UK: Soho shops make way for Crossrail

[John Ashworth]

Soho shops make way for Crossrail

Page last updated at 14:37 GMT, Friday, 13 November 2009
BBC


Dozens of shop owners in Soho, central London, must quit their buildings by next week to make way for Crossrail.

The 84 landlords around Tottenham Court Road station must vacate their premises by 18 November for the £16bn scheme.

The buildings in part of Oxford Street and Dean Street will be demolished to enable the station to be extended.

Restaurant owner Domenico Savarese says he has lost his "certain future". A Crossrail spokesman said compensation was offered to all those affected.

The rail scheme is due to link Maidenhead in Berkshire to Shenfield in Essex, via Heathrow airport and central London, by 2017.

Under the scheme Tottenham Court Road station will become both an Underground station and a Crossrail station.

The compulsory purchase of 13 Tottenham Court Road buildings, including music venue The Astoria, took place last year.

'Emotionally hard'

The remaining buildings were bought by Crossrail in August, when landlords were given three months to leave.

Mr Savarese has run Spaccanapoli pizzeria on Dean Street for 16 years.

He said: "We haven't found anywhere else to go yet. It is not only the financial disruption but also emotionally it is very hard."

Mr Savarese added: "Our certain income, our certain future is gone.

"I can only say one word - we are very sad and very uncertain about the future, for me and for 24 staff, too."

A spokesman for Crossrail said the buildings' demolition had been planned since the Crossrail Act gained Royal Assent in July 2008.

"All those with an interest in the properties were able to object," he said.

Landlords have been offered 90% of their "assessed property value" in compensation, he added.

[John Ashworth]

Soho is, of course, noted for its sex shops, which has prompted one wit on the uk.railway newsgroup to write:

I hope my gentleman’s special interest shop is not on that list.

It’s an old established shop that started life in 1950 in Westminster
and after a short spell in Cheapside moved to the West End in 1957.

Soon after the move, there was a gradual introduction of gentleman’s
interest related books in many and various specialist subjects.

In recent times, they expanded to include DVDs and CD ROM items.

The various sections have also been expanded to a complete range
covering such things as uniforms, aids and equipment.

Thanks to their very exciting Internet presence, the shop has become a
mecca for all manner of specialist enthusiasts from all over the
world.

It’s called Motor Books and I can confirm you’re always guaranteed to
get a good sorting out there.

Motor Books, of course, is a well known purveyor of transport and military books, not a sex shop. It is for the former, not the latter, purpose that Nathan sends me to pick up a few items for him in Motor Books every time I go to London...

[Steve Appleton]

I have bought a number of railway books from Motor Books by internet mail order as well as on a personal visit to their eclectic, old location. I can certainly recommend this bookshop: its service is very efficient and prompt. They will, however, not send books by parcel post. They only use courier services to SA because of the rampant mail theft here. This unfortunately increases the cost somewhat.