Anti-monarchy movement's party a threat to retail - Republic's ‘Not Royal Wedding’ event in Earlham Street axed by Shaftesbury landlords

Published: 15 April 2011
by TOM FOOT

COVENT Garden’s biggest landlord, Shaftesbury Plc, helped stop a group of republicans from staging a street party on the day of the Royal Wedding.

The £1.5-billion property investment group objected to the “Not the Royal Wedding” family fun day in Earlham Street fearing it could be targeted by violent extremists and disrupt an anticipated retail bonanza.

Its chief executive Jonathan Lane had recently predicted Kate and Wills’s big day would bring a massive windfall for his company.

“People love the Queen,” he told the news agency Reuters. “There will be two weeks of holidays and people will come down to London.”

City analysts recently tipped the firm’s share price to rocket as a result of the Royal wedding hysteria. Shaftesbury owns most of the property in the Earlham Street parade where lobby group Republic had applied to stage a counter-Royal wedding party on April 29. 

It has been cancelled after senior officials at Camden Town Hall refused to provide a temporary traffic order, despite earlier sending emails to Republic indicating the event could go-ahead. 

A Camden Council spokesman said the application was refused after objections from Shaftesbury Plc, who have an interest in 120 businesses in Seven Dials and Covent Garden, some unnamed residents – the council have refused to say how many – and the Covent Garden Community Association.

He added: “They were strongly opposed to the event, as they felt it would negatively impact on their sales.”

When the West End Extra spoke to residents and shopkeepers on Tuesday only two were aware of the plans and offered no opposition. 

Covent Garden Labour councillor Sue Vincent said: “Shaftesbury didn’t want it and neither did the residents. The people I have spoken to felt they bore the brunt of the TUC anti-cuts march, where some people were behaving unpleasantly.”

She added: “Personally, I think it is a shame, which is why I’ve tried to get it moved to Lincoln’s Inn Fields.” 

Republic campaign manager Graham Smith said he had contacted Shaftesbury but had received no reply.

He added: “This is a disgraceful attack on the rights of republicans to make their voice heard and to hold a fun and peaceful event.”

Republic chairwoman Emily Robinson, a politics lecturer at the University of East Anglia, said: “It was fine with the council and the emergency services. We cannot believe what has been said. At the very least there have been insinuations that we are connected in some way with anarchist groups, even though the police are satisfied this is not the case.”

Republic had booked magicians, face-painters, and New Orleans jazz band, the Dave Chandler Quintet. They have also ordered tablecloths and tea, with cakes and cucumber sandwiches. 

A spokesman for Shaftesbury declined to comment. The investment company owns 189 restaurants, 315 shops and 345 flats in the area. It made £63.9million profit last year.