This evening, the Executive Environment Sub Group considered a new Appraisal and Management Strategy for the Camden Broadway Conservation Area. I made a deputation at the meeting, urging the Sub Group to recognise the need for significant regeneration of the Broadway and to ask for support from the Council as a whole for that regeneration work.

The new Management Strategy is good - but the unusual thing about the Camden Broadway area is that there isn’t much to conserve! We need to preserve the few good bits that are left, but most importantly we need to regenerate the area and tackle some of the problems that blight it - antisocial behaviour, the burnt out former brothel, the general untidiness and run-down feel of the area.

These were the issues that came out most strongly in the consultation. They couldn’t be addressed in the Conservation Area work, but they have all been passed to various council officers and departments. That’s a start - but we’ve been fighting for improvements for a long time, and what we need now is a whole-Council commitment to regeneration. Without that, the Conservation Area status will not only lose the support of the community but it may even start to contribute to the problems in the area by preventing improvement work.

Tonight, we put Camden Broadway on the map - we got some of the most senior people in the Council to discuss it and recognise the need for improvement. Now, we need to keep the pressure up. Soon I hope to hold an open public meeting to review where we are, and get real community buy-in for our work to improve the area. As soon as I have a date I’ll post more information on the website.