The Kensington Society news blog

The 2023 newsletter is on its way!

The 2023 issue of the Kensington Society newsletter has just been mailed to all members, but it can also be read and/or downloaded from the website. It is on 20 pages, whereof six focus on the society itself, as it has been around for 70 years.

The Kensington Society annual for 2022-2023 has arrived

The Kensington Society annual for 2022-2023 has just been distributed to all members and is, as usual, full of interesting articles about art, history and planning. Those who haven't received it, can download it or read it online here.

All our annual reports are now available

All the Kensington Society annual reports since 1953 can now be found on our archive page as pdf files. They contain lots of interesting reading and show that the society was very active from the very start, campaigning and informing about everything from the enormous redevelopment of Notting Hill Gate to the council's switch from gas street lights to electric ones.

The 2022 newsletter has arrived!

The 2022 issue of the Kensington Society newsletter has just been mailed to all members, but it can also be read and/or downloaded here. It is on 20 pages, whereof six focus on Thames Water, the private monopoly that doesn't work as it was promised to do when the government sold all the English and Welsh public water and sewage utilities it in 1989.

Thousands took farewell of the Queen

Thousands of Kensingtonians took a fond farewell of Queen Elizabeth II when she did her last trip thorough the borough on Monday 19 September 2022. The funeral cortège went through Kensington Gardens along South Carriage Drive, then down Queen’s Gate, before following Cromwell Road over to Hammersmith.

Refurbished Kensington Roof Gardens will be private club again

After having been closed since January 2018, refurbishment has begun of the listed Kensington Roof Gardens, atop the former Derry & Toms department store on Kensington High Street. But access for the general public will be very limited, as its three gardens and buildings once again will become a private members’ club.

New update: No decision about the police station before mid November

On 1 August it was announced that MOPAC (the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime) has added a further three months to the decision about the sale of the Notting Hill police station, thereby pushing it to mid November - at the earliest.

The Kensington Society annual for 2021-2022 is here!

The Kensington Society annual for 2021-2022 has just been distributed to all members and is, as usual, full of interesting articles about art, history and planning. Those who haven't received it, can download it or read it online.

The 2021 newsletter is here!

The 2021 issue of the Kensington Society newsletter has just been mailed to all members, but it can also be read and/or downloaded here. It is something of a bumper issue, 28 pages, whereof 16 pages focus on the commitment to be net zero by 2050 and what this means for Kensington, the UK and the world.

12 month e-scooter trial has begun in Kensington

In early June, TfL began a 12 month trial with rental e-scooters in Kensington and Chelsea and four more London boroughs. RBKC has set up 20 e-scooter rental bays across the borough, used by the three participating rental companies. The rental e-scooters have a much lower maximum speed than most private e-scooters, but they are legal to use on public roads, which the private ones aren't.

Update: Pavement licences extended to autumn 2022

In order to help kickstart pubs and restaurants when they, hopefully, will be allowed to serve customers outside from 12 April, the temporary pavement licence scheme, which enables many of them to erect temporary outdoor serving areas on the pavement, will be extended to the end of September 2022.

Campaign against 344-350 Old Brompton Road

Eight organisations, among them the Kensington Society, are campaigning against the proposed development of 344-350 Old Brompton Road, at the south end of the vast empty space left after the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, urging residents to oppose it before the deadline on 25 March.