• RESIDENTS in Belsize Village are, quite rightly, worried and concerned for its survival as a few days ago, without warning, XO restaurant on Belsize Lane was boarded up with a sign “under renovations”.

With further investigation on their website, it says that it’s closed permanently.

Further searches proved that a supermarket was on the books which would hit our local food businesses along with the peace and charm of the village, with huge lorries being driven through our small roads disturbing the peace of anyone who may like to sit outside Ronis or The Belsize Kitchen.

Plus we have the local private school traffic so one can imagine the scene of angry motorists hooting at each other to back up, children trying to walk along the pavement to spend their pocket money in The Late Late Store, our village will never be the same.

We have a Budgens around the corner. We certainly don’t need another supermarket. We like to buy our fruit and veg from Dave and Matthew in the Village Green grocers. We all use our village shops, having a chat along the way.

The landlord of this site has done his community a great injustice and helped to destroy a rare thing in London, our community.

May I encourage residents and friends to sign the petition. Petition Belsize Lane Limited: No Change to our community assets. Help save Belsize Village·Change.org

LINDA GROVE, NW3