Residents oppose plans to rebuild London's Chinatown

Plans to rebuild part of London's Chinatown could damage the area's economy and property market, urban regeneration experts warn.

Developer Rosewheel wants to redevelop the eastern end of Chinatown, in Soho, into a GBP50 million ($728.79 million) pedestrianised retail plaza. It would mean refurbishing an existing 1980s block and erecting a new building.

Seventeen of the existing 28 shops would be torn out and a new basement level created to accommodate up to 100 smaller outlets. The pagoda would be relocated and the gateway into Chinatown replaced.

Rosewheel wants to fashion 'a Chinese version of Covent Garden', the trendy retail district nearby. It promises to house the Chinese community centre rent free and create a new courtyard for Chinese shows and festivals.

The Chinese community is not impressed. It is lobbying Westminster City Council, the local authority, to refuse the scheme planning permission because it fears the resulting higher rents will drive away Chinese traders, leaving large, mainstream retailers to fill the void, a change that would wreck the district's essential Chinese character.

Chinatown's biggest landlord, Shaftsbury, has no redevelopment plans and hopes to accommodate businesses that claim they will be displaced by Rosewheel's scheme.