wordpress 7.1Camden Association of Street Properties
The Kentish Town City Farm is holding a workshop to learn about bats, and then they will be having a guided walk to see some bats.
This free event will be held on Wednesday 19 August from 7pm until 9.30 pm.
However, if you want to go, you will need to book.
Changes made by central government, designed to speed up the Planning process, are due to be implemented later this year.
There are concerns that the new processes, as implemented by Camden Council, will significantly reduce the input from councillors.
It is understood that “minor” planning submissions would solely be assessed by planning officers, and that even larger applications would be assessed by the chief planning officer, together with the chair of planning or the cabinet member for development.
Only the most significant, complex or controversial developments would be come before the Planning Committee.
Several councillors are concerned that this will greatly reduce the ability of elected councillors to influence development in Camden.
Something that annoys a lot of residents is the number of properties, especially Camden Council-owned properties, that are empty, and that seem to be empty for a long time.
The empty Camden Council-owned properties are known as “voids”, and a recent report says that there are 356 empty council-owned properties. This comes at the same time as there is a critical shortage of truly affordable homes.
Read more about it below in this recent article from the Camden New Journal:
Castlehaven Community Association has been running for 40 years.
To celebrate, they are holding a community festival at 23 Castlehaven Road NW1 8RU, on Saturday 01 August, from 12 noon.
Camden Council has been running a year-long trial of pedestrianising a large part of Camden High Street.
While this has definitely made things better for visitors to Camden, it has also made things more difficult for some local businesses. It has also affected local bus routes and traffic in the area.
Camden Council are now proposing to make the change permanent. If it is made permanent, then further landscaping would take place on Camden High Street, and the roads around the area would be modified to improve buses and traffic flows.
They are also consulting whether the pedestrianised area should be expanded to include Camden Lock Market.
If you want to have your say, you will need to respond to this consultation by 23 August 2026.
The Regent’s Park Estate Community and Arts Festival returns.
It will be held on Saturday 01 August 2026, outside the ODAC (Old Diorama Arts Centre) at 201 Drummond Street, NW1 3FE.
This FREE event will have a variety of community groups performing, and will also celebrate South Asian Heritage month.
Due to the ongoing hot and dry weather, Thames Water have announced a hosepipe ban.
You CANNOT use a hose to water your garden.
You CAN water using a watering can as much as you want.
See the link to Thames Water for more information.
See dinosaurs walk around the Brunswick Centre on Saturday 18 July!!
For FREE!!
Sunday 12 July 2026 is the Camden Mela 2026, celebrating South Asian heritage in Camden, and the diversity of this area more generally.
It is being held in Coram’s Fields, and entry is free.
See the poster for more details.
The Somerstown Festival returns for 2026!
This free street festival will take place on Chalton Street, on Saturday 11 July 2026, from 12:00 pm.
The CASP AGM was held last night.
We would like to thank all of those who attended – it is greatly appreciated.
We would like to welcome the new Committee members for putting themselves forward.
And we would like to congratulate David Perris on being elected as the Chair for the upcoming year, and wish him all the best.
We would also like to congratulate Vala Magnadottir on her election as Vice-Chair.
Three London councils said they had launched a legal challenge against the mayor of London over his decision to adopt a policy which includes reducing affordable housing targets in the capital.
Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Lewisham have requested a judicial review, claiming the mayor did not use the proper statutory process or consult councils before the policy change was made.
This might all sound a bit boring, but the below will have a big effect on the quality of temporary housing for people and families in distress, and touches on the quality of housing more generally.
In April, Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee published a report into the quality of temporary housing being provided by Councils in England.
The report made a number of recommendations for things the Government and Councils could do to improve the quality of temporary housing (including the use of B&Bs), and to limit the amount of time that people spend in temporary housing. (Report is here.)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has responded to the report here.
It seems the Government appreciates the input of the Parliamentary Committee, but does not agree that all the recommendations are necessary.
The Government has stated that they are already working to improve the quality of temporary housing, by making more money available to Councils, and by eventually limiting the time people will spend in temporary housing that does not meet the new Decent Homes Standard.
They also state that by measures such as the new Renters’ Rights Act, they are working to reduce the number of people who will need temporary housing, and to also eventually improve the quality of private rented housing.
Those who are interested can read both of the documents.
I think it is also interesting to see a bit of how Parliament and the Government interact as separate entities, and how Parliamentary Committees (made up of members who are from several different political parties) can try to help Government departments make sure that various different viewpoints have been considered.
Image by @thedigitalartist-202249@pixabay.com from PixabaySunday 21 June is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, known as the summer solstice.
Astronomically, this is the day when the sun gets the highest and most northerly in the sky.
Above the Arctic Circle, the sun will be visible for twenty-four hours – it will not get dark at all.
For some people it signals the start of summer, for some people it is known as Midsummer. At the summer solstice, the sun rises over the Heel Stone at Stonehenge if you are standing in the centre.
Many people will celebrate it in some way with a party, etc. With the FIFA World Cup on at the moment, there might be even more of a chance to celebrate.
So feel free to celebrate the longest day of the year, in whatever way you like.
