The Dame is a much-travelled old thing but has only ever seen such hideous 'catering tents' in the rougher parts of Lagos.
Which councillor or officer thought this mess was a good idea?
They would never have allowed it on their own street.
with thanks to thisisnorthkensington.wordpress.com
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Is this a fake photo of Kensington and Chelsea?
ReplyDeleteKenway Road, Earls Court. Go and look.
ReplyDeletePop in to a pop up!
DeleteYes, I cannot imagine Tory councillors living in the smart areas to allowing this sort of horror on their streets
ReplyDeleteCllrs Adourian and Spalding are both Conservative Councilors representing Earls Court Ward.
ReplyDeleteCllr Spalding is, I fear, one of our weaker brethren. A puffer.
DeleteVarious other wards have similar al fresco covered areas for diners. The hospitality trade has been hit by a deadly combo of pandemic, high business rates, spiralling costs of food and the devastating impact of Brexit where the loss of freedom of movement now leaves premises with insufficient staff to operate full service. Admittedly, stricter control of what is acceptable design for such covered areas would be welcome. The restaurants in Kenway Village offer cuisine from many countries as befits an area where multiculturalism has long been a welcome part of the community. Let's do all we can to support the businesses. The alternative is yet more of the rip-off sterile clone chains that infest Earl's Court Road, or restaurants lost to estate agent offices, of which far too many.
ReplyDeleteKeith, I take your well made point. But what a mishmash when these things could have been so much more elegant with no real extra cost. The restaurants should have worked together closely to try to get some harmony and to blend more into the local scene
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of the extensive negotiations with the Town Hall planners, and the regulations that are imposed, when I wanted an extension to my house, or a roof light, or a new balcony railing, I wonder what is going on when I see the public mess in the Dame's photo.
ReplyDeleteALL OF US have experienced hardship because of COVID. But now it is over. And we need to get back to normal. For a year to September 2021 there was a temporary allowance for pop up restaurants. No rates, no rent. Just "free parking". Each of the restaurants above has been given real estate worth £1m for free (ca 600 sq ft at £1900/sq ft). Of course they lobbied for the "temporary" concession to continue. The "temporary" handout has now entered its second year, no doubt helped by some well placed brown envelopes.
And the pop ups have deprived motorists of their parking spaces. For which residents pay £300 a year for their Resident Parking Permits. What about the interests of the car owners?
Balance, deer Barker-Main. Balance. (Do you or your family own a pop up by any chance?)
The pavement has been hijacked too, as well as the parking spaces. What about the interests of pedestrians? And public safety?
DeleteThis is all Rotary Club stuff. Masons scratching each others backs.
The only other place in Kensington with such a mess outside is Harrods. My family and me no longer shop at Harrods. And I urge my friends to also give the Arab Quarter a wide berth.
ReplyDeleteThank you M'Lord. Edgeware Road has come to Kensington. A disgrace.
DeleteMr Kieth Barker laments the situation of the hospitality sector. But there is too much special pleading and moaning. As a tax payer I have just helped to underwrite £400 billion of Government loans to prop up the economy, including suspension of rates, reduced rent, free loans and payment of wages for staff to go home and do nothing. Lots of restaurant staff taking the furlough payments and moonlighting. During the pandemic personal savings INCREASED by £300 billion plus huge repayments of credit card debt.
ReplyDeleteLets use the data to work out where we are instead of inventing pity for grasping small businesses.