People of Paddington - Bayswater

People of Paddington - Bayswater

As part of our Connected Communities theme we commissioned a portrait series and interviews with photographer Lewis Ronald to discover the local community across Paddington - Bayswater. The community were asked what their aspirations were for the area's high streets. 

Rachel and Phoebe, local residents

“We love Westminster, but it doesn’t feel like a place where families can remain long-term. We’re desperate for more family friendly places along the High Street.” Rachel

“I would like it to be a children’s street - make it prettier.” Phoebe

Ayaan, frequent visitor

“I associate Edgware Road with Middle Eastern food and night-life. As a mum I want to see more child-friendly places to take my family out in the evenings, places that don’t serve alcohol or shisha.”  

Camfair & Carter, local residents

“The local high streets should offer more nightlife options and places to meet friends locally.”  

Simon, business owner

“I’d describe the brand of Connaught village as “unknown” – it’s a tough street for trading because there’s a lot of traffic but little footfall. Edgware Road is a big barrier for those coming from West End. As a result there’s a constant turnover of business. Look - the shop across the road is packing up as we speak.” 

Elizabet, local resident

“I chose to live here because everything is walking distance – parks, my work, shopping. It’s super central but there’s a strong feeling of community here. I’d like to see more diverse dining options – it’s quite monocultural – and outdoor seating for days like these.” 

Paris, restaurant owner and chef 

“I’ve had my restaurant here since 1974 but the business has really suffered since the pandemic, there’s less people and those that come have less money to spend. I’m not optimistic about the future.”

Catherine, local resident

“My husband and I have lived here for almost 50 years and we raised our children here. We’ve largely seen the area improve but over the past few years we’ve lost some key affordable high street brands which are important for our everyday needs.” 

Marcello, long-time local delivery champ

“I’ve been delivering parcels here for so long I know everyone. The volume of parcels keeps increasing and yet it’s becoming harder and harder to find places to park and drop them off – we need to figure out a solution as the problem isn’t going anywhere, it’s only getting bigger.”

Saina, local student

“As students we can’t really afford to the go to the cafes and restaurants, we buy food in supermarkets or markets so we need more places to sit and eat outside.” 

John, local resident and SEBRA Chairman

“If on-street parking is removed Praed Street could have wider pavements which could improve footfall. But firstly, the street needs to be cleaned and better maintained. It’s a poor gateway to London for tourists coming from Paddington Station.” 

Wengel, 7, budding technologist

“I like going to technology shops to play with the gadgets. I think we should put technology out into the street so we can play with it.”

Mel and Izaiah, local residents

“I prefer to stay at home because there isn’t anything along the High Street for us”

Bin Salman, WCC keeping out streets clean

“I work all along Edgware Road and I’m always busy because there are a lot of take-out places – especially McDonalds and Starbucks – and the rubbish piles up faster than we can replace the bin bags.”

Shannon and Sienna, local students

“Benches are so important - after a while, no matter your age, you need to sit and rest.” 

“The best high streets have a mix of pop-ups, independent shops and recognisable chains, as well as green pocket spaces to chill in.” 

Ali, local business owner

“I’ve worked on Praed Street for over 20 years. The local hospital and station means we have a steady stream of customers. Overall, I’m very happy with the street but it could be cleaner.”

Charlie and Ben, local residents

“We live in Sussex Gardens and we love it because it’s so central and yet so homey. Edgware Road is our high street and it has everything, but we’d like it to be cleaner as it feel much dirtier compared to the surrounding streets. It’s also really polluted and congested so we’re grateful for these green garden squares.”

Shervin, visitor from California

“I Google searched “best shisha in London” and here I am. The biggest difference between here and my High Street at home in California is that here the cars don’t respect pedestrians – it feels dangerous to cross the road.”

Emilia, local business owner

“The area is very calm and safe, but there’s no nightlife, nothing to do in the evening. Our restaurant is trying to change that by offering live music in the basement, but it’s been a slow start as people don’t associate the area with nightlife and music yet. One way to attract more people at night would be to increase lighting.” 

Derrick, local resident

“Queensway has been my local high street for over 40 years. The only thing I would change is more seating. I’m partially blind and I need to sit down to rest every so often, but there aren’t enough benches so I end up having to sit in coffee shops or pubs to rest which gets expensive.” 

Claudia, local resident

“I love the restaurants along Edgware Road - we must protect them otherwise the street will lose its unique character.”

Mona, local resident

“I was born here and I’d say the biggest improvement has been safety. The best thing about living here is that you can walk – or skip – everywhere! But because it’s so busy we need more street cleaning.”

David, local student

“My mates and I normally go to coffee shops after school. But we want more entertainment spaces like arcades – places to hang out without having to spend a lot of money.” 

Deepak, local business owner

“We’ve been on Spring Street nearly 10 years and we’ve seen a dip in business in the past few years as spending money on home improvements is a barometer of disposable income which is clearly stretched. We survive largely due to the hotel trade now.”

Chris, local worker

“I’d like to see more parklets to allow restaurants and cafes to spill out onto the street – like they did in the pandemic. It will make the street look more friendly and help businesses out as we’re still feeling the impact of pandemic and working from home patterns.” 

Kalpesh, local business owner

“I’ve worked as an estate agent in the local area for 15 years and I’d describe it as cosmopolitan, vibrant and up-and-coming. The biggest issue is that the shops along Praed Street mainly cater to the tourist trade so it’s fast food and souvenirs. Paddington Station seems to be doing the work of the high street as it has all the amenities you’d expect.”

Rebecca, local resident and worker

“Queensway has been my local high street since 1995. A lot of the shops I used to frequent have closed so I do most of my shopping online now. The current shops seem to cater to the tourists more than to residents.”