Businesses encouraged to make the streets look good by cleaning their shop fronts
Cross borough campaigners are urging business to clean their shop fronts in Cricklewood Broadway - Credit: Archant
Activists and councillors across three boroughs took to the streets of Cricklewood to persuade businesses to clean up their shop fronts.
The group from Brent, Barnet, and Camden, all of which border Cricklewood, met on October 21 to launch their campaign which calls on businesses on the Broadway to look inviting.
Cllr Lia Colacicco, who represents Mapesbury, started tweeting big name chain stores last year after noticing how bad shop fronts had become.
She said: “I was furious – I tweeted photos of the worst offenders and pointed out that they wouldn’t dream of cracked windows and filth around their Knightsbridge branch so why do they think it’s good enough for Cricklewood. Aren’t we worth it?”
She said a follow up meeting was held with the Cricklewood Business Association on October 31, with members keen to sign up to having their shop fronts jet washed ahead of Small Business Day on December 2.
She added: “We’re going full steam ahead to jet wash the shop fronts of all who have signed up. Hopefully it will shame those who didn’t sign up into also doing it.”
Cllr Ahmed Shahzad, who also represents Mapesbury, said: “The Cricklewood Business Association were quick to catch on to the deep clean , they know their customers, and they know the biggest turn off is a dirty shop.
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We were amazed at the take-up from independent shops who had previously not been interested.”
Cllr Lorna Russell of Fortune Green, Camden, said there were challenges for the area being on the border of three boroughs.
She said: “Cricklewood is a vibrant and diverse part of London, but it is all too often forgotten. However, I’m really pleased to be working with Labour councillors and activists across Brent and Barnet to support the efforts to clean up the Broadway.”
Anne Clarke, Labour candidate for Child’s Hill in Barnet, and a member of the NorthWestTwo Residents’ Association, said: “We’ve worked hard to get everyone on board with transforming Cricklewood into an area where people want to shop. We have a number of excellent examples of popular shops that always look tidy but they feel other shops let the area down.
“By working together, we’ve shown we can do it.”
