Bookshop attack

Published: 11 March 2010

• I AGREE with Janet Nassau (Letters, March 4) about the astonishing imposition by Camden Council of a stupidly unrealistic 25 per cent rent increase on struggling Gay’s the Word Bookshop in Bloomsbury, at the height of a crippling economic crisis.
That council officers would deliberately destroy a world-renowned and internationally award-winning, shoestring Camden business, routinely praised across all the London boroughs for an essential role in community support, speaks of disjointed leadership by Camden’s elected councillors.
Where responsible commercial landlords like Shaftesbury plc and the Howard de Walden Estate have been falling over themselves to foster the transparently greater community value of such rare, small, businesses which give back so much more to our streetscapes and citizenry, Camden Council aggressively seeks to blight Marchmont Street with yet another Starbucks or McDonald’s.
Having already forced out so many famous bookshops on Charing Cross Road to commonplace herbalists and coffee chains, when will Camden’s councillors finally intercede to bring their outdated and divisive lettings policy up to speed with modern practice?
IAN STEWART
Golden Square
W1