Reassurance as hoardings come down

Published: 3 December, 2010
by JOSH LOEB

Street will stay ‘quirky’, insist landowners

BLOOMSBURY’S lar­gest private landowner, The Bedford Estates, has insisted that small shops will not be priced out of a Victorian street following £5million regeneration works.

Hoardings which have lined Store Street off Tottenham Court Road since April came down this month to reveal a spruced-up terrace that Mark de Rivaz, steward of the Estates’ London holdings, says he wants to fill with “quirky” independents.

Last week he told the West End Extra that the Bloomsbury Village Garage, London’s oldest service station, which closed in 2008 and is now a building site, would be revived as  a restaurant complete with a piece of public art reflecting the history of the building.

And Mr de Rivaz said The Bedford Estates – the business that manages the property holdings of the family of the Duke of Bedford – had “no aspirations” to attract chains.

“Most of the original brick and stone of the garage will be reused but the little kiosk will be made a bit deeper,” he said. “People will just about be able to see it from Tottenham Court Road, so it will draw people along the street. We are not talking a destination restaurant in the sense of the big names because it’s not big enough, but we hope we will get someone who will be, well, not run of the mill.” 

The piece of public art – probably a ceramic tile panel depicting a vintage motoring image – will adorn the wall next to the building, pending approval from Camden Council.

Earlier this year, neighbours including members of the nearby Ridgmount Gardens Residents’ Association, raised concerns about The Bedford Estate’s hoardings, which were covered in advertisements for brands including Miss Sixty and Hugo Boss.

This week Salvo Salamone, who owns Pizza Paradiso in Store Street, said his business had been adversely affected by the renovation work, adding that he would lose some seating space because of alterations due to be carried out on the premises.

He also said he was sad to see the demise of the service station – which attracted famous customers including Lewis Hamilton and Jamie Oliver.

However, Mr de Rivaz insisted the landowners had made efforts to retain popular aspects of the street. “We set out looking at what we’ve got and realising that these are not high street shops,” he said. 

“We wanted it to be independent, a little bit quirky. There is a difference between a land owner like us and a land owner like a conventional property company in that we have been around for a long time and we don’t sell properties. It’s not as if we are going to develop and sell. The family that own this business take pride in what they own and want it to look good and not to jar with the local community, although there will always be conflicts.”

In keeping with this vision, a speciality coffee shop has already moved in and a florists will open up next year. 

Appropriately, given Bloomsbury’s literary associations, they are also in negotiations with a bookshop.