Is this Little Venice's unloveliest corner?

Well Westminster City Council certainly seem to think so -- they've identified the area around Warwick Avenue tube station as ripe for improvement under phase one of their recently published Paddington Public Realm Strategy. They point out that the area should be a natural centre for the neighbourhood & a green gateway down to the canal that gives Little Venice its name -- instead it's marred by poor lay-out & a clutter of bike stands & recycling bins.

At a meeting with Westminster's "place-shaping" teams in early March local residents made clear they shared the Council's concerns. Among their biggest bugbears: the cafe for taxi-drivers which often appears unwelcoming towards regular punters; the ugly brick vent up from the tube below;the shabby state of St Saviour's Church which often acts as a magnet for homeless people & the down-at-heel appearance front & back of the -- four-star! -- Colonnade Hotel. They suggested any new proposals could take inspiration from a Parisian square with benches & maybe a little cafe or regular market -- & even a gravel surface to allow for the playing of boules! A statue of eminent local residents the code-breaker Alan Turing or the poet Robert Browning were also discussed.

Public consultation on the initial design phase of the project is expected to take place in June but meanwhile you can have your say by visiting the Citizen Engagemeent Platform Commonplace.

Be sure to stay on the alert

Sad to say there has been something of an upsurge in criminal & anti-social activity in the area recently so residents need to be on their guard, with people using their phones as they walk along proving particularly vulnerable. I was standing at the bus stop outside Tesco's on Clifton Road the other day when a girl became vey distressed after her phone was snatched by a guy on an electric bike who made off at speed with no chance of being caught..

There have also been reports of a man loitering along Castellain Road checking doorways & peering down into basements, presumably on the look-out for parcels which unfortunately all too often seem to be abandoned outside buildings when no-one is at home.

Last but not least a key box was smashed outside a flat in Castellain Road recently & the man who gained entry made off with an iPhone & iPad. Elsewhere a key safe was removed in its entirety which meant that the front door lock to the building had to be changed.

So -- eternal vigilance seems to be the watchword unfortunately!

Roll Up, Roll Up!

Tickets are now on sale for this Summer's latest production from Shakespeare in the Squares, All's Well that Ends Well, due to be staged in the Formosa Garden on Wednesday 12th June. This rarely- performed play has been described by the company's patron Dame Judi Dench as "beautiful & complex, summed up by the exquisite line: 'The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good & ill together'" As ever with Shakespeare in the Squares we can expect an imaginative re-working, with gypsy swing music & a fairytale twist.

The estate agents Chestertons are kindly sponsoring the event & the performance will begin at 7 pm, with the Garden open for picnics from 5.30 pm.

To buy your tickets via Eventbrite go to the following link: https://SITS-allswell-Formosa.eventbrite.co.uk.

All that remains is to bag your seat...& offer up a small prayer for good weather on the night! You may remember that last year's scheduled performance of Twelfth Night in neighbouring Crescent Garden was sadly rained off -- for only the first time in the company's entire eight-year history!