London is a living, breathing organism that continually consumes itself before regurgitating new structures and forms that change its landscape forever. Rivers, pubs and buildings have all disappeared in the name of modernization, a process that is an instrinsic characteristic of a big metropolitan city constantly seeking to renew itself.

Unfortunately, there are times when big business and its ‘vested interest’ seek to destroy a community landmark in the name of development. If the phrase ‘big society’ is to mean anything, it is against such anti-social plans that people should be ready to roll their sleeves up and fight!

The Big Table furniture shop and adjoining workshop has been earmarked for demolition to make way for an electrical substation that will serve the proposed Crossrail London rail scheme. The building, which was originally built as a tearoom by the Temperance Society in 1901, has been home to Big Table for the last 30 years. Even if you have never stepped inside the shop, its presence on the corner of Great Western Road, nestled in the shadow of the Westway flyover opposite the Westbourne Park Bus Garage, is a shining beacon of local enterprise and creativity.

One of Big Table’s directors, Stephen Bond, says, “Our beautiful building with its handsome brick frontage will be replaced by a blank wall, making this corner of Great Western Road a bleak and threatening place. It’s taken 30 years to build up this business and we’re faced with the prospect that it will be closed forever – which means the loss of livelihoods for the seven people that work here.”

Crossrail have served Big Table a Compulsory Purchase Order and informed them of their intention to require possession by 30 January 2012 ‘at the earliest’.

To assist in the struggle against the Crossrail juggernaut you can sign the online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bigtable56/