About our neighbourhood
The Church Street ward of Westminster is a natural neighbourhood bounded by the Marylebone and Edgware Roads to the south and west, and the Grand Union Canal and railway to the north and east.
It is only a mile from the West End and a few hundred yards from Paddington Waterside, Regent's Park and Madame Tussauds. The defining feature of the neighbourhood is the street market and its people - the commercial (and once social) heart of the neighbourhood - stretching along Church Street itself, from Edgware Road to Lisson Grove.
The area of the neighbourhood is less than 0.5 square km, yet it is home to some 12,000 people, living in some 4,500 households. Eighty per cent of the households are managed by social landlords. Fifty per cent of the population are white, 50 per cent non-white, and there are more than 30 languages spoken.
Poor levels of numeracy and literacy contribute to low levels of economic activity - one in three of the working age population are not in employment.
At the beginning of the programme, life expectancy was eight years lower than the borough average. Also, some of the worst levels of child poverty in the country exist in the neighbourhood.
Yet there are huge opportunities. There is a genuine sense of community and - if you scratch the surface - a real pride in the neighbourhood. Many families go back over four generations, a rarity in central London.
The area also has a fascinating history and is home to some real hidden gems. Since the summer of 2008, there has been a marked interest from a number of art-based businesses and charities attracted to the buzz of the neighbourhood, which is becoming known as the 'new East End in the west'.
One mile from London's West End, 12,000 people,
4,500 homes . . .
