Where do we go from here?

As small businesses suffer, flea asks ...

Is this community lost? Can we continue??

WEST Hampstead is becoming a community of cafés, estate agents and chain stores, shoppers have warned as another independent shop announces it is to close its doors for the last time.

Since Barbara and Tihomir Dizdar, who, for 17 years ran Dizar gift and jewellery shop in West End Lanes, were forced to close last year. Many local traders say they can no longer afford to stay open after being hit by rising rents and the repeated closure of the Jubilee line.

Many locals continue to ply their business on the internet - or opt for an opening at a stall on Portobello market - the cost of running an independent shop is too high for most to survive.

''We fear the Community may be lost. West Hampstead has been a lovely area to work in and the people are great so were very sad to leave, but with the recession the cost of running a business like ours is just too much, said Mrs Dizdar - a thought reflected by many indpendents on the high street.

Our rents have doubled recently and continue to rise. Last year we basically missed out on a whole year of trade with the Jubilee line closures. On top of the recession it was just too difficult. Were not a necessity shop, so were the first thing that people cut back on.

The couple are not the only familiar faces to leave West Hampstead. Recently Jitendra Thakorlal stood down as chairman of the traders association after more than 36-years as the link with the high street.

Mr Thakorlal ran Uttam gift shop until its closure in 2005, when repairs to a bridge disrupted trade, he then opened family-run estate agents The Agency in 2006.

He eventually departed West End Lane last month to open up new premises in Cricklewood, being replaced as traders chairman by Colin Slade of Penguin Boutique.

Mr Thakorlal said: West Hampstead has changed a great deal and there are a number of businesses in trouble. Luckily, we werent in that position but we had a very good offer from a client so we decided to move on.

It was extremely emotional after so many years to leave a community which weve been part of for so long. But we still have a strong connection with the area so we wont be saying goodbye just yet.

Following the latest closures, shoppers have lamented the long line of independent shops to disappear from West Hampstead.

Marcia McLeod, who lives in Dennington Park Road, West Hampstead, said: Shop owners can no longer struggle against the greed of landlords and the council, all of whom seem to set the going market rate at whatever the biggest multinational in the area can afford. The result is a community full of cafés and estate agents, but the loss of local shops, which are the heart of the community.

A Camden Council spokesman said: The council values independent traders highly as they provide goods, services and jobs and attract visitors by giving real character to the borough.

The council recognises the challenges facing businesses but does not have powers to control private rents set by landlords or business rates which are set by central government.

Cannot there be a benchmark for change?

So we ask you, local resident. What would you like to see? - ed.

This article was created on Sunday, 2nd August 2009. It was last tinkered with on Wednesday, 7th December 2011.