The gayest street in Soho could look very different soon if a petition to Westminster Council is successful in lobbying for pedestrianisation of the iconic Old Compton Street.
A petition by Matt Haikin of London has gone live on the campaign website Change.org and has already garnered over 2,500 signatures.
The petition reads:
To: Head of Department, City Planning Delivery Unit Alastair Moss, Councillor (Chair of Planning Committee) Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
Please Pedestrianise Old Compton Street
It is long overdue, there are easy workarounds/timings to alleviate the concerns of local residents and traders. It would bring an enormous amount of tourist revenue into the borough. There really is NO reason not to!
‘The experiment has happened before, and was welcomed by all who use it, except for some local traders. Rather than analysing this in detail, the council simply ended the experiment. Similar pedestrianisation is happening elsewhere (north side of Trafalgar Square has been a huge success, Lisle St is being pedestrianised) so there is no reason not to extend it to one of the busiest pedestrian streets in London,’ said Mr Haikin in a statement on the Change.org website.
Last year Kylie Minoque recorded her music video for Timebomb on the street, the street is famous for its cafes, gay bars and restaurants.
