Belsize Streatery: Planters and bin store plans split opinion

Plans to make planters in Belsize Village a permanent addition and build a "shed" around bins in Belsize Terrace have reignited a dispute on the merits of the area's "Streatery". 

A new planning application to do just that is, the Belsize Village Business Association (BVBA) says, designed to "beautify the area" and reduce rubbish. 

Some residents, including the Belsize Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC), have criticised the scheme, and indeed the Streatery itself. 

Eldred Evans, chair of the BCAAC, wrote in an objection to the application that the "proposals are piecemeal and expedient" and that instead "the whole triangular area needs to be comprehensively designed". 

But Robert Stevenson-Padron, co-coordinator of the BVBA, said the plan is well-supported locally, adding: “The new layout of Belsize Village terrace put in place in early July 2020 has been instrumental in the positive transformation of Belsize Village."

The plans would also see the proposed bin store given a "green roof". 

The council-backed Streatery was launched in July in an attempt to boost restaurants by increasing outdoor dining space. 

The public can comment on the application on Camden's website, planning reference 2020/4413/P, until December 20. 

READ MORE: Belsize volunteers clean up litter as Streatery licence extended