Tonight I chaired another meeting of the Hawley Wharf Working Group, the panel of local residents, activists, organisations and businesses who have come together to work up a vision for the future of Camden Market.

We were joined tonight by the developer and his architects who, to their credit, have already taken on some of our concerns and again listened patiently to what people had to say.

The key point to come out of the meeting tonight was that the Market has to bring some diversity back to the heart of Camden Town: we don’t want more of the same tourist shops but a real place that local people can use and enjoy; where they can buy their groceries or meet a friend for a coffee; where artist studios and creative industries flourish again.

There are lots of issues we still have to resolve.  People are naturally concerned about the height of the new buildings, and about the ability of the local infrastructure to cope with any additional bars or clubs.  I know from my discussions with the police that they are concerned about this point as well.

Thankfully, with a planning application expected in early Summer this year, there’s still lots of time to change and influence the plans.