We're back in The Times, curiously loosely bracketed with this morning's environmental protest at Stansted. Valerie Grove who used to live at number eight was being nostalgic

Last year I found myself lying down in the road in Little Green Street, Kentish Town, a cobbled Georgian lane, in front of a seven-and-a-half -tonne Ford Cargo truck driven by the actor Tom Conti. He lent his services to residents protesting against Camden Council's mad plans to use the lane as a run-through to the wasteland where they wanted to build a gated development of luxury flats, houses and underground car parks.

Architects, professors, historians, writers, actors and (naturally) students made up the protest lobby. They won - the plans were shelved. Another victory for environment over commerce.

As the great environmental guru Satish Kumar says: “I am all for Nimbyism. If everyone said ‘Not in my back yard', no back yards would be spoiled.”

'Tis only a pity she's mistaken. Its only the financial malaise that threatens Mammon itself that is holding back the back hoes now, Val.