As it happens, there's not been much to report from our neck of the woods. But there have been some noteworthy developments in West Hampstead more generally.
Such as the story of the woman who lives in St. Cuthbert's Road, off Fordwych Road, who was told that residents' bays are not for parking in. According to the Ham & High:
Sarah Bailey from West Hampstead went away for a weekend and left her car in a bay outside her house.
On the Monday Ms Bailey, who is eight months' pregnant, returned to her car and found the bay had been suspended the day she left and she had been ticketed.
Ms Bailey appealed against the ticket on the grounds that three days' notice was insufficient.
But heartless parking chiefs turned down the appeal and council officer Pat Egan responded: "Residents' bays are not primarily intended for long-term parking and I believe that the advance warning given in this instance was sufficient."
Down at the other end of West Hampstead, a decision by Kingsgate School to serve halal meat has prompted an ugly row. The school took the decision to meet the needs of Muslim children, who make up around three quarters of its pupils. But if you want to serve halal, it is very difficult also to provide a non-halal meat alternative. So now some non-Muslim parents feel their needs are not being met. One of the parents protesting about the decision, Jacqueline Gomm, tells the Ham & High:
"I'm absolutely furious, I feel that I cannot let this happen. I sent my kids to this school because I don't want them to be affected by religion."While a Muslim Liberal Democrat councillor, Faruque Ansari, says:
"There should not be any issue here. We should all be flexible and try to understand each other. It's just the same meat at the end of the day."
One of the curiosities about this story is that a number of other schools in Camden have switched to halal without prompting similar furore. At Kingsgate, parents feel they weren't consulted properly. According to the Camden New Journal, while 91 per cent those who responded to a questionnaire sent to parents said they wanted halal meat or didn't object, only a third of parents actually participated in the consultation. The ripples of this story have reached the national newspapers, with The Sun among those covering it.
Today's H&H reports that West End Lane is suffering a "retail exodus" as traders flee the combination of high rents and parking restrictions which are driving away customers. This story is prompted by the closure of Nicolas, the wine merchant, whose manager is quoted as saying:
"The rent has increased quite substantially over the last seven years but business has not increased so much. It is always with great sadness that we close. West Hampstead is a nice area, exactly the sort of area with a village feel that we like."
Not exactly an area in crisis then? But wait, the H&H says the closure of Nicolas comes hot on the heels of the departure of Audio T (the hi-fi shop), that funny leather and gifts shop near the library, and the newsagent whose premises were taken over by the friendly and popular David's Deli.
We could do with a few decent food shops. But there's life in West End Lane yet.
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