SOHO 

The cameras will go live this summer and form part of a wider rollout of over 200 CCTV cameras across Westminster. More than half are already operational and monitored 24/7 by a control centre run in partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

Labour’s Sarah Littleton added, “Residents and visitors alike will be very pleased to see this investment in combating anti-social behaviour, crime and violence against women and girls and ensure our streets are safer. We know this is leading to arrests in known crime hot spots.”

Here is the list of Soho locations with Council-run CCTV (by summer 2025):

• Bateman Buildings
• Berwick Street
• Brewer Street
• Broadwick Street
• Carlisle Street
• Cavendish Square
• Dean Street
• Frith Street
• Greek Street
• Great Windmill Street
• Hollen Street
• Ingestre Place
• Manette Street
• New Cavendish Street
• Old Compton Street
• Peter Street
• Romilly Street
• Soho Square
• Sutton Row
• Tisbury Court
• Wardour Street

Bollards Return To Berwick Street Market
Following requests from Councillor Patrick Lilley, residents and businesses, it’s good to see the ugly yellow barriers are now being replaced by bollards (as used to be the case).

Carlisle Street
Crowds outside the Toucan Pub are blocking both pavements on Carlisle Street, forcing pedestrians – including wheelchair users – into traffic. Councillor Patrick Lilley has raised the issue with the Licensing Team. Urgent action is needed to restore safe usage of the pavement and maintain the public space as a shared resource for all – including those with limited mobility.

Ingestre Court
Residents have told us about continued anti-social behaviour and crime in and around Ingestre Court. We have worked with the Ingestre Court Residents Association and local business Huckletree to devise a plan to design out this problem. A fence around the low-rise wall and planters is proposed. The area is a magnet for a range of anti-social behaviours. We will be taking this to Westminster Council to request Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy investment to fund the fence.

Sacred Grounds Community Cafe, Dean Street
Soho’s wonderful community café at 55 Dean Street has recently benefited from ward budget grants as well as funding from Westminster Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy to support both marketing and investment in its facilities. More here.

Labour’s Tim Lord said: “Sacred Grounds provides a rare community space for residents and visitors alike. We’re grateful to St Anne’s Church, for both providing the space and for its careful management of it. We encourage everyone to use the café!”

Making St Anne’s Gardens Accessible 
Westminster Council is supporting making St Anne’s Churchyard Gardens accessible with a grant of £50,000 towards the cost of the works which include the installation of a stair lift to take wheelchairs from street level to the grassed level of the garden as well as a small ramp to provide access between the grassed level and the upper terrace/seating area.

As the home of the Admiral Duncan Memorial events, the Soho Village Fete as well as St Annes Parish School Food Feast the Gardens are at the heart of Soho.

Greens Court – Illegal Vehicle Access
Residents have reported cars trying to illegally drive down Greens Court, a pedestrian-only street in Soho. We’ve raised this with the Highways Team, who have proposed solutions including a bollard. A meeting with residents is being arranged.

Soho Street
We asked the Highways Team to chase the contractors responsible for repairing the Legible London map on Soho Street.

Peter Street
We asked the Planning Enforcement Team to inspect a business in Peter Street which was selling takeaway food and customers were leaving packaging in the street.

The Enforcement Team has told us: “An inspection of the property and the City Council’s planning records confirmed that the property was in use as a hot food take-away, without the benefit of planning permission and was therefore unauthorised. I am pleased to inform you, that following action taken by the Planning Enforcement Team, the unauthorised use has now ceased. Seating was installed at the property, and our subsequent inspections confirmed that the majority of customers are consuming their purchases on the premises.”

Oxford Street
Tourists who were charged £900 for two packets of sweets led Police to discover the largest haul of fake and unsafe goods to have ever been seized from a shop on Oxford Street. The visitors were escorted back to the shop by Police Officers to make sure they got a refund from the store. A few days later Council officers returned and seized £80,000 worth of fake or unsafe goods.

Soho Heritage Map
Plan for Soho has produced an online heritage map of Soho funded by a grant from Westminster City Council https://heritagemap.planforsoho.org

Pride
Councillor Lilley arranged a meeting between Pride, Heart of London BID, and Westminster Council’s Economic Development Officers to expand the promotion of Pride Month nationally and internationally. This year’s Pride Parade takes place on Saturday, 5th July, drawing over a million participants and spectators.

Soho Fete
The Soho Fete takes place in St Anne’s Gardens from 12 noon on Sunday 20 July, with six hours of live entertainment, the French House Bar, snail racing, the Human Fruit Machine, stalls, Soho Police v Soho Fire Tug of War and the iconic Soho Waiters race. For further details email: fete@thesohosociety.org.uk

MAYFAIR 

Grosvenor Chapel
Historic Grosvenor Chapel is a major hub for residents and visitors to Mayfair and its community rooms need an upgrade. They are home to a wide variety of meetings, fellowships, talks and events. Councillor Lilley supported their successful bid for significant Council investment to improve the community rooms. This is now going ahead.

Public Space Protection Orders To Stop Nuisance Car and Motorbikes 
Many residents have told us of the disruption to their lives caused by groups of car drivers and bike riders using Mayfair and Soho as their motorised anti-social playground, revving and racing their vehicles, especially at night. We have been working with Westminster Council, the Metropolitan Police and residents to extend the current Public Space Protection Order to include Soho and Mayfair. The order will give the police enhanced powers to take action

Illegal Basement
The owner of a house in Mayfair has been ordered to pour concrete into his “iceberg” basement, which has a gym, sauna and cinema room, after it was deemed unlawful. The Planning Inspectorate has ordered the owner to “restore” the four-storey Grade II listed property after an unsuccessful appeal. This will mean filling the 860 sq ft (80 sq m) illegal basement with concrete, as well as rewiring and replumbing the rest of the property.

Councillor Patrick Lilley said: “I hope this sends a clear message to those who ignore planning rules. It is simply unacceptable to carry out works that have been explicitly refused listed building consent. We remain committed to safeguarding Westminster’s unique architectural heritage.

Curzon Mayfair
It looks like the battle to save the Curzon Mayfair has very sadly ended. The Curzon said it had been looking to refurbish the cinema for more than eight years and commissioned a leading firm of architects “to offer film lovers an accessible, high-quality experience ‘unrivalled’ across London.’ But their plans were “summarily blocked by the landlord. Despite Curzon’s profound love for Curzon Mayfair, it is with regret that we now need to withdraw from the site and focus our attention on establishing a new flagship venue elsewhere in London.” More here.

“Nature Sacred” Benches for Mount Street Gardens
Dr Anne Gray, community champion and former Chair of the Residents’ Society of Mayfair and St James’s, has been the driving force behind bringing Nature Sacred to Mount Street Gardens. Her passion and perseverance have helped make this long-held vision a reality.

From 12 June, three iconic Nature Sacred teak benches will be installed, following confirmed funding from Westminster Council. These benches are found in over 130 “Sacred Places” across the United States, created by Nature Sacred, a charity inspired over 30 years ago by a visit to Mount Street Gardens itself. The organisation is dedicated to creating public green spaces that offer reflection, peace, and well-being.

Councillor Patrick Lilley, a champion of the project, praised Dr Gray as the “fire soul” who has moved mountains to make this happen.