Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
Westminster City Council - Covent Garden's future
Cherishing our City motivates all we do as a City Council. We work to make it a better place to live in, to work in and to visit.
We are proud of Westminster's historic links - but, as a local authority, we are not stuck in history. We seek the preservation of what is best from the past and the encouragement of what is new and exciting today. Hence, the completion of the Royal Opera House development marked a significant milestone in the life of Covent Garden. This outstanding scheme has won many plaudits.
But the area means much more to my colleagues and me on the Council than just a major cultural centre - important as that is. Covent Garden also has a long-established residential population, which we are determined to protect and foster under our new Unitary Development Plan. Much of what we do as a Council needs the active support and involvement of you, the residents. And the CGCA is to be applauded for its tireless efforts on behalf of the Covent Garden community over the last 30 years.
Since the fruit and vegetable market vacated the area in 1974, the significance of Covent Garden as an entertainment area has become even more marked with the introduction of new shops, cafes, restaurants, wine bars and museums. It has become a major shopping destination and a magnet for tourists.
All this means that Covent Garden is under constant commercial pressure. Our job as a Council is to ensure a fair balance between the needs of commerce and the entertainment industry and the rights of residents to an acceptable, safe environment.
This is the challenge. And your Council will continue to do all it can to ensure that the right balance is struck.
Cllr Angela Hooper,
Chairman of Westminster Council's Planning and Licensing Committee
Covent Garden Community Association Annual Report 2000-2001
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