centre on the north side of Iverson Road, just a couple of hundred yards from the new Thameslink station. The garden centre is set to become a block of flats, though building has yet to start. Now, the man behind that redevelopment is looking to build another block on the Iverson Tyres site.

     
    The new block will consist of 29 new homes, nine of which would be affordable housing. There would also be flexible business space. You can see in the “before” photo below the 163 Iverson Road development – as yet unbuilt – peeping into the background.

    Before (with 163 Iverson Rd in the distance)
    After  – with a matching facade

    Before submitting the plans to Camden, the developers – McGregor Homes – is holding a public exhibition of its plans.

    This proposal represents an opportunity to redevelop the underutilised and visually unattractive tyre centre site to complete the regeneration of this part of Iverson Road and achieve key objectives of Camden Core Strategy, the West Hampstead Place Plan and the emerging Neighbourhood Development Plan. The design would complement the consented scheme on adjacent land at 163 Iverson Road. The proposal would see the delivery of 29 new homes. In addition, it would provide new high quality, flexible small business space.

    Hard to tell from the photos here, but it looks like the 159-161 development might be taking advantage of the topography to add an extra storey onto the building. One also wonders whether, if this development was to get the go ahead, a new plan might come along for the whole block from 159-163, which would surely be more cost-effective for the developer?

    The exhibition is at Sidings Community Centre on Wednesday July 17th from noon-8pm.

  • 156 West End Lane: empty for three years?

    We’ve known for some time that 156 West End Lane – aka “The Travis Perkins building” would be up for sale. Camden council, which owns the site, have decided to sell it to raise money. The council offices that it used to house have been relocated and aside from the ground floor showroom and supplies shop, the building is empty.

    Deloitte’s real estate division is acting for Camden and has published a short brochure asking for tenders for the site. It’s being pitched as a residential development opportunity.

    The site is larger than one might imagine
    (taken from Deloitte’s brochure)

    The brochure makes clear, however, that Travis Perkins has an existing lease for the premises.

    “Travis Perkins operate a builders merchants from part ground floor of the site, which includes a timber yard at the rear. Travis Perkins have been granted a new lease dated 20 May 2013, with landlord break provisions enabling vacant possession at the earliest date of 1 December 2016.”

    One might reasonably assume that a developer could buy Travis Perkins out of its lease, except that a) Travis Perkins is known to be very keen to stay on, and b) the planning process being what it is, it’s highly unlikely that any work would start on the site much before late 2015 anyway and if property prices continue to rise a developer might decide to sit it out. There was a rumour that Travis Perkins might want to buy the site itself to ensure its survival, so it will be interesting to see whether it submits a tender.

    The point, however, is that while the floors of office space above Travis Perkins sit empty, Camden council is paying for an empty building. More than £5,200 in fact.

    It’s hard to imagine that some of that cost couldn’t be recouped while the building stands empty. It’s office space, so perhaps a floor could be given over to flexible working space – a mini West Hampstead Hub for home workers to collaborate, or even just get out of the house, perhaps? I’m sure the collective brains of the area could come up with some other creative solutions.

    It seems inevitable that eventually the building will be knocked down and rebuilt as flats. Deloitte’s brochure points out

    The site offers greatest potential for higher scaled development to the western frontage (i.e. West End Lane) and to the south towards the railway lines, with a transition in scale towards the more sensitive residential interface to the north (Lymington Road).

    Although it’s not the most loved building on West End Lane, one resident told me at the weekend that it seemed madness to knock it down and rebuild, when surely it could just be converted into flats. It will be interesting to see the general public reaction to this – the first major redevelopment as opposed to brownfield/greenfield proposal in the area for some time.

    In last year’s survey of local architecture, the red brick building came bottom of the ranking. Two people loved it, 8 were indifferent, and 74 hated it. One of the things people didn’t like was the height, but it’s hard to envisage that whatever replaces it will be smaller. I hope that if it is redeveloped and Travis Perkins has to leave that any ground-floor frontage will be kept as smaller units to encourage a more diverse range of shops.

    Tenders are due in by the 19th of September – in case you’re interested.

  • Juggling tennis and the Jester Festival

    Another year, another Jester Festival on Fortune Green. This weekend, West Hampstead’s answer to the village fête, clashes with Wimbledon finals. Still, the forecast is set fair, so tennis fans can plan to come before the matches start, and the rest of you can come later. Perfect.

    If you needed any more incentive to come along then on the Sunday you can call by the West Hampstead Life stall and say hello to me and some of my guest correspondents. We’re also going to be running a Twitter clinic for those of you who aren’t quite sure what Twitter is, why you should join, or how to set it up. And we’ve got a few other things up our sleeve! We’ve got a stall near the heart of the event so no excuse!

    More details on the website, but the programme is below.

    Saturday

    On the stage

    • 12.00 Open Festival with DJ Earl
    • 12.30 Karate
    • 12.50 Bollywood
    • 1.15 Fortune Green choir
    • 2.10 Gillian Winn: West Hampstead School of Dance
    • 2.30 Mayor of Camden
    • 2.45 Guilfoyle Dance – Irish dancers
    • 3.00 Amy McBye
    • 3.30 Feel the Beat Street Dancers
    • 4.30 Mr Meaner
    • 6.00 Close

    Other events

    • Kids Tent: Storytelling and Art Projects 1.00-5.00
    • Circus Skills 12.30-4.30
    • West Hampstead Community Centre: Open Sports 1.00-5.00
    • Face Painting at Chelsea Square stall 12.00-6.00
    • Puppet time with Curly Ru Puppets 1.00-4.00
    • Magician & Balloon artist 1.30-4.30
    • Dalek 1.00-5.30

    Raffle: £100 Grand Prize donated by Parkheath. Other prizes donated by Bake-a-Boo, Curled Leaf, Holistic Hair & Beauty, Londis, Mill Lane Barber, Nando’s, Nautilus, Pizza Express, Tiffin Tin, The Village Haberdashery

    Silent auction: Outbid your neighbour on goodies donated from local businesses: Achilea Flowers, Alice House, Bernadetta Beauty Clinic, Mill Lane Bistro, Monsters of Art, Movers & Shapers, The Private Space, Tip Toe Nails by Claire, Vini Vivi, West Hampstead Physio, Wet Fish Cafe

    Fill out the festival survey for a chance to win a Tiffin Tin Voucher
    See the festival programme for a free glass of wine with Sunday lunch at the Alliance Mill Lane

    Sunday

    On the stage

    • 12.00 DJ Earl
    • 12.30 Sabrina Bronwyn
    • 1.30 Tanya Christina
    • 2.30 Praise Chapel Choir
    • 3.30 Rosie Belly Dancers
    • 3.45 Raffle Draw
    • 4.00 Dan Raz
    • 5.00 Ta Mère
    • 6.00 Close

    Other events

    • Kids Tent: Storytelling, Puppet show, and Art Projects 1.00-5.00
    • Climbing Wall 1.00-6.00
    • Caricature and Portrait Workshop 1.00-5.00
    • West Hampstead Community Centre: Open Sports 1.00-5.00
    • Face Painting at Chelsea Square stall 12.00-6.00
    • Magician & Balloon artist 1.30-4:30
    • WHAT Walk: West Hampstead Village Walk, begins at West Hampstead station

  • Mark Carney’s West Hampstead move

    New Bank of England governor Mark Carney will be living in West Hampstead apparently. The Daily Telegraph broke this news, on Canada Day appropriately. Canuck Carney, who’s taken over from Sir Mervyn King as top dog at the bank, is known for his relatively frugal approach to life and it seems he won’t be able to spend even half his housing allowance in our part of NW6. He’s chosen West Hampstead because two of his four daughters are enrolling at one of the private schools in the area.

    His relocation package includes a £250,000 accommodation allowance. Clearly that won’t get you a whole heap in West Hampstead if you’re buying. It will get you a ground-floor retail unit on the Kilburn High Road or a 17th floor flat in Camden council’s Snowman House on Abbey Road/Belsize Road.

    Of course, Carney will be renting not buying. That quarter of a million pounds works out at a fairly whopping £20,833 monthly rent, or £4,807 a week. Is it even possible to spend that much money on rent in West Hampstead? The simple answer is no – not even close. Here are the most expensive rental properties in West Hampstead according to property search engine Zoopla. Some are more “flatshare” than “family home” of course. I’ve listed them in price order, but I think the Weech Road one (full details here) looks the best bet, though if each of his daughters wants her own room then it’ll have to be this first Hilltop Road property, which is the only 6-bed rental in the area listed on Zoopla (and the Carney’s can still have a guest room).

    In the meantime, given Carney’s role as chair of the Monetary Policy Committee, watch out for a sudden switch from renting to buying – might mean a change in interest rates is on the cards!

    Hilltop Road, 6-bed, £7,583 pcm (£1,750 pw)

      

    Goldhurst Terrace, 4-bed, £7,258 pcm (£1,675 pw)
    Only one photo for this, but it has a “Stunning modern fully fitted kitchen, 3 modern fully tiled bathrooms and a private garden”

    Canfield Gardens, 3-bed, £5,850 pcm (£1,350 pw)

      

    Aberdare Gardens, 3-bed, £5,633 pcm (£1,300 pw)

    Weech Road, 4-bed, £5,200 pcm (£1,200 pw)

      

    Priory Road, 4-bed, £5,178 pcm (£1,195 pw)

      

    Belsize Road, 4-bed, £5,200 pcm (£1,200 pw)

      

    Marston Close, 5-bed, £5,200 pcm (£1,200 pw)

      

  • ‘ello ‘ello What’s going on here?

    ‘ello ‘ello What’s going on here?

    The saga of the local police stations has dragged on a while but we do at last have some clarity now that the Local Policing Model has been finalised. It came into effect last week.

    There’s been much publicity over the closure of Hampstead police station but less clarity over what was happening this side of the Finchley Road.

    The answer is that West Hampstead police station (that’s the one on Fortune Green Road) will remain open as a deployment centre and the police horses will be staying.

    The much-talked about “contact points” for our area will be at the police station (this is a change from what was expected) and at the Safer Neighbourhoods Base on West End Lane opposite the junction with Broadhurst Gardens. They will be open Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7-8pm and Saturday afternoons from 2-3pm. These hours will be the same for all contact centres across London apparently! These contact points are “for non-urgent face-to-face contact, where the public can meet their local police at regular known times.” We should feel pretty special to have two contact points so close together. Across Camden, there are only three others – one of which is at the Swiss Cottage SNT base near the tube station.

    Camden will have two (yes, just two) full-time front counters: Kentish Town police station will be open 24 hours a day, while Holborn will be open 8am-8pm weekdays and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Crimefighting takes a rest on Sunday. Over the border in Brent, Kilburn police station (that’s the one in Queen’s Park) will have a full-time front counter and Walm Lane in Willesden Green will be a contact point.

    Back to Camden – the borough has been divided into three “neighbourhoods”: North, Central and South. Big neighbourhoods.Each Neighbourhood will also have an “appointment car”, with 30 slots available every day of the week. It’s not clear how these will work.

    The three “neighbourhoods” of Camden

    In terms of police numbers, each neighbourhood is headed by an inspector. In our case (we’re “North”) that’s Nikki Babb. West Hampstead & Fortune Green wards will share a sergeant, as they have for some time. Right now, that’s Ian Hutton. Then each ward has a dedicated PC and PCSO. There are an additional five teams of seven officers, each lead by one sergeant, who will be deployed across the seven wards that comprise the North “neighbourhood”.

  • Tom chills out in David’s Deli

    Grabbed a bite to eat in David’s Deli the other day; wanted something quick in somewhere relaxed, and I hadn’t been to David’s for a while. It’s always friendly, and I rather like the addition of shisha pipes a year or two back; it’s cool to see so many chilled-out people enjoying a smoke, and it adds an extra element of character to West Hampstead. (Who remembers Brent Council’s poster campaign last year, warning that shisha is 8 million times more dangerous than normal tobacco? Rubbish, I say, even if it’s true).

    Anyway… I always get a little confused when ordering in the Deli; the specials board can seemingly appear on the wall, ceiling or anywhere else, and the various things on display at the counter are not listed on the menu – but perhaps that’s part of the fun.

    I tried the halloumi salad, which turned out to be enjoyable. The halloumi had been grilled to give a nice edge to it, the texture going well against the salad items, and suitably salty. I’ve never quite understood iceberg lettuce; it’s a little like pale green water in semi-solid form, like you might find on a distant planet or something, but the olives were excellent and sun-dried tomatoes were present – these I love.

    A proper mint tea arrived, and as I gazed out at West End Green opposite, I was reminded what a nice location David’s has. Definitely a “Sunday afternoon with the papers” place; or just somewhere to laze about while watching the world of West Hampstead go by… and what an appealing world that is, in the summer.

    I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, come on everyone, crack open the rosé!

  • West Hampstead: Smarter than the average neighbourhood

    I’ve already done some analysis of the census results locally, but it’s interesting to see them presented in an easy-to-digest form. Camden produces ward profiles, and although West Hampstead covers more than the West Hampstead and Fortune Green wards, this is a good starting point.

    What these profiles also give us are the changes from 2001 (see this article from Tim Harford on how hard it can be to dig up government data).

    Demographically, the two wards are very similar although West Hampstead is (slightly) better qualified, with 61% of adults holding a degree, compared to 58% in Fortune Green.

    The profile documents are below, but here are the other stand-out stats:

    The 60-74 year age group saw the largest increase in both wards from 2001 (from 3% to 9% in West Hampstead and 3% to 10% in Fortune Green.

    The percentage of residents that were born in the UK decreased from 64% in 2001 to 57% in 2011 in both wards. The percentage of people born in EU countries (including the most recent accession countries) other than the UK and Ireland increased from 6% in 2001 to 11% in West Hampstead and 12% in Fortune Green in 2011.

    Just under a quarter of Fortune Green and West Hampstead households met two or more of the ONS’ deprivation conditions in 2011, lower than Camden’s average of 29%. Deprivation conditions are when any household member is unemployed or long-term sick; no household member has at least a level 2 education and none are full-time students; any household member has long-term health problem or rates their health as bad or very bad; household is overcrowded, shared, or lacks central heating.

    Car ownership fell in both wards (which could be seen as a measure of falling wealth, or rising dependence on public transport): 54% of households in Fortune Green had no access to a car or van in 2011 compared to 46% in 2001. In West Hampstead, 59% of  households didnt have access to a vehicle, up from 53% in 2001.

    Ward Profile West Hampstead 2011 by WHampstead

    Ward Profile Fortune Green 2011 by WHampstead