- Viv Robins
- 11 hours ago
.....try acting as a volunteer for three hours over the London Open Gardens Weekend which opens up private spaces like ours to the public -- this year on June 7 -- in aid of their charity. Mild temperatures & a blessed lack of rain meant that no fewer than 196 punters passed through the Castellain Road Gate, re-emerging with comments like: "What a lovely little hidden gem", "You can tell this is loved & a proper community garden" " & perhaps most gratifyingly, from a couple who've done Open Gardens Weekend ever year for the past 13 years: " : "One of the best"!
......but with a small tweak to its name! It's now known as Little Red Pepper, in a nod to its Little Venice location.
When the previous owner died last September it looked to be the end for this family business which had been a fixture on Formosa Street since the mid-1990s (& widely held to be purveyor of the best pizza in London...) Relatives didn't have the heart to continue & were set to give up the lease, but enter the unlikely pairing of local residents fashion designer Lilly Zar & lawyer Reza Farsa who despite having zero experience of the restaurant business decided to give it a try. Said Reza: "I've been a loyal customer for around 15 years & couldn't face the thought of it staying closed. I didn't want to lose out on my pizza!"
The restaurant opens formally on Monday May 18 but a drop-in party the previous Thursday was well attended by locals who had plenty of stories to swap of the old Red Pepper days.
P.S. Incidentally if you think there's something a bit odd about the top picture it's because a tech-savvy friend used AI to eliminate the tatty plastic sheeting encasing the hardware store next door. Let's hope it's not up there for long!
After careful consideration of extensive feedback Westminster Council has now approved a revised design for the Warwick Avenue Public Realm Project at an additional cost of £2.9m.
The measures will include discouraging anti-social behaviour through improved lighting & CCTV, creating safer & clearer pedestrian routes, greening around the station ventiltion shaft to enhance its appearance & sustainable drainage to improve flood resilience.
Residential parking will be protected, with no parking bays removed, & 12 of the 18 taxi refreshment bays retained. Some of the under-used motor cycle bays will disappear.
Detailed design work is due to get underway this Summer. A Traffic Management Order consultation will also be carried out before construction works begin.
