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72 stories from and about Camden, mostly council & politics, property & planning, crime & safety. The most recent ran on 30 October 2026. Page 2 of 4.
The Museum Tavern in Camden is showcasing an eight-metre-long embroidered tapestry illustrating the history of beer in Britain throughout September 2026. Greene King, the pub's owner, has also launched a limited-edition ale to coincide with the display.
A by-election will take place in Holborn and St Pancras on Thursday 8 October 2026 to elect a new Member of Parliament. The seat became vacant after Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation. Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali is standing for Labour.
The Lincoln Arms pub in King's Cross has seen its revenue drop by up to £40,000 during summer 2026 after Camden Council refused its application for six outdoor tables. The council cited concerns over pedestrian access and a fire exit serving a neighbouring property.
The Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association has written to Alderman Gregory Jones KC complaining that the City of London Corporation’s refusal to accept instalment payments, closure of the booking phone line and cash‑less policy are making Hampstead Heath’s bathing ponds less accessible for low‑income users. A judicial review by Sex Matters is set for later this year.
Camden Council's planning committee has approved plans for eight new rooftop penthouses at Darwin Court in Primrose Hill. Developer Airspace Group will add single-storey extensions to five existing blocks, contributing £500,000 to the council's affordable housing fund.
Hundreds of affordable homes originally promised for major Camden developments have been lost or are at risk. At Camden Goods Yard, affordable homes were reduced from 203 to 83, and at the O2 Centre site, they were cut from 570 to 330.
Parliament Hill Fields Lido in Hampstead Heath has barred unaccompanied under-16s and installed 10ft perimeter walls after a 15-year-old boy and a man were injured in a bottle attack on 25 May. The City of London Corporation, which manages the site, confirmed the new security measures following two closures in recent weeks.
Camden Council has finished major fire safety upgrades on the Chalcots Estate, installing A1-rated cladding and new windows across its five tower blocks. The works, part of a £300m investment since 2017, have secured building safety certificates for 12 high-rise blocks, with all 12 approved by regulators.
Camden Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee will decide on 6 August whether to revoke the Blue Rose adult shop’s licence after Metropolitan Police found unlicensed staff selling erectile dysfunction pills at double the recommended dose. One resident has also complained about the shop’s signage near schools.
Argyle Square Gardens in Camden will be refurbished as a basketball hub in a collaboration between Camden Council, the Greater London Authority, NBA player OG Anunoby and the NBPA Foundation. The court serves local community group Argyle Kings and aims to boost grassroots basketball in London.
The Metropolitan Police has announced a £20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Jordan Asije, wanted over the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Finbar Sullivan in Primrose Hill on 7 April. Three other men have been charged and will stand trial in April 2025.
Two men were convicted of assault by beating after chasing and spitting at a gay couple in Gospel Oak, Camden, in July 2025. The attack, aggravated by homophobic hostility, left the victims with lasting fear and anxiety. The defendants were sentenced to community orders and fines.
Camden Council has completed ten new four-bedroom affordable homes in Somers Town, part of its long-term effort to ease housing pressures. The properties, managed by Camden Living Housing Association, will soon house families from the council’s waiting list.
Bleecker Burger, named the world’s best by Time Out in July 2026, will open its first north London restaurant in Camden’s Middle Yard. The new site at 45-46 Camden Lock Place will offer dine-in and delivery, with an exact opening date still unconfirmed.
Metropolitan Police officers were targeted with bottles while breaking up a fight on Primrose Hill on 31 July 2026. One youth was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker but later released. A dispersal order remains in place to curb antisocial behaviour in the area.
An interactive pollution map names Camden as the UK’s most polluted local authority, with Holborn, St Giles and Covent Garden recording annual PM2.5 averages of nearly 21 micrograms, four times the World Health Organisation guideline. Camden Council’s 2022 Clean Air Action Plan is now the main policy response.

A blue plaque has been installed at the Belsize Park flat where David Devant lived. Devant, known as 'Britain’s greatest magician', introduced the first public film screening in the UK in 1896 and co-founded The Magic Circle.
Camden Council has approved plans to demolish the former Blitz Club building in Covent Garden and integrate it with Kingsway House into an 80-room aparthotel. The Kingsway Conservation Area Advisory Committee objected, citing harm to historic character, but the council ruled the benefits outweighed the impact.
A person was taken to hospital after an incident on the tracks at Euston station on 31 July. The Victoria line was suspended between Highbury & Islington and Warren Street, causing severe delays. British Transport Police confirmed the incident was not suspicious.

The Model Railway Club in Camden will host 'London’s Transport in Miniature' on 6 September 2026, featuring detailed model Tube layouts, including a fictional interwar Copenhagen Fields. Tickets cost £10 in advance, with snacks available on-site.
Borough-wide and national stories that name Camden or bear directly on it.
Westminster recorded the highest number of hate crime offences in London during September 2026, with 120 incidents. Across the capital, 1,868 offences were logged. Transport for London is providing free bystander training in response to rising incidents on its network.
The UK government is allocating an additional £432 million to address rough sleeping, bringing total investment to £874 million. The funding, to be confirmed in the Budget, will support outreach, emergency accommodation and longer-term housing until the end of the current Parliament.
A high PCR positivity rate reported in Islington is not a reliable indicator of COVID-19 prevalence due to low testing volumes, the council has stated. While cases have risen, they are similar to last year's autumn figures.
Gian Chilet Ostolaza, 46, was sentenced to two years and three months for each count of conspiracy to steal and given a five‑year criminal behaviour order that blocks him from the Square Mile, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Camden, after courts estimated his thefts cost about £76,000.
Dozens of families are demanding answers after a former nursery worker, jailed for 56 sexual offences, was allowed to return to his role following a 2021 complaint that was not reported to the police. An independent review is expected in 2027.
More than 50 families are calling for an independent review into how nursery worker Vincent Chan was cleared to return to his job at a Finchley Road nursery after a 2021 complaint. Chan later filmed himself abusing three-year-old girls.
Lewisham Council is offering microgrants of up to £1,000 to residents and community groups for projects addressing fly-tipping. The initiative comes as the borough faces a high number of incidents and significant spending on waste management.
More than 5,500 children across London have signed up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library since the singer's death. The free book-gifting scheme is now available in seven London boroughs, aiming to provide age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five.
Five men in their mid‑twenties were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences near RAF Fairford after a farmer reported three vans blocking a road. No bombs were discovered, yet petrol was seized, and the suspects were released on bail pending further investigation.
Triyoga, a London yoga chain owned by Common Bond, has suddenly closed all its studios. Over one hundred staff members have approached a union for assistance in recovering unpaid wages, with final payments due on September 17 now delayed.
Hackney recorded the highest rate of permanent school exclusions in London for the 2024/25 academic year, with 50 pupils excluded. This rate is 2.7 times the London average and contrasts with a city-wide fall in exclusions.
Local authorities have removed 3,393 dockless e‑bikes across London in 2026, a 23% increase on the previous year. Lime operators account for over 2,000 of those bikes. The RNIB says the growing clutter endangers blind and partially sighted people, prompting calls for city‑wide regulation.
London councils have seized 3,393 dockless e-bikes so far in 2026, a 23% increase compared to the entirety of 2025. Lime bikes made up more than 2,000 of these seizures, prompting calls for better regulation and parking solutions.
Woody Grill Kilburn Limited has been fined £45,000 for hiring illegal workers. The penalty covers the period between January 1 and March 31, 2026, and was revealed in a government list of employers penalised for illegal working.
A points failure at Camden Town has halted the Northern line, a signal fault at Highbury & Islington is slowing the Victoria line, and the Overground Weaver service is suspended between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays after a points problem at Peckham Rye, MyLondon reports.
New figures show that only 30 out of 2,270 car thefts in Sutton and Croydon resulted in a charge or conviction in the year to July 2026. Croydon recorded the highest number of vehicle thefts in London during this period.
Barnet Council is one of nine London boroughs already using cemeteries outside its boundaries due to limited space, a City Hall audit reveals. With 17 councils predicted to run out of burial capacity by 2040, residents may face longer journeys to visit graves or delays in local burials.
Simon Levy, 40, was found guilty of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in Southwark and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, in Tottenham. Police and prosecutors admitted systemic failures allowed him to remain free despite multiple sex attacks and a prior conviction.
Simon Levy, 40, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins in 2025. Authorities admitted systemic failures, including bail decisions that allowed him to commit further attacks. Two officers are under investigation by the IOPC.
Islington’s Hornsey Street Waste Transfer Station suffered its fourth fire in 14 months on 28 July 2026, causing at least £1 million in damage. Officials say improper disposal of rechargeable batteries is driving the blazes, while the Lithium-ion Battery Safety Bill remains stuck in Parliament.
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