Rising rents 'will make Hampstead a clone town'

Campaigners fighting to protect small businesses in Hampstead warned today that soaring rents threaten to turn the area into a clone town.

The Heath and Hampstead Society says the suburb is losing its unique character as higher charges by landlords force smaller firms out of business.

They say more units have been taken over by the large chains in recent years as independents struggle.

To highlight the decline the society held a candlelit vigil this week outside the Hampstead Health Shop.

Owned by Surya Jasani, it is being taken to Central London county court over claims of unpaid rent by the landlord Prudential Pensions Limited.

Jessica Learmond-Criqui, of the society, called on the fund to slash its charges to make the business viable during tough times.

She said: "Surya Jasani has been trading there for the past 26 years and started running into problems in the past year and a half. In 2007, the rents went from £50,000 a year to £70,000 and then she had £38,000 of business rates on top.

She had no real problems until this recession started to bite and than she started falling behind. A few years ago the High Street was full of independent traders now it has six mobile shops and lots of estate agents."

She said the chairman of Prudential plc, Harvey McGrath, had told her the business needed to look after the interests of its pensioners.

However, she claimed that this strategy meant that a long-term trader could be replaced with someone who would take on a large rent but who would be the first to "abandon the high street during tough times".