London’s historic Chinatown under threat

Chinatown, London. Image by Marilyn Peddle / CC BY 2.0

London’s famous Chinatown could disappear in five years, according to local restaurant owners. The area, a grid of streets between Leicester Square and Soho in the West End, is packed with Chinese restaurants and colourful architectural features. But rising rents have made it hard for the businesses, which have started to be replaced by betting shops and chain fast food restaurants. Many of the restaurants have operated since the 1950s, when parts of London’s Chinese community moved west from bomb-damaged Limehouse. Read more: standard.co.uk