Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
A Good Night Out!4. THE RESIDENTS' PERSPECTIVE4.1 THE RESIDENTIAL WEST END 4.2 VILLAGE LIFE IN THE WEST END 4.3 ENCOURAGING THE RESIDENTIAL WEST END 4.4 RECONCILING THE CONFLICT 4.5 A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP 4.6 RESIDENTS' GROWING CONCERN 4.1 THE RESIDENTIAL WEST END It is difficult to be completely precise as to how many people live in Soho and Covent Garden but the following figures from the electoral roll for the St. James's and West End wards of Westminster City Council, which are the wards which cover most of the area, give a clear picture of a significant number of residents and that the numbers are rising.
These figures only partially take account of EU residents and do not include non EU residents or part time residents. The numbers may be considerably higher than this in reality, (possibly up to 70% higher according to some estimates.) Residential Covent Garden The Covent Garden Community Association (CGCA) estimate that if the combined figures for the London borough of Camden and City of Westminster are used then there are approximately 6,000 residents in Covent Garden on the electoral roll. 4.2 VILLAGE LIFE IN THE WEST END Many people will be surprised to learn that anyone lives in the West End at all, let alone significant communities whose numbers are growing. In a rural area these populations would be classed as significant villages. Given the compact nature of the areas (100 acres Covent Garden, Soho 90 acres approx.) it is also quite a high density but this residential nature is obscured by the more obvious commercial uses. Some commercial users may at first glance see residents in the city centre as a nuisance or just plain anachronistic, but that is to ignore the vital role residents play in city life. These residential communities go back many generations and have given the areas their distinctive cultural identity. Today they are important, not least in keeping commercial centres alive, creating and running businessess, providing local employees, supporting community facilities and acting as an informal crime prevention service against theft, damage and vandalism (including to commercial premises). Areas of city centres such as the Elephant and Castle which, on redevelopment, lost its residents, or the City of London, bear no comparison with vibrant mixed use areas such as Soho and Covent Garden. 4.3 ENCOURAGING THE RESIDENTIAL WEST END National concern about traffic congestion and the time wasted in travel means that more and more people are likely to choose to live centrally when they can. There is already a trend to convert office space to residential. Encouraging more residents in the central city is a feature of Westminster City Council's policy of 'Building Stable Communities'. Government Encourages Living in the City Central government is concerned about the loss of high quality rural land and wishes to limit the emissions and pollution caused by vehicular traffic, especially commuting. Central city living is much less car dependent and in that sense 'sustainable'. Promoting living accommodation in the city is now government policy. The number of people moving back to the city is growing all over London so the concerns of residents will not go away and will need to be addressed by the licensed trade and the regulatory authorities if problems are not to continue to grow which will undermine central city living. 4.4 RECONCILING THE CONFLICT It is impossible to generalise the views of residents. However, it is clear that most, having lived in the area all their lives, or for a long period, are very well aware that the West End has increased its role as an entertainment area. Those choosing to move to the area may be expected to realise the same thing but feel that the advantages still outweigh the disadvantages. It is perhaps fair to say that they are not expecting the same peace and quiet that they might expect to find in a suburban or rural area. They may be less aware of the trend for premises to stay open later and later and increasingly to use the streets as an ancillary place of entertainment. Residents will typically be most concerned about the noise and other problems of their immediate environment. 4.5 A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP Like most people, residents need a 'window of quiet' in order to sleep. In other words, a period that is predominantly quiet, approximately 7 or 8 hours. This is being threatened by a general move towards late night trading and early morning deliveries. Specific problems occur when a particular premises starts up or changes its character (or opening hours) in ways which have the effect of increasing noise nuisance. The general increase in the number of licensed premises also increases the sheer numbers of people drawn into the area, contributes to the increased background noise levels. Each premises can also create localised problems. 4.6 RESIDENTS' GROWING CONCERN Residents become very concerned when changes occur without their views being taken into account and when there seems to be little effective remedy for the way the quiet enjoyment of their home has been reduced. One example, of this strength of feeling is that a meeting held by the Westminster Amenity Societies Forum on 31/5/96 to protest against licensing deregulation was the most heavily attended (and angry) for years. Their problem is that it is very difficult to make an effective protest in a very complex system. A Good Night Out - Index A Good Night Out - 5. THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE CURRENT LICENSING SYSTEM |
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