I am aware that there is limited interest in my domestic arrangements, but there is a reason why I’m telling you that for much of my adult life I lived in central London. First in Bayswater, then in Fitzrovia. I loved the bustle, the grime, the noise and all the things which are part of – indeed the point of – living in a city centre.

The Soho Society doesn’t like the idea of the area buzzing after bedtime – or even in daytime

The Soho Society doesn’t like the idea of the area buzzing after bedtime – or even in daytime

And then I stopped loving them. As I got older, I decided that I no longer wanted my sleep to be interrupted by fights in the street outside my bedroom window (Cleveland Street, since you asked) and that I actually liked the idea of having some space. So I moved to suburbia, a path taken by many before and after me.

But that simple acceptance of the rationale behind choosing to live in central London and choosing not to live in central London – and what comes with the former, both positive and negative – appears to be unrecognised by the Soho Society. Without a trace of self-awareness, the society describes itself as being “for all the people that have Soho in their lives…residents, workers and visitors. The Soho Society listens to and represents them all.” But according to a report in Saturday’s Guardian the........

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