But today, as municipal plans to redevelop the district gather pace, there is a sense of growing militancy in the vibrant, narrow streets.

Multimillion pound plans drawn up by Westminster council will see up to 30 flats identified as brothels compulsorily purchased. The council has already bought one property containing three flats and is soon expected, having fought a public inquiry, to gain a second. After that, all sides assume the momentum will become irresistible.

Westminster says the properties will be returned to residential use. The companies owning the properties also have their own regeneration plans which could see even more properties redeveloped for mainstream use. One way or another, a colourful era appears to be coming to an end.

Next week a group coordinated by the English Collective of Prostitutes meets to discuss how they can defend their turf.

The Guardian has learned that they plan to march through central London and stage a demonstration outside Westminster city hall. But mindful that they enjoy a good deal of local support, with 10,000 people having signed a protest petition, the prostitutes are also planning an unprecedented campaign of community engagement.

Nicci Adams of the English Collective of Prostitutes said: "Many of these woman have lived in these properties for many years. In that sense, they are in residential use. Soho is a unique area. It is the safest area in the country for the sex industry. The women of Soho are proud of the fact that no woman has ever been murdered in a Soho flat and you can't say that of any other area. I think the council should recognise the unique character of Soho and the fact that the women are an integral part of that community. They should leave them alone."

She added: "I think public opinion has changed in relation to prostitution. As the government and the authorities have become more oppressive, the public has become more open-minded."

Mimi, a 25-year-old eastern European, who has been working in Soho for the past year, said: "The girls are providing a service and Westminster council should go to hell. The authorities should go out and find all the rapists and murderers and leave us alone. If the council comes here and tries to evict us I will tell them what is really going on in Soho."

Beth, her "maid", who liaises with clients and acts as general manager, said: "If a CPO [compulsory purchase order] comes I'll fight it all the way. I'm not going anywhere. If all the maids and all the women stand united we can win this."

The sex workers of Soho cover a wide spectrum. Some operate semi-independently but there are known to be others working against their will. The trade is under constant scrutiny. The police have been raiding Soho brothels over the past two years looking for illegal immigrants.

Bryan Burrough, honorary president of the Soho Society, said: "We don't have a problem with brothels as such. We are more concerned with properties that cause a public nuisance like the bars used to fleece tourists. We don't think the case for redevelopment has been made. This is revenue-driven rather than for the need for environmental improvements."

Vic Fielder, a newsagent, began working in Soho 45 years ago. "The girls were on the streets when I came here," he said. "It is much better now for the area because people have to go to them. They are part of the community. They come in and buy their cigarettes and magazines. They don't bother me and I don't bother them."

One woman who has worked as a maid for 15 years said she would have been willing to upgrade the property she worked from. "The first contact we had from the council came when we learned we were being compulsorily purchased. Our flat has been used for prostitution for the past 50 years. If I am forced out it will ruin my life. I have bills to pay, a mortgage, and three children to bring up. I will have no option but to go back working on the streets. This is the only business I know."

Researchers from Glasgow University attest to the comparative dangers women face working on the streets. A study found they were six times more at risk than those working indoors.

A spokesman for Westminster council said there were 60 "walk-up" brothels in Soho and that those initially targeted for compulsory purchase had been identified by police as causing particular concern or had been judged to be in particular disrepair. "All we are doing is turning residential properties back into residential properties," he said. "We are looking at 10 properties, which have two to three flats each and have no current plans to go after the other 50."

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