The Friends of Belsize Community Library support the library by helping raise funds and holding informal monthly talks of literary and local historical interest. On page 8 are some of the upcoming talks, including ones held jointly with Belsize Society. They are seeking new friends and volunteers who would like to join as Committee Members. Help with publicity, IT tech support, setting up the library for talks or helping with refreshments would be welcomed.
If anyone would like to help Belsize Community Library and/or join the Committee of the Friends of the Library, please register your details at: www.friendsofbelsizelibrary.org/join-us or emailfriendsofbelsizelibrary.org@gmail.com
We are able to report some success but still major concerns.
As you know, there has been a Swiss-style pub on this site since the late 1830s. The present building – reputably the largest pub in London – dates from the 1970s. It was suddenly closed by owner, Samuel Smith’s Brewery, in February and has been quickly stripped of its decorations and interior fittings. Its future is unknown and mysterious.
It had strangely missed out on any protection and we’re pleased to report that an application submitted by Belsize Society for it to be designated an “Asset of Community Value” has been accepted by Camden. This adds some protection in planning terms and also, should it come onto the market, gives us the right to submit a bid to acquire it for the community. Our aim is to try in some way to re-open it as a pub and we have been discussing options with a representative from CAMRA – the Campaign for Real Ale – who have considerable experience in similar community run schemes.
Though it had been run down in the last year or two, it is clear the pub was much loved by many from across the whole of London and beyond. The closure attracted considerable media attention and we even had a brief interview on Japanese television, so wide is the interest in this pub! An online petition seeking ACV designation was started by Erika – the energetic reception manager of The Swiss Cottage Hotel – and rapidly obtained over 2,000 signatures.
We need to create a compelling case for its resurrection. We have formed a small action group and have been amassing a large resource of photos, videos, historical information and social media material. If you have any interesting anecdotes, history, photos, knowledge of special events or celebrities who drank there, please let us know. Chris Langdon is co-ordinating the campaign for the committee: info@belsize.org.uk.
In case it fails to return to pub use, we applied to Camden and have been assured that it is to be added to the “Local List” of important local heritage assets, giving it further protection against demolition or alterations.
We have also asked that the Odeon Cinema next door is added to the Local List as it, too, is unprotected and vulnerable and we can see it being sold off in the future.
Welcome to the May Newsletter of the Belsize Society.
Last month saw the Society, with Retrofit Kentish Town, organise an event where Camden Council’s planning team presented their new thinking on enabling residential retrofitting. The Newsletter reports on the event and then describes a national scheme that allows residents to visit installations of a heat pump for those unfamiliar with this technology. A recent event organised by the Council on climate action is also featured.
The Newsletter also describes the work of the Heath Hands group, a voluntary body that helps conserve green spaces including Hampstead Heath and its bat population.
April also saw the Society’s local history walk about Belsize in the first half of the 20th century. Averil’s tour was well attended and it was great to see many members were able to attend.
On planning news, the Newsletter has pieces about 100 Avenue Road and the Ye Olde Swiss Cottage pub. The Society has objected to the new plans being proposed at Swiss Cottage. In parallel, the Society’s planning team recently successfully listed the pub as an asset of community value.
In March, we met at our AGM. The Newsletter covers the issues discussed there which also agreed the new committee.
With the Newsletter is your copy of Traders You Can Trust, covering the local tradespeople recommend by members. If you’re reading this online, this is a benefit of being a member of the Society.
We are looking forward to the talk with the Friends of Belsize Library about the Golden Age of Housing in June and there is a piece about how you can help the Friends as well as a note about volunteer roles for the Society.
We hope you enjoy the Newsletter.
BelSoc was invited to join this event held at the Greenwood Centre in Kentish Town on Saturday 26 April. There were about 75 attendees, a number of council officers and two councillors.
In 2019 Camden declared a climate and ecological emergency. This recognised the threat of climate change and the irreversible damage to our planet it may cause. They held their first Citizen’s Assembly on the climate crisis in 2019. They considered evidence from climate scientists, environmentalists and community energy practitioners, and developed 17 recommendations for how Camden should address the climate crisis. These formed the basis of their Climate Action Plan 2020-2025.
The Plan is a framework for climate action for everyone living and working in Camden, with the aim of supporting an equitable transition to a zero carbon Camden, while recognising that the Council only has powers or influence over a third of greenhouse gas emissions. It is a plan for what is known as “climate mitigation” – this means taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, in order to prevent further warming and the impacts of climate change from getting worse.
The Camden Action Plan has the following themes:
- People: Everyone who lives, works, studies and visits the borough will be well informed and actively contribute to tackling the climate crisis in all aspects of their lives,
- Buildings: Buildings will be energy efficient, comfortable and fit-for-purpose for a zero-carbon future,
- Places: Public spaces will encourage and enable healthy and sustainable travel choices and promote biodiversity,
- Organisations: All organisations in Camden will operate responsibly and embed tackling the climate crisis throughout their operations.
The Plan can be seen in full at this link
Camden has taken bold action to help tackle the climate crisis. Borough wide carbon dioxide emissions in 2022 (the latest year of data), and with help from the decarbonisation of the national grid, were 48% below 2005 levels. Across the Council’s own estates and operations, emissions have reduced by 65% since 2010.
In November 2023 Camden published their first Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, which set out how they will help build a climate resilient Camden. The two-year action plan was designed to build on their understanding of how climate hazards (focusing on flood and heat risk) will affect Camden, whilst devising a set of activities to improve the borough’s resilience to them.
2025 is the final year for both the Climate Action Plan and the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan. It is now time to refresh the Climate Action Plan to make sure that it still represents Camden communities’ priorities, to add in themes and actions that are missing, and to bring adaptation and resilience into the heart of the plan.
At the event we were divided into eight groups, each with a council facilitator. Representatives from Climate Reality and the Greater London Authority reminded us of the causes and impacts of climate change and the local risks we face in Camden. The Council shared what’s been achieved so far through the Climate Action Plan, what they know is still missing and what residents have already told them matters most. The majority of emissions come from buildings – particularly homes and commercial spaces – making them a key focus for local climate action.
Ahead of this Climate Action Day the Council had been speaking to residents across Camden to find out what matters most to them. They found that air pollution, heatwaves, flooding and biodiversity loss were their major concerns. The climate actions which residents considered important were reducing waste, re-use and recycling, home energy efficiency, greening, and active and sustainable travel.
We were then asked to review the 2019 Citizens Assembly recommendations and consider how well they reflect what matters most for the next Climate Action Plan.
A summary of the day’s responses will be made available shortly and will be included in the next Newsletter. The Council are hoping to consult on the draft 2026 Climate Action Plan in July/August and publish it in early 2026.
We were asked for our reflections on the current Climate Action Plan:
- What would you like to see more of?
- Was there anything you felt was missing?
- What could be improved going forward?
This year’s AGM was held at Belsize Square Synagogue on Sunday 9 March, with about 50 members attending.
The Chair reported on the past year’s activities, including events such as the well-attended history walks, the annual summer party, our annual carol singing, and BelSoc’s growing links with the Belsize Community Library. There was a discussion about the Society’s work on issues such as parking permits and the planning of various developments in the area.
The meeting covered the upgrade to the website that is planned. The costs of this were discussed and it was recognised that the financial outlay – while significant – was consistent with the needed level of website functionality. The Society had also continued its engagement with Camden and other bodies about how to support residents retrofitting their properties with sustainable energy systems, and this Newsletter includes some of the follow-on from this work.
A new committee was agreed, and we were pleased that Chris Langdon has joined the committee. Alan Selwyn joins the committee and has become a Trustee of the Society. Other committee members are Barbara Abraham, Sanya Polescuk, David Thomas, Prabhat Vaze, and Peter Wallace. Anne Stevens is a Trustee, as are Barbara, Prabhat and David.
The AGM was followed by a talk by Paul Wood on London Trees. London is one of the few metropolitan areas that can claim – because tree coverage is so high – to be a forested area. Over the course of an absorbing half an hour, Paul talked about, and showed images of, some of the oldest and most remarkable trees in the city, such as the oaks in Richmond Park and the familiar but beautiful London planes. His talk had sections on the places of London associated with trees, where trees enter into place names (e.g. the nine elms of. Nine Elms), the way developments have been designed around historic trees, and the more recent work by London boroughs to ensure that a varied set of urban trees is planted taking into account climate changes.
New trustee: Alan Selwyn
I joined the Belsoc committee having recently retired from General Practice in Brent after 38 years. Alongside some wonderful colleagues, I cared for what grew to 16,000 patients, and developed a new state-of-the-art surgery.
Whilst living in West Hampstead I co-founded and chaired CRASH (The Combined Residents Association of South Hampstead) and we looked after that Conservation Area at a time of rampant development. I have subsequently lived in Belsize Park for over 30 years and care deeply about its architecture, greenery and general appearance, as well as the fantastic people who live here and its rich history.
I monitor and respond to planning matters, having taken on the mantle from the estimable Tom Symes. I am also keen to enhance our communication and attract new members and am facilitating a new website and social media presence.