China Town redevelopment and the London Mayor race
There has been lots of discussion on the development plans for China Town in London over the recent years. Developers Rosewheel bought the lease for the properties which back onto Shaftsbury Avenue and plan to redevelop the Sandringham Building into a large shopping mall like the Trocadero. There was a whole furore over the relocation of the pagoda (a well known landmark and meeting point within China Town), concerns about losing the culture and characteristics of the area and the issue of developers pushing rent up to force local shopkeepers out. The Chinese community were up in arms over the plans and there have been several campaigns to try and stop the planned changes. However, regardless of protest, Rosewheel gained planning permission.
Personally, I'm unsure as to the benefits and losses to China Town that will come with this kind of redevelopment. Part of China Town's charm is it's slight grottiness. The smells and shabby shop fronts are part of it's charm and the introduction of a large commercial shopping center full of high street names just doesn't seem to fit. If you wanted to shop at those kind of stores you'd go to Oxford Street. It's like proposing to convert Camden Town into a copy of Regent Street. It just has too many 'Tescos big corporation stamp on the little businesses' similarities and I think we should be supporting those privately owned shops. That's why I have signed the petition and urge others to do the same. However, never one to push my views on others, feel free to read up on the big debate yourself from these links:
Incidentally, it seems that Boris Johnson has taken note of the campaign in his run for London Mayor and made this statement in a shameless attempt to sway the British Born Chinese vote:
"I believe that Chinatown is a crucial part of London's heritage and should be protected accordingly. I echo the concerns voiced by the Min Quan group over Rosewheel's development plans in the area. Whilst London is a constantly evolving city and the hub of modern society, it cannot afford to lose it soul. I am in no doubt that I am standing in one of the fundamental elements of that."
Shameless it may be, but to be frank, although he may appear a bit of a bumbling idiot and purely paying lip service to all of Londoners well known gripes, I don't think anyone wants to vote in Ken Livingston for another term. I think he lost a LOT of voters with his congestion charging and low emissions zone ideas... but I think that deserves a whole new post in the future.
Anyway, a positive side effect of the development of China Town is some nice mural and sculpture plans for the area. China Town Art Space are planning to put up a mural in Horse and Dolphin Yard and a sculpture on Wardour Street. The public get to vote for their favourite but voting ends 11th May so if you want to cast a vote you better do it soon! You can view the entries for the mural here and sculpture here. I voted for the rice bowl mural and the lion sculpture.
Personally, I'm unsure as to the benefits and losses to China Town that will come with this kind of redevelopment. Part of China Town's charm is it's slight grottiness. The smells and shabby shop fronts are part of it's charm and the introduction of a large commercial shopping center full of high street names just doesn't seem to fit. If you wanted to shop at those kind of stores you'd go to Oxford Street. It's like proposing to convert Camden Town into a copy of Regent Street. It just has too many 'Tescos big corporation stamp on the little businesses' similarities and I think we should be supporting those privately owned shops. That's why I have signed the petition and urge others to do the same. However, never one to push my views on others, feel free to read up on the big debate yourself from these links:
- Time Out article on the Rosewheel development
- The Guardian article
- Westminster Council's take on the changes
- Dim Sum website's article
Incidentally, it seems that Boris Johnson has taken note of the campaign in his run for London Mayor and made this statement in a shameless attempt to sway the British Born Chinese vote:
"I believe that Chinatown is a crucial part of London's heritage and should be protected accordingly. I echo the concerns voiced by the Min Quan group over Rosewheel's development plans in the area. Whilst London is a constantly evolving city and the hub of modern society, it cannot afford to lose it soul. I am in no doubt that I am standing in one of the fundamental elements of that."
Shameless it may be, but to be frank, although he may appear a bit of a bumbling idiot and purely paying lip service to all of Londoners well known gripes, I don't think anyone wants to vote in Ken Livingston for another term. I think he lost a LOT of voters with his congestion charging and low emissions zone ideas... but I think that deserves a whole new post in the future.
Anyway, a positive side effect of the development of China Town is some nice mural and sculpture plans for the area. China Town Art Space are planning to put up a mural in Horse and Dolphin Yard and a sculpture on Wardour Street. The public get to vote for their favourite but voting ends 11th May so if you want to cast a vote you better do it soon! You can view the entries for the mural here and sculpture here. I voted for the rice bowl mural and the lion sculpture.
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