Dear Local Citizen
I simply wanted to welcome you to The Chelsea Citizen, a dynamic new hyper-local newspaper which will be launching this spring.
The Citizen’s primary focus will be the SW3 & SW10 post codes, but it will also cover important stories and events in the neighbouring areas of Kensington, Battersea and Fulham. On occasion, it will even dip a polished Brioni toe cap into matters concerning Belgravia.
The newspaper’s content will be available online for free. It will report great local stories and work closely with the communities, RBKC, cultural organisations and businesses. The Citizen will also be a campaigning newspaper and a force for good.
This year will mark 40 years since I became a journalist on the weekly Wimbledon News (you can read about my career here and about my local campaigning here). I am throwing every bit of my hard-won journalism experience into re-imagining The Chelsea Citizen as a traditional local newspaper for the 21st century.
There will be news stories and features highlighting everything from council matters and planning disputes, to golden weddings, births and deaths, to restaurant reviews and cultural highlights, to big interviews and small diary events. We may even run a report if a cat gets stuck up a tree.
This year will also mark 30 years since I moved to Chelsea. I care very much about this area of London and I feel deeply connected to it. So, I now intend to combine my two great passions – journalism and Chelsea.
But I need YOU!
For this venture to succeed, it is important that The Citizen generates a keen and engaged readership. This will attract advertisers and sponsorship, which will help it grow and keep it free.
I believe that local journalism is a fundamental and vital part of any connected community. It is clear from the feedback I have received since announcing The Chelsea Citizen just before Christmas that the people of RBKC agree.
I am financing the initial build of the website and generating all the content, but I am also urgently and actively seeking funding from investors and philanthropic individuals, as well as reaching out to landmark local businesses to encourage them to become headline advertisers. If you have any suggestions for potential investors or sponsors, please get in touch.
I have been working hard on multiple stories recently to create some basic example content. This kind of reporting work will continue in the coming weeks, but the key is to secure funding. That way, I can retain other reporters to get writing. Plenty of stories and diary events for the borough will be flagged up on Instagram, so please Follow us.
I hope you will join me on this great adventure and, please, spread the word.
Best Wishes
Rob McGibbon
Founder & Editor
News and Features
Gardeners find “dog toys and food covered in white powered” in Brompton Cemetery
Police have issued an urgent warning after suspected poisoned meat was discovered in two of Kensington and Chelsea’s best known green spaces — leaving animals seriously ill and others dead. The Metropolitan Police say chicken believed to be laced with toxins has been found in both Brompton Cemetery and Holland Park over several days, sparking...
AI film shows how Rockwell Property’s tower for Battersea Bridge might unfold
The Chelsea Citizen partnered with the Friends of Battersea Riverside - our campaigning compatriots across the water - to create a short film to depict how Rockwell Property's tower development might pan out. The video was constructed using AI and it portrays the likely disturbance the development might cause during construction. It also shows...
Two major victories for campaigners at the Council’s Planning Applications committee
Applause and cheers rang out across Kensington Town Hall last night as residents welcomed two planning decisions — both the subject of sustained coverage by The Citizen. First, councillors refused gambling operator Silvertime’s application to open a 40-machine slot and bingo venue, plus two flats on upper floors, opposite Earl’s Court Underground...
Workers demand Council does not scrap its £1,800 FREE travel perk
Furious council workers erupted in protest outside Kensington Town Hall yesterday after bosses slashed a long-standing travel perk — leaving many nearly £1,800 a year out of pocket. The cash-strapped authority is wielding the axe as it grapples with a staggering £108 MILLION budget black hole, insisting the cuts are needed to keep essential...
Supergroup campaigners Jagger, Campbell, Wade and Powell draw big crowd for anti slots arcade demo’
Human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger has issued a rallying cry to town hall chiefs — urging them to “fight all the way” to block a giant slot machines arcade from opening opposite Earl’s Court Tube station. Firebrand Jagger joined a noisy street protest outside gambling firm Silvertime Amusements’ proposed new venue — a shuttered Lloyds Bank...
Kingsgate House Hell – The Citizen wins action for angry residents and an apology from Peabody
Housing giant Peabody has apologised to the long-suffering residents of Kingsgate House and vowed to resolve a litany of complaints — thanks to The Chelsea Citizen. Since The Citizen aired the serious unease felt amongst residents in a story last month, the housing association charity has pledged to fast-track a solution — but has admitted that...
Exclusive Video: Death fall Karl Cronin on Crimewatch as Suspect No.1 of “UK’s Most Wanted”
The man who is believed to have fallen to his death on the King's Road on Easter Monday appeared as one of Britain's most wanted villains on Crimewatch UK in December 2008. The Citizen has unearthed the clip of the crime TV show that featured the notorious property fraudster. At the time, Cronin was wanted by police on suspicion of fleecing...
EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS: The man in King’s Road death fall was notorious fraudster WANTED by police
The man who fell to his death on the King’s Road was a notorious fraudster who was WANTED by police, The Chelsea Citizen can reveal. Following a week-long special investigation, The Citizen has been told by multiple sources that the man who died on Easter Monday morning was arch conman Karl Cronin. An appeal to find Cronin was aired on Crimewatch...
Man falls to his death from a flat window above the King’s Road
A man fell to his death onto the pavement of the King's Road yesterday. The man was found gravely injured by passersby early in the morning on Easter Monday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It is believed that he fell from a flat on the second floor of the mansion block building above shops near the junction of the King's Road with Beaufort...
Chantal Coady Interview: “I am sad the Rococo shop has closed. It was part of my heart and soul”
The Closed sign on iconic shop front on the King’s Road has sadly gone up for the last time. Rococo Chocolates has finally melted away and gone dark. Rococo has been a much-loved feature of the Chelsea scene for the past 43 years, attracting royalty and A-listers thought its doors, as well as legions of loyal locals. The end for a business that...