By James Gamble via SWNS
Locals living on one of London’s most exclusive streets are up in arms over a new ‘Paddington Bear’ Airbnb – which they say amounts to ‘pimping’ their street out.
Furious residents on Chalcot Crescent in picturesque Primrose Hill say the temporary experience will increase ever-growing crowds outside their homes.
The area’s pastel properties – which provide the backdrop to the Bridget Jones films as well as Paddington – mean selfie-stick-wielding tourists looking for Instagram and TikTok content frequently visit its exclusive streets.
The Paddington house is part of a competition in which three families will be invited to spend a special night to celebrate the upcoming release of the new “Paddington in Peru” film.
But residents say the commotion will disrupt the quiet lives of elderly residents on the street of Grade II listed buildings, where houses sell for as much as £4m.
A group of locals, including business guru Mary Portas OBE, penned a letter to Airbnb complaining they’re “tired” of having their street “pimped” by companies for profit.
Airbnb, however, says they opted not to name the street the house was on and has made a “sizeable” donation of £20,000 to support a local community group.
The company also insists disruption will be minimal during the project, which will last for two weeks.
Though the Brown family live at the fictional 32 Windsor Gardens in Notting Hill, the blue-pastel home at 30 Chalcot Crescent is used as their home’s exterior in the films, though the inside is believed to be filmed elsewhere.
The house Airbnb plans to transform into the Brown’s home, however, is a few doors down, currently with scaffolding outside.
Residents say StudioCanal, the production company behind the Paddington films, have long used their homes as a “free movie set”.
But they say an Airbnb is a “step too far”.
One Chalcot Crescent resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We have famous people living on the street in the last stages of their lives.
“Some residents are about to turn 90, others are PhD students in charity housing who are trying to work during the day.
“At no point did Airbnb feel it was [necessary] to contact anyone and say they are going to do an international PR campaign.
“The spend on this is enormous.
“We found out from a letter that it was a done deal, but no one felt there was any reason to inform anyone on the street.
“Why aren’t they doing it in a studio? It’s not even the Paddington house…
“They are going to use the whole backdrop; they are using our street to promote their product.”
In their letter to Airbnb, the Chalcot Crescent residents’ group wrote that the company’s global campaign using their street would increase its “already popular” profile among tourists and “the social media generation of digital-lifestyle over-sharers”.
They added: “While some may see this as ‘sour grapes’ and the price one must pay to live on a beautiful street, it is the Paddington franchise to date that has created the current flow of tourists.
“An expensive media campaign will only amplify this and have an increased negative impact on all of our lives.
“Overall, we are getting tired of feeling that our street is being pimped by corporations for their profit.”
One elderly resident, who has lived on Chalcot Crescent for over 40 years, added: “They are just trying to make money.
“Locals are furious. We are now fighting against a commercial company making money off Paddington Bear.
“The worry is that tourism will increase. At the moment, people love this street.
“It’s a historic and beautiful street, but there are already enough people looking for where the film was made and this will bring many more.
“There will be crowds looking for Paddington Bear’s pseudo-home.
“It’s not Paddington’s house, it’s just to attract customers.
“They’re completely refurbishing the house and making it sellable. It’s just unfair. The neighbourhood is up in arms.
“It’s going to disrupt our privacy. We have to live with this happening… We feel thrown out.
“We are elderly people who have lived on this street for 40 years… Suddenly, at the end of their lives, we are plagued.
“They can’t do this.”
A spokesperson for Airbnb said: “To celebrate the upcoming film release of Paddington in Peru and in partnership with StudioCanal, we’re bringing the magical home of Paddington to life for just three nights and will give three lucky families the unique opportunity to create unforgettable memories with their children in one of the most well-loved and iconic British spaces.
“As part of our campaigns, we are committed to giving back to the local area.
“In this instance, we are making a sizable donation to the Primrose Hill Community Association.
“This donation will support local projects such as the Open House Project, which is aimed at elderly people, a flagship food program that provides for people in need, and the upkeep of the Primrose Hill Community Library.”
However, residents say the “sizeable” donation made by Airbnb – said to be £20,000 – is a mere token gesture that is “peanuts” to a huge corporation.
The first-quoted resident said: “We wanted [them] to do much more for people who don’t have any wealth in the area.
“This £20k is a joke. £20,000, given the spend, is peanuts. It’s nothing. It should be a percentage of the spend.
“They are saying, ‘We are donating £20,000, so don’t complain’.
“For so long we have been a free movie set for StudioCanal, but this Airbnb is a step too far.
“Elderly residents were distressed [at the news]. They didn’t know what it was. We demanded a Q&A.
“One of [Airbnbs] slogans is ‘Live like a local’, but they don’t give a sh*t about the locals. And this case proves that.
“It’s not appropriate to do a PR campaign in a domestic setting.”
Airbnb added that they had been careful not to reveal the location of the Paddington house in their publicity, and highlighted that the reporting of residents’ concerns would draw more attention to the area.
The spokesperson added: “This is a temporary feature and the space will be fully restored in a matter of weeks.
“In all communication materials, we have not disclosed that the location is in Primrose Hill and in all our publicity we will direct attention to Paddington’s fictional address Windsor Gardens.
“We respect the community and the homes within it. To ensure transparency, we sent a letter well in advance to inform local residents about this project.
“We visited the location on the first day of activity, and we also held an on-site meeting in the local library to discuss the campaign, answer questions, and address any concerns.
“We further invited residents to a meeting for additional discussion and have maintained direct communication with the community throughout the process.”
