about

History
The Ladbroke Association was founded in 1969, in the same year as the designation of the Ladbroke Conservation area. The original impetus for the setting up of the Association was a proposal by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to cut down and replace the plane trees along the southern end of Ladbroke Grove. Led by the well-known architect and town-planner Robert Meadows and other local residents, the Association was successful in opposing the proposals, and the trees remain.

Objectives
The Ladbroke Association’s constitution sets out its objectives:

   ● to encourage high standards of architectural and town planning within the Ladbroke Estate area;

   ● to stimulate interest in and care for the beauty, history and character of the neighbourhood;

   ● to encourage the preservation, development and improvement of features of general public amenity or historic interest in the area.

The Association is registered as a charity (Charity No. 260627) and is therefore subject to the strict rules governing charities.
The Association is not just a preservation society, seeking only to conserve and retain existing buildings. The Ladbroke estate has never been frozen in aspic. It has always contained a variety of styles. The Association encourages good contemporary architecture which takes into account the spirit and tradition of the original estate buildings, especially to replace some of the shoddy or ugly building work which took place in the period of reconstruction immediately following the Second World War.

Membership
Membership is open to all with an interest in the area, especially residents.

We hope that as many residents as possible will join the Association. Over the last decade, the value of property in the Ladbroke area has soared and money has poured in. Much of this money has gone to the restoration of dilapidated houses to their former glory. However, the financial boom in property has meant immense pressure on space. There have been cases of unsuitable dormer windows materialising to light improvised attic rooms; street views of communal gardens being sacrificed to building extensions; and attractive stucco shop-fronts being destroyed. The Royal Borough has been faced with a huge increase in planning applications and is less able than in the past to resist determined pressure from developers. So the Association’s role has never been more important, and the bigger our membership, the more effective we can be.

We are also concerned that we should reflect the views of the broad community who live in the area. Everyone who is a resident of the Ladbroke Conservation Area should be a member of the Association so that their views may be heard in the debate on continuing issues in the area.

Click on Membership Application Form

Organisation
The President of the Association is Sir Angus Stirling. The work of the Association is directed by a committee of three officers (Chairman, Hon Secretary. Hon. Treasurer, and up to twelve other members who are elected at the annual general meeting. There are also two co-opted members. The Association is affiliated to the Kensington Society and the Civic Trust. It is the committee’s policy to co-operate on matters of common interest with neighbouring amenity societies such as the Norland Conservation Society; the Pembridge Association; and the Notting Hill Gate Improvements Group.

Annual General Meeting
The Society’s annual general meeting is held in the summer. All members are invited and it provides a forum for members’ views although we also welcome views by letter or email at info@ladbrokeassociation.org or on our blog at www.ladbrokeassociation.blogspot.com

Newsletter
A newsletter is periodically circulated free to members, informing them of current activities and plans affecting the neighbourhood and giving advice on particular aspects of conservation and planning. See Newsletters

Planning
The association receives notices of planning applications and inspects, discusses and comments on those which affect the Ladbroke area in any significant way. In addition, the Association has been involved in (and sometimes initiates) discussion with the planning authorities on wider questions of conservation policy. See Current Planning Applications

Other activities
The Association also arranges other activities for members, including an annual guided tour of some of the communal gardens in the area; a Christmas party in one of the houses in the area; and occasional lectures. It has recently commissioned a full photographic archive of the area.