by Julia Haythorn | Oct 29, 2025 | AGM, Our Neighbourhood
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
9 OCTOBER, 2025
Thank you go everyone who attended our AGM, both in person and online. It was great to see you all there including Councillors Patrick Lilley and Paul Fisher.
Cllr. Lilley spoke on a variety of subjects including plans for the University of Westminster development, the ongoing issues with rubbish collections and the need for CCTV in trouble hotspots.
We also heard about various successful Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funded projects including a defibrillator at the Fitzrovia Community Centre and the Holcroft Court Medallions which honour the lives of Thomas and Fanny Holcroft.
The Forum is still looking for other projects to improve the area and anyone with ideas should write to info@fitzwest.org
There were discussions about the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, the role of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), the new controls on pedi-cabs and other issues that concerned residents.
You can read the full minutes here.
Thanks as always to the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre on Howland Street for hosting us.
by Julia Haythorn | Oct 4, 2025 | AGM, Holcroft Crt Sculptures, Our Neighbourhood
Dear Fitzwest Forum Member
You are invited to the AGM on:
Date: Thursday, 9th October at 6pm
Venue: The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, 25 Howland St, London W1T 4JG
All residents and businesses are invited to attend The Fitzwest Neighbourhood Forum Annual General Meeting.
There is also the opportunity to attend via Zoom. Please contact us directly on info@fitzwest.org and we will send you the Zoom link.
As well as the usual business of the AGM, we will hear from Councillor Patrick Lilley about Westminster City Council’s vision for Fitzrovia for 2026.
Other topics will be successful Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funded projects including sharing your ideas for future schemes to improve the infrastructure of Fitzrovia.
There will also be information about the proposed traffic ban at Piccadilly Circus, the progress with controlling pedicabs and other local issues that affect us all.
Come and enjoy a glass of wine with your neighbours and find out what is going on in Fitzrovia.
HOLCROFT COURT SCULPTURES – THOMAS & FANCY HOLCROFT
30 SEPTEMBER, 2025
Local residents enjoyed the grand unveiling of the Holcroft Court Sculptures which mark the lives and achievements of Thomas Holcroft who lived in Clipstone Street, a playwright and political activist who was instrumental in getting the working man the franchise in the 19th century.
His daughter Fanny wrote a famous anti-slavery poem.
This event was the culmination of many years of work and campaigning by Denise Julien, local resident and member of Fitzwest Neighbourhood Forum. After gaining the support of local councillors, and consulting with neighbours and local businesses, she successfully applied for funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The Forum was delighted to support this application and it was wonderful to see a CIL funded project come to fruition.
by Julia Haythorn | Sep 8, 2025 | AGM, Greening, Our Neighbourhood, Public Space
AGM INVITATION
Thursday, 9th October, 6 pm at the Wellcome Centre, Howland Street.
All members are invited to attend The Fitzwest Neighbourhood Forum Annual General Meeting.
There is also the opportunity to attend via Zoom. Please contact us directly on info@fitzwest.org and we will send you the Zoom link.
A full agenda will follow shortly, but there will be the chance to discuss the plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street and also to hear more about funding opportunities and projects via the Community Infrastructure Levy.
GRAND UNVEILING OF THE HOLCROFT COURT ARTWORK
Tuesday 30th September, 4-8pm
A new artwork, commissioned to celebrate the lives and works of Thomas and Fanny Holcroft, and funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy will be unveiled at the Community Day at Holcroft Court, Carburton Street, W1W 5DF.
Everyone is welcome.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO WATER PLANTERS
The planters which were funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy and Tesco are still thriving, despite the hottest summer on record!
We do however need some more volunteers to help with watering on Gosfield Street and New Cavendish Street. The commitment is very small and any help – even just one day a week for 10 minutes or so – would be brilliant.
Please contact info@fitzwest.org if you are able to help.
by Julia Haythorn | May 2, 2025 | Consultations, Our Neighbourhood, Oxford Street, Planning, Public Space
REMINDER – YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TOMORROW – 2ND MAY – TO RESPOND TO THE MAYOR’S CONSULTATION
Dear Members
We want to let you know about Fitzwest’s response to the Mayor’s plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street.
Pedestrianisation:
We can not say if it is a good idea or not without seeing detailed plans, as we have identified some issues that need addressing:
- Congestion
- potential for 70 buses per hour both ways down Wigmore/Mortimer Street
- Goodge St/Tottenham Court Road junction – will buses be able to turn left and right out of and into Goodge St?
- taxis and ubers. Where will they pick up and drop off fares? Will it be the end of streets like Wells, Newman, Rathbone, Berners Streets?
- Increased air pollution
- Access to business and homes,
- Access to Oxford Street shops,
- Access to night buses for the many users in our area,
- Access for loading for the businesses on Oxford Street
- Crime and safety during the day and night
- Pedestrian crossing safety.
The Mayoral Development Corporation:
- We disagree with the anti democratic use of the MDC to enable this scheme which will be an expensive quango
- The MDC will have total jurisdiction over all planning decisions – routine and major.
- We think that Westminster Council can do the job more effectively
- We are concerned and puzzled by the large size of the MDC which increases the potential for undemocratic planning decisions in areas around Oxford Street as well as Oxford Street itself.
- The Fitzwest Forum and all its business and resident members worked very hard over a number of years to create the Neighbourhood Plan. This was voted in a referendum of businesses and residents and the MDC will be able to ignore it. We feel Westminster Council is better positioned to make decisions on planning matters including enforcement.
- It will also reduce the amount of CIL money available for local projects designed to enhance the quality of life in Fitzrovia
You only have until midnight tomorrow – Friday 2nd May – to respond to the consultation which is on the TFL website. Here is the link
https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/oxford-street
by Julia Haythorn | Aug 23, 2020 | AGM, Events, The Plan
THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2020 6-8PM
IMPORTANT: UNFORTUNATELY THIS MEETING HAS TO BE HELD BY ZOOM. IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND, YOU MUST EMAIL US AT INFO@FITZWEST.ORG BY 4PM ON WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER AND WE WILL SEND YOU THE NECESSARY LINK, PASSWORD AND DOCUMENTS.
AGENDA
6.00pm Welcome, report on recent work and invitation to join.
6.15pm Minutes of last AGM
6.20pm Update on the Neighbourhood Plan. Nick Bailey. Q&A.
6.30pm Guest speaker. Chris Martin from Urban Movement: Creating a low traffic neighbourhood in Fitzrovia West. Q&A.
7.10pm Elections to the Executive. Three members of the Executive will be standing down and presenting themselves for re-election: Gwilym Harbottle, Ian Johnstone and Chris Shaw.
7.20pm Presentation of accounts. Yoram Blumann.
7.25pm AOB and further Q&A.
8.00pm Ends
