A local charity is asking for help in protecting a children’s nursery and playground on Whitfield Street in Fitzrovia to preserve it for generations to come.
The Fitzrovia Trust wants Camden Council to designate the green space and children’s centre as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) to protect it from being redeveloped for commercial gain.
The land at 54a Whitfield Street at the junction with Chitty Street is currently leased to the Fitzrovia Trust until 2027. Camden Council is the freeholder and could decide in future to sell the land to developers as property prices in Fitzrovia are so high.
The Trust has submitted an ACV application with evidence to show that it is of value to the residential community.
The site has been used as a community facility since the early 1970s. In 2005 it was closed and under threat from the council who were considering selling it.
But it was saved and re-opened as a nursery in 2008 after The Fitzrovia Trust secured a 20-year lease on the site after striking an agreement with Camden Council.
Since 2022 Rainbow Angels Nurseries has operated on the site in a newly renovated building and improved outdoor play area.
More recently the location has also benefited from an air quality monitoring station as part of the Breathe London network.
However, Fitzrovia News understands that the bean counters at Camden Council could consider other options for the site when that 20-year lease ends in 2027 — including selling the freehold to the highest bidder.
The Trust wants to prevent that from happening and is asking local people to write to the council in support of the ACV application, which the council is currently considering.
To succeed the council needs to see evidence in the form of testimonials, letters of support and statements from local people — especially parents and carers of children who use the facility — explaining why they consider the site should continue to be used as a playground and nursery.
Anyone who would like to support this application should write a short email with the subject line “Whitfield Street Nursery and Playground” to communityrighttobid@camden.gov.uk stating their reasons for supporting the application.
When these facilities have been registered as Assets of Community Value, and should they come up for sale, the Fitzrovia Trust has six months to try to raise the market value to buy the site. If this application is unsuccessful, the site could be sold off.