Keep the Light Campaign

Call to Action on the impact that the proposed development at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue will have on The Phoenix Garden

Following Camden Council’s literal earth-shattering decision to approve the development proposal at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue, which lacked the necessary levels of scrutiny, planning and consideration for the local area and community, the Phoenix Garden needs your support to be able to survive.

So, this is a Call to Action for anyone who cares about the Garden, about nature, about community spaces or about biodiversity, to urgently:

Send an email to Sadiq Khan (mayor@london.gov.uk) and Jules Pipe (pipe@london.gov.uk) telling them why you oppose this development;
Sign our petition;
Spread the word on social media.

Background

At Camden Council’s Planning Committee Meeting on 28th April, a majority of Councillors voted in favour of the redevelopment of 135 Shaftesbury Avenue. This decision was made despite the fact that:

the previous application to redevelop the same space, which would not have had anywhere close to the negative impact on the Phoenix Garden that this will have, was rejected in 2019;
the proposal ignores nationally accepted guidance on reductions in sunlight which the Garden will receive;
there is recognition that the proposed use of this development is economically unviable, which calls into question its sustainability and future use.

Consequently, we – the Trustees, staff, volunteers, and users of The Phoenix Garden – see this shocking and ill-thought out decision, which ignored extensive and vocal opposition from Historic England, the Theatres Trust and all local community organisations, as an existential threat to the Garden’s short, medium and long-term future.

Environmental Impact

The Garden was created in 1984 and has, over four decades, evolved into a mature, self-sustaining habitat that supports an intricate web of life. Its ecosystem nurtures a huge variety of ground-dwelling insects, bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, and even foraging bats — according to the developer’s own ecological assessment.

The loss of sunlight will severely weaken plant growth, reduce flowering and fruiting, and gradually destroy the very habitat that so many species depend on. Unique pollinators such as solitary bees, carder bees, and bumblebees — crucial not only to our garden, but to broader environmental health — will disappear. We cannot replicate or replant the balance that has taken 40 years to develop. Blocking sunlight will trigger a collapse in this ecosystem, turning a thriving, biodiverse haven into a dim, barren and struggling remnant.

In making their decision, Councillors and Council Officers:

actively downplayed the overbearing impact that this proposed structure will have on the sunlight, the foundational source of biodiversity, life and nourishment for our flowers, plants and trees, which reaches the Garden;
decided to disregard Building Research Establishment guidance that at least half of any private or public amenity area should receive at least 2 hours of direct sunlight on March 21st (the total impact will actually go significantly below the 50% threshold to around 30%).

Therefore this calls into question whether the decision contravenes Camden’s Core Strategy (CS15) of protecting and improving our parks and open spaces & encouraging biodiversity and Camden’s Development Policy (DP26) of managing the impact of development on occupiers and neighbours.

Human Impact

And, before this longer-term and irreversible damage comes to pass, the construction phase, running over at least 3 years, with its suffocating noise, air, and traffic pollution, will ensure that the Garden is unusable for the thousands of local people and visitors who access it as a place of sanctuary, tranquility and community.

The Phoenix Garden is a lifeline for human wellbeing, fostering community connection, promoting environmental awareness, offering a calm and restorative space, and contributing directly to public health. Furthermore, Camden’s own ‘Parks for Health Strategy’ identifies that access to natural green spaces is associated with:

improved mental health and reduced stress;
a significantly lower risk of poor general health;
higher levels of physical activity;
lower rates of obesity and related chronic illness.

In an urban area recognised as being in the 7% most deprived areas in England for green spaces and quality of living environment, the Garden provides a rare refuge — a place where people build vital links within their local community, reconnect with nature, find relief from the pressures of city life, and enjoy the proven health benefits of green environments.

Call to Action

The Phoenix Garden is more than a patch of greenery. It is a vital part of our community’s emotional, physical, and ecological health. The consequences of this development are not merely aesthetic — they are ecological, social, and deeply human. The Phoenix Garden is an irreplaceable asset to our community, and once lost, it cannot simply be rebuilt.

In summary, this development will:

deliver a 3 year construction phase making the Garden unusable for the local community;
undermine the entire garden ecosystem, including, but not limited to the disappearance of vital pollinator species, destroying the balance between soil, plant, and animal life and significantly weakening plant vitality and biodiversity;
be a loss-making exercise with weak financial foundations, with serious concerns about what its usage will become in the medium term.

Ultimately, it will transform a thriving environment for humans, animals and plants into a desolate, shaded and lifeless fragment of its former self.

With Camden having made its decision, this now goes to the London Mayor for review.

So this is the time for you to make your voice heard. Please don’t delay…

Email Sadiq Khan (mayor@london.gov.uk) and Jules Pipe (pipe@london.gov.uk)
Sign our petition
Shout about this on social media

Click here to read the statement we submitted to the London Borough of Camden Planning Department highlighting how we believe the planning application contravenes Camden’s policies.

…a haven for wildlife and people

Keep the Light Campaign

Call to Action on the impact that the proposed development at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue will have on The Phoenix Garden

Call to Action