by FitzWest admin | Aug 9, 2024 | Consultations, Cycling, Our Neighbourhood, Oxford Street, Safety
Great Titchfield Street/Foley Street and Rathbone Place/Rathbone Street traffic consultation
Note: consultation closes on August 13th 2024
Residents and businesses in Fitzrovia West are invited to comment on proposed changes to traffic flows at the junction of Great Titchfield Street and Foley Street, and at Rathbone Place and Rathbone Street. Further details are available and comments can be submitted online at:
https://oxfordstreetprogramme.commonplace.is/
We support the council’s plans to bring in motor vehicle restrictions along part of Great Titchfield Street. The planned changes on Oxford Street would otherwise lead to a lot of extra cars, vans and lorries using Great Titchfield Street as a direct route and inevitably increase all kinds of traffic. You can have your say and read more about it here:
https://oxfordstreetprogramme.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/great-titchfield-street-consultation/step1
The public consultation closes on August 13th 2024.
After Dark Survey
Westminster Council have produced an online questionnaire that seeks to gather additional views and insights from residents on their evening and night-time experiences below:
After Dark Survey
The closing date for the online questionnaire is 15th September 2024.
In addition to the questionnaire residents can send any views, comments, data of evidence they wish to share with Westminster Council to aid the development of the Westminster After Dark Strategy via email to westminsterafterdark@westminster.gov.uk<mailto:westminsterafterdark@westminster.gov.uk> by the 15th September 2024.
Marylebone to West-End Cycleway Route Alignment consultation
Westminster Council have launched their Marylebone to West-End Cycleway Route Alignment consultation, and it closes on 30th September 2024.
Visit the consultation webpage<https://westminster.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a50c8b0dd980669ef713b4cca&id=e0c1d663f7&e=07fba93fa4> providing information about the proposed scheme and includes an online survey form for you to leave your comments.
Alternatively, you can email any questions or comments to the mailbox below:
cycleroutes@westminster.gov.uk
by FitzWest admin | Jul 4, 2024 | AGM, CIL, Consultations, Environment, Greening, Our Neighbourhood
Thank you to everyone who attended our very successful AGM last Wednesday 26th June at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre on Howland Street – we appreciated you choosing to spend a gloriously hot evening with us rather than in the park! You can
read the full minutes of the meeting here.
As well as all the usual business of the AGM, we had several interesting presentations. These included an update from Jordan Scammell from the Soho Poly Theatre about their development plans and how the CIL funding has been spent.
You can have a look at the presentation here.
Lee Lyons from The Fitzrovia Partnership and Lucy Mitchell from the New West End Company discussed how they are dealing with issues of crime and anti-social behaviour in Fitzrovia. Councillor Patrick Lilley also shared some of the complex challenges the police are facing and how they are working to deal with it. Greening and outdoor space is always a very popular issue for our members and Mark Gazaleh told us about tree planting and plans for future greening in the area. You can look at this presentation here.
Consultation – chance to have your say
The Fitzrovia Partnership is co-designing a sustainability strategy and action plan for the area and has been engaging the community on its environmental, social and economic priorities to make Fitzrovia a better place to live, work and visit for all.
There was an exhibition and consultation about this at the AGM and residents and businesses gave their opinions. Join The Fitzrovia Partnership for its final sustainability strategy co-creation session on 10th July ay 12.30.
This session will include a wrap-up of insights gained during the recent sustainability drop-in sessions and survey, including feedback from local residents and businesses on how they would like to see better social and environmental value delivered in the area. The session will also provide an opportunity to provide final feedback on our Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan.
by FitzWest admin | Oct 31, 2023 | CIL, Environment, Greening, Our Neighbourhood, Public Space, Rubbish
We are delighted to announce that the long talked about and frequently delayed planters have finally been installed on Hanson street, Great Titchfield Street, and Gosfield Street at the junctions with New Cavendish Street.


These planters are funded by Neighbourhood CIL and the Tesco Bags of Help scheme.
Rebecca Heard of Fine Line Garden Design has done a wonderful job of sourcing hardy and attractive British plants and creating a very appealing planting design. It is designed to look great now, but also to grow and fill in as the months go by.
Lots of volunteers worked hard to get the planting done – including planting lots of bulbs which will come up in the spring.
We are very conscious that maintenance of these planters is incredibly important to keep them looking as good as they do now and we have a whole roster of volunteers who are watering , clearing rubbish that might appear and doing any other maintenance.
Children from All Souls School will be helping as well and it’s great to see all ages keen to be involved.
If you would like to help out and volunteer, then please do email us: info@fitzwest.org
The various locations for the planters were chosen after a public consultation. They needed to be in places where there was space away from utilities and that didn’t get in the way of passersby. It was also hoped they will serve an additional purpose of discouraging on-street dumping. We are aware this may take a little while to settle in but hope that residents and businesses will help by only putting their rubbish out at the time and in the place stipulated by WCC. The times are available here.

Hanson Street Planter

Thanks again to the many people who have helped and supported this project.
by FitzWest admin | May 30, 2023 | AGM, CIL, Consultations, Our Neighbourhood, Oxford Street

First of all, a big thank you to over 40 local residents and businesses and all the West End Ward councillors (Cllrs Toale, Fisher and Lilley) who attended our AGM on 18th May at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre on Howland Street. The high tech facilities meant we were also able to have people attend virtually.
As well as the usual AGM business, Cllr. Geoff Barraclough and some of the Westminster Council Oxford Street team presented initial plans to change the traffic flow at Oxford Circus. There were plenty of questions and comments and an undertaking by the Council that this would be fully consulted on before implementation. There was particular concern about suggestions of changes to traffic flow on Great Titchfield Street and the potential for increased traffic.
Our local police officer from the Safer Neighbourhood teams then gave a presentation about crime and anti social behaviour. This also generated lots of questions and gave residents a chance to chat afterwards.
Finally, there were some updates on projects that have received CIL funding. Donna Yay from Fitzrovia Community Centre explained how the works to improve the accessibility and floor covering would not have otherwise been possible. Gwilym Harbottle told us that the New Cavendish Planters will be installed this summer – and asked for volunteers to be on the planters committee – so if anyone is interested please get in touch with Gwilym at info@fitzwest.org
The AGM minutes are available here.
by FitzWest admin | May 10, 2023 | AGM, CIL, Our Neighbourhood, Oxford Street

We want to have as many people as possible so please share this with your neighbours and local businesses.
Find out about the changes to Oxford Circus traffic flow, hear about the exciting CIL funded projects, and meet your local police officers, part of the Safer Neighbourhood Team. They will update us on issues of local drug dealing and anti social behaviour.
Annual General Meeting on Thursday 18th May at 6pm at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, 25 Howland Street, W1T 4JG which will also feature:
We look forward to welcoming you and for you to have a chance to meet your neighbours over a glass of wine.
AGENDA
1. Welcome, Introductions and Apologies
2. Minutes of the last meeting. Available on Fitzwest website: https://www.fitzwest.org/
3. Election and re-election of Executive members. Any member can stand for election. Please let us know via email if would like to stand. Candidates should be prepared to say briefly why they should be elected. If you can’t attend please send a few lines about who you are and why you should be elected.
4. Amending the constitution. Proposal: to amend the constitution so as to reduce the AGM quorum from 20 to 10 and the Executive quorum from 6 to 5. These changes would require a 75% majority of those voting. 10% of members can always call a general meeting to reverse such a decision.
5. Presentation of accounts
6. Proposed changes to traffic flow at Oxford Circus – Oxford Street Team, Westminster Council
7. Dealing with anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in FitzWest – Safer Neighbourhood Team
8. Updates on current CIL projects
9. Any other business
by FitzWest admin | Apr 2, 2023 | AGM, CIL, Our Neighbourhood
Successful CIL application for funding
Fitzrovia Community Centre has been awarded £22,583 to fund further developments and refurbishments. The project will cover the laying of new flooring, increased security and health and safety measures, and small furnishings. This project is part of a wider programme to make the community centre more accessible and welcoming, to meet the growing need for community centres and programmes in the local area. The cabinet member report also highlighted that community uses such as a community centre is identified as a priority infrastructure type in local CIL policy.
You can read the full Cabinet Report that includes all Westminster applications here.
Update on other CIL projects
New Cavendish Street planters
This project has been extremely slow to come to fruition due to the lengthy road safety assessments and access plans which are being done by Conways on behalf of WCC. Rest assured, the Forum is constantly asking for information as we are keen to get the planters in position as soon as we can.
AGM – Thursday 18th May 2023
Our AGM will be at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre on Howland Street at 6pm on Thursday 18th May 2023.
Full details to follow, but the focus will be on the new WCC plans for Oxford Street. Come and find out plans to change traffic flow and pavement size at Oxford Circus and how this will affect Fitzrovia. Have your say about the plans. There will also be updates on CIL applications for funding plans for our area.