‘London’s trendy Kings Cross’ – paparazzi – the problems of success

Posted on July 30, 2008 by William Perrin

Paparazzi Ok – so we have tackled just about everything as a community – sex, drugs, porn, booze, property developers, squirrels, even karaoke but I wasn’t expecting to raise the issue of unwanted paparazzi staked out in my street.  It turns out that we have a neighbour who is the subject of much comment in the tabloids.  She has been living here quietly for some time and is welcome in the community. 

The press pack have now rumbled that she lives in ‘London’s trendy Kings Cross’.  So every morning there is a car or two in the street with a snapper reclined on the front seat with a lens that could spot life on Mars.  As I write this there are five snappers in two illegally parked cars (on double yellows).  At about 0200 AM they rouse themselves in a frenzy of flashes as our neighbour returns home – the flashes are so bright they wake people up.  I spoke with the paparazzi – they said to me:

‘Yeah, you will be seeing a lot of us now.  You should ask the people who live on Amy Winehouse’s street they love us crime has gone down massively there since we have been around’

I don’t make judgements about others, but the conversation felt horribly sleazy.

However, neighbour Stuart says:

‘The photographers clearly need to be considerate – they are not normally noisy but so far my gripes are:
(a) the extremely bright camera flashes used in the middle of the night – it makes you think the Luftwaffe are imminent and certainly wakes you up and
(b) I’m not certain but they seem to be leaving rubbish on the street from their lunches etc. while they hover and wait.’

‘I have some sympathy with what one of the cameramen said because having had my car smashed a number of times by kids with nothing better to do, I feel that a supervisory presence will cut down on property crime.’

I am not sure what we can do about this – the traffic wardens have already been asked to be more vigilant.  If a group of young people say were routinely disturbing the peace at 0200AM the police would use an ASBO or declare some sort of zone in which classes of behaviour were banned.  Perhaps we could do that for the street.  Any suggestions welcome.

And by the way, I am not going to get into a guessing game about who our neighbour is – i try to respect people’s privacy and won’t approve comments trying to name names.  If you want to gossip go to the Bella/Hello/Popbitch etc sites.

Posted in Anti Social Behaviour, Crime etc | 4 Comments

Street Safety Wardens abolished in Camden ward of Kings Cross against wishes of residents

Posted on July 23, 2008 by William Perrin

Street_wardens_2 I just read in "Your Camden" (the council’s monthly free magazine) "the news" on Street Wardens at Kings Cross.  Except it is not new.  It is probably the old plan, namely to push forward with the ending of the Kings Cross Street Warden service.  I read, the Council heard the Kings Cross residents comments, presumably from the first Kings Cross Area Forum last year, where huge opposition to the withdrawal of the locally based street wardens was expressed.  Yet whilst they (the council through the voice of
YOUR CAMDEN ) say they apparently listen, they introduced a new schema, that meant exactly the point that was put to the council was being ignored, namely that Kings Cross residents object to the abolition of a Kings Cross based Local Neighbourhood Safety Schema. So whilst grandly announcing that they listened using a full page of the the Your Camden publication, they have done nothing to preserve the old structure.  This can hardly mean that they listened. 

Kings Cross has a huge disproportionate amount of hostels compared to the rest of Camden and it also is exposed by the by-traffic of St Pancras Kings Cross rail stations. Drug trafficking, dealing and drug and other substance abuse in public, prostitution, aggressive begging, and youth gang activities are all known to residents here.  Whilst no body can deny the need for neighbourhood safety teams elsewhere in the borough, it can hardly be right to make savings by withdrawing a well working and appreciated service, or as it may be forcing the ward to share that service with a wide range of other wards.  In a polite way of expressing it, their article in Your Camden is stupefying.
It is perhaps based on the out-dated notions that Kings Cross residents do not a have a voice  to be taken serious. 

The best way to maintain safety in a community is through local policing, with officers who know the area and its problems well. 

– a version of this letter went to Camden New Journal –

Read also:  Street Wardens  Decision Naive (Camden New Journal)
Your Camden

Posted in Anti Social Behaviour, Crime etc, Planning, Licensing and Regulation | Leave a comment

Green wall gets green light

Posted on July 22, 2008 by Sophie Talbot

Wall_1_2

Excellent news… We have just heard that King’s Cross Community Projects has been awarded £50,000 by LB Islington towards the cost of the Wharfdale Road Greenwall Project. The council approved the money as part of a section 106 agreement to contribute to environmental improvements in the area, as I’m sure you’ll agree, greening a section of the King’s Cross gyratory system will achieve just that.

We will be meeting with LB Islington in the next couple of weeks to agree our project plan, following which we’ll make a start. Our first priority is likely to be raising the remaining £50,000 needed! It might sound a lot for a Greenwall, but we are talking bespoke public art in the form of corton steel planters, a sculptural steel array creating an imaginative trellis complete with nesting boxes, subtle solar powered lighting, a solar powered automatic sub-irrigation system using rain water stored in reservoirs at roof and ground levels… and much, much more!

Posted in Green Wall Project | 1 Comment

Art student or graduate wanted for help with community arts project

Posted on July 21, 2008 by William Perrin

Pangolin Joanie of Kings Place got in touch with this opportunity for a young art student or graduate.

>>Pangolin Gallery at Kings Place on York Way has a vacancy for art volunteers to assist the current sculptor in residence with a sound sculpture / music project using recycled materials.  This is an opportunity for an art student or young graduate who is interested in teaching or working with an established artist in a community setting.  The project will take place in primary schools in the Kings Cross area, one day per week during school term time starting September.
Travel expenses are provided.
Benefits include: experience in teaching, working with young children and networking.
An up to date police check is essential.
For details, please contact joanie.magill@kingsplace.co.uk

Posted in Arts and Entertainment | Leave a comment

62-68 York Way – last opportunity to get your comments on the record

Posted on July 20, 2008 by Stephan Schulte

6a00d8345162e169e200e553a8e19088348Since the deadline for the public consultation on this latest application was extended to 24 July after the developer’s latest amendment to the plan (lopping off 1.3 metres from the height), time is running out for you to get your comments on the record before it goes to the Planning Committee.

As most readers know, I have continually campaigned to get this latest plan refused for two main reasons (and a host of secondary reasons).  First, because it represents major overdevelopment of the site, and second, because to approve it will give the developer five more years to do nothing.

For those of you who agree, and want to see a building on this site, please join with me in objecting this latest plan.  Remember, the developer already has an approved plan that he claims to have started.  I say build that one now.

If you wish to object, please contact me and I can provide you with all the materials to understand what’s been going. stephan@kingscrossenvironment.com.

Note, if you have already objected to this plan (P080767) all you have to do is send an email to planning (planning@islington.gov.uk) and indicate that you still object in spite of the recent amendments to the plan – this should only thank 5 minutes!  Lastely to make it even easier, make your objection by clicking this link – Object Now and it will take you directly to the online form for this application – that should take no more than a minute.  I can’t make it any easier to get your voice heard!

This is the next to last eyesore in our immediate neighbourhood, Let’s finally get this plan underway.  If you don’t object, we will have five more years of nothing happening.

Posted in Planning, Licensing and Regulation | 1 Comment

“Canal” the musical

Posted on July 16, 2008 by Stephan Schulte

Canal_a5_page_1_2 Canal_a5_page_2_3

Posted in Arts and Entertainment | Leave a comment

Where will you be at 7pm on Wednesday 16th July?

Posted on July 15, 2008 by Sophie Talbot

KxentryThe the public meeting calling for Network Rail to Open Up King’s Cross Station takes place tomorrow at 7pm, Blessed Sacrament Church, Copenhagen Street (on the Islington side, behind the station). I just picked up a set of five exhibition boards, hope you’ll agree when you see them tomorrow that they make a very strong case to Open Up the station.

If you can’t make it, but would like to send a message of support, please send an email or write on our Facebook wall in time for it to reach us for 5pm tomorrow. I’ll pick up all messages and take them to the meeting.

The petition hit 300 signatures this morning after a group of us leafleted outside the entrance on the north eastern side of the station. Keep those signatures coming – ask your friends, family, colleagues, pets to sign up at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/kxaccess/

We’ve managed to persuade Network Rail to delay closing the north eastern entrance until they take down the scaffolding on York Way! A small victory, but it goes to show – we can get them to change. We’ll be keeping the pressure up.

Posted in #googlebridgeKX, Kings Cross Station Refurbishment | 1 Comment

BBC Newsnight – Stephen Griffiths local youth worker on knife crime

Posted on July 14, 2008 by William Perrin

Board11_over Stephen Griffiths CYP youth worker was on BBC’s Newsnight today – in a Gavin Esler panel discussion about knife crime with Richard Thaler, author of Nudge and political flavour of the month, Karen Buck a relatively local MP  and Chris Huhne of the LibDems.  Stephen did a great job.  The discussion overwhlemingly came down in favour of more things for young people to do.  Richard Thaler endorsed Stephen’s work with CYP on sports and arts.  If you want to donate to CYP to help them continue this work with local young people click

Stephen identified a fundamental lack of self worth amongst young people:

"We have an issue with education and the environment resulting in young people with low self esteem and self worth.  If they have no worth in themselves and they have nothing…then they act in a certain way

Some young people get self worth from carrying knives.

"..amongst some young people you get a pat on the back for carrying a knife ‘well done’ ..really we need to be patting them on the back for the softer targets they achieve as adults."

"..we have to look closely at the young people in general.  It is getting worse and worse.  We need to look at young people in general, identify the issues and try to address them…..But it’s all part of a process, a programme a we need a lot more education a lot more programmes to enable young people to feel self worth."

Stop and search isn’t the only answer

"Stop and search needs to be part of the bigger picture.  But it needs to be done in the right way.  I come across a lot of animosity towards the police from young people.  There is work to do to ensure that animosity is calmed down.  Stop and search has to be done with respect and regard. It needs to be done the right way.  The way it is done is vital.   If someone is carrying a knife they shouldn’t have it and they should suffer the consequences. That brings you to the point where young people have to understand the consequences of their behaviour."

In response to Stephen, Richard Thaler author of Nudge said:

"We are talking about trying to create identities.  If the knife is the identity we have already lost the game.  The kind of thing Stephen is doing getting kids involved in sports and the arts can be a way of creating a new identity for the kid that can be more productive."

(I typed this from live – errors are mine)

UPDATE – on Tuesday 15 July the show is available online here – the studio discussion with Steve is 7 minutes in

Posted in Anti Social Behaviour, Crime etc, Young People | Leave a comment