The Camden Centre in King’s Cross

• THE council has now agreed new licensing provision for the Camden Centre, which is located in the Old Town Hall in a residential area.

Despite major local resident objections it will now be open till 4am Friday and Saturday, and 1am, 2am or 3am on other days, with up to 1,200 people dancing, drinking, etc, during these sessions and then spilling out onto the streets.

For the hundreds of Camden residents who live locally this is a disaster. Police and environmental health have imposed conditions, but anyone can imagine what this number of people – wanting taxis, feeling sick, singing, etc – will do to the sleep of all the residents around.

Our councillors have failed us terribly. They should have insisted the venue was for conferences, weddings, and exhibitions. They did not.

They should have notified us of the proposals, held meetings, and answered emails very promptly. They did not.

We can only hope this terrible decision will spur them to act much more like local councillors should when there is a major issue of very serious concern to their constituents.

We now need them to hold neighbourhood meetings, to monitor what goes on at the centre, to enquire about the operator and the plans, and to engage fully with us in regular discussions.

The three ward councillors should nominate one of their number to lead on this and be pro-active over the coming months.

The actions of the three ward councillors over the coming months will be a vital indication of how seriously they take their role in supporting their constituents. So far the omens are very poor indeed.

PROFESSOR PETER MARSH
Judd Street, WC1