London Indymedia

plans to corporatise camden market

camdener | 28.08.2007 15:56 | Globalisation | London

planning permission is being sought to destroy camden market stables and herald in the corporate chains. there's a govt e-petition against the proposal to sign - who knows, it may help. otherwise, at least spread the news as it seems many people aren't aware of it.

For anyone who hasn't yet heard, an application for planning permission
has been approved by Camden County Council in order to demolish Camden
stables market and to build a new complex with high street chains like
Topshop and Starbucks.

Camden is not only a place of originality in the fields of music,
fashion and alternative culture but also a place of fascinating history.
It's at the very heart of one of London's most culturally, politically
and ethnically
diverse areas. It attract people from all over the world, of all ages,
all interests and all backgrounds. Nowhere has ever been quite like
Camden market, and NOWHERE ELSE EVER WILL BE IF WE LOSE IT!
We've lost both the Kings Road and Kensington high street as the last
bastions of alternative culture to the corporate developers over the
last fifteen years... Please, don't let Camden go the same way. We can't
let the stables be torn down - They are such an integral part of
Camden's ambiance and London itself won't be the same without them.

Please, please, please give us just 1 minute of your time and go to:

 http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/camdenmarket/


it goes straight to the government and officially has to be responded to.
This could be our last chance to make a difference.

Surprisingly few Londoners even know about the plans. Do anything you
can think of to help!

camdener

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

a great shame

28.08.2007 20:54

i pretty much grew up in the sleazy glory of camden market in the late 90's (even then it had gove way way upmarket compared to the early 90's and the decades preceeding - but that was just different stallholders selling crafts, not chainshops). I loved it and still love what i recognise of it, although it doesn't really have any space for kids to socialise like it did.

It was a magnet for gothy punky twatty kids to get together and provide some mutual defence against scallies, socialise, get drunk and simply grow up. A lot of us weren't really goths or metallers but desperate for the freedom their scene and the camden locale gave us to try new things and be ourselves, away from rough schools or streets. We had some of the hardest caps and hoodies kids sheepishly hang out with us on the sly cos they secretly loved metal/goths/were gaye etc. - it provided space for that.

The thing about camden was you could lose yourself in the crowds, find non commercial bits of land or places that didn't ask much, spend fuck all and hang around all day - it was a unique atmosphere. As soon as it changed, my god did we fucking know it had changed. Nowhere to sit, mcdonalds and starbucks need the seats for paying customers, didn't want us shouting, smoking drinking etc would call the police to get us to leave... I don't want to sound crashing liberal, capitalism is capitalism - but the commercialisation of our favourite place to the levels of the normal highstreet was fucking awful, it genuinely reduced peoples' freedom. Our original hangout is now, for instance, 'The Ice Wharf' a horrible wetherspoons bar which charges shitloads, ID's everyone, has a dresscode, really pushy bouncers and is gaudy and exlusive at the same time. And I usually like the unpretentiousness of Wetherspoons.

The shops themselves, well yeah it speaks for itself. It went from a place to find bargainable treasures from various subultures to being a standard fashion outlet. Its still a great place to shop, but stallholders who could get by on the odd bargain and generally maintain a stall of random specific junk (like for instance HR Gieger style furniture) have been priced out. Virging opening up right on the high street - fuck. That was a real blow. Tower actually had pretty good selection, virgin is proper shit

right thats enough i'm rambling.

good luck to the campaigners but ehat i have learnt is this is ineviatble; profit drives all capital and it accumulates in monopolies, its most effective vessel. Artisan or more autonomous versions are way outdated and practically unheard of in US, the main model. There is no way of reintroducing variety without coming into conflict with the strongest forces about today.

Byeee,
love to all the emo kids, the inheritors of our pimply mantle! Cry for me! x

Mack Lybell


What a shame

04.09.2007 10:50

That Camden Market - for so long that last bastion of a place to see original people in original shops - is about to be sanitised into any other highstreet is depressing. It's also bloody stupid, is Camden Market not a huge tourist attraction? Who is going to want to come and see a Boots and a Starbucks? The relentless onslaught of aggressive expansion by chain retailers is about to bang another huge nail in the alternative culture of London. Is there nothing that can be done? I've always thought these government petitions are fairly ineffective...

Hamish Kallin


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