‘Our iconic market has been here years – now landlords are trying to shut it down’

Worn-out traders at a ‘lifeline’ market for east London say they are being ‘punished back into poverty’ as developers hand them yet another eviction notice.

Their landlords Larochette – an off-shore company – bought the building in 2016, and as all London sales go, applied to Hackney council to turn the building into luxury flats two years later.

Although the council own the outdoor part of Ridley Road Market, the indoor building which used to be known as Ridley Road Shopping Village is managed by the private company.

They told tenants two months after buying the building for £6.5 million there was a police closure order and gave them two weeks to pack up their things.

But that letter sparked a huge campaign across Hackney and the rest of London to save their livelihoods, which worked.

Now that the dust has settled, Larochette has told them yet again they need to go. And this time, they have six weeks.

Asli Uygur, whose business has been based in the building for nine years, told Metro: ‘We are so used to it at this point but exhausted fighting.

‘It feels like we are being punished, but I am a good tenant. It’s clear they just want everyone out.’

The home of London’s anti-fascism

Peter Dissi, who works at Lion Paw, told Metro: ‘It feels like managed decline. But this market has its own history and character. Really, it is its own entity.’

The market has been operating since the 1880s, and has witnessed more than its share of historical events on its doorstep.

Originally a predominantly Jewish area, fascist leader Oswald Moseley tried to hold his far-right rallies in the area but was met with strong resistance from locals who had just finished fighting in the Second World War.

Things came to a head in 1947 in the market, and anti-fascists managed to disrupt Moseley’s meetings throughout the summer until they were broken up by police.

‘It is its own eco-system’

Now, the area is home to Afro-Caribbean businesses, and is one of Hackney’s biggest community hubs.

Tamara Rabea, a member of the Save Ridley Road campaign, told Metro: ‘It is not just a place with some stalls. It offers low-cost ethnic produce which you can’t just buy in a supermarket. And for many, coming to the market is one of their main forms of socialisation.’

This certainly appears true. Just sitting with Tamara, men in their 20s to pensioners wheeling their baskets mill around chatting between the sale racks.

One of the sellers, Fatama, said the thought of having to close her fabrics store made her weep.

She said: ‘I’ve been here nearly 10 years, and now I am feeling so depressed. This will put me backwards into poverty, but we are all being punished for something and we don’t know why.’

Councillor Zoe Garbett agrees. She told Metro: ‘Ridley Road Market opened in the late 1800s and exists as an ecosystem, with the stalls, shops and the shopping village.

‘It is a centre for Black business and socially significant much-loved place in the heart of Hackney.’

After the threatened evictions, Hackney Council decided it would take over the lease of the building in 2022.

But the landlords needed six months to carry out the refurbishment, which would take around six months to complete, before this could be achieved.

Four years later, Larochette has still not finished construction, and remains as landlord.

Joseph ‘Wess’, who runs a confectionary shop inside, told Metro: ‘It feels like they are just waiting to turn it into a Starbucks, but we are in the way.’

Eviction letter

In the eviction letter seen by Metro, the solicitors for Larochette say they have been told to close the building by the Metropolitan Police due to anti-social behaviour.

Riddled with grammar errors, it reads: ‘Our Client [sic] has received formal correspondence from the Metropolitan Police concerning serious ongoing crime and antisocial behaviour in and around the indoor market at Ridley Road.

‘We are imminently [sic] to receive a Community protection order [sic] and have been advised by the police that the market should be shut.’

But the Metropolitan Police has denied advising any closures, with Community Protection Warnings being the lowest form of crime prevention tactics.

They said: ‘Police were informed that the building owner had taken steps in line with police and council advice to close a number of units within the indoor market to address crime and antisocial behaviour concerns.

‘They have also taken the separate decision to close the entire indoor market from 31 March. This is an independent decision made by the building owner and management.’

Ms Garbett said: ‘Larochette has misrepresented the police’s position who have not requested the closure of the building and Larochette has taken no responsibility, as the landlord and owner of the building, to deliver the long overdue redevelopment and for how they have mistreated traders.’

Hackney Council said: ‘The landlord, La Rochette Real Estate Inc, has made the decision to temporarily close Ridley Road Shopping Village following advice and intervention from the police in response to continued incidents of antisocial behaviour.

‘The landlord informed us that their decision to close the Shopping Village is to allow for a full review of security arrangements, operational management and compliance measures to ensure the premises meet the required standards and protect community safety.

‘We recognise the impact this decision will have on the business operators in Ridley Road Shopping Village, and we are working to provide advice and support where possible.

‘The Council remains committed to securing a sustainable and safe future for the indoor market space, subject to appropriate legal and commercial safeguards.’

Rainbow Properties, which works with Larochette, said ‘no traders have been threatened with eviction’ and instead were told their leases will expire and not be renewed.

It added: ‘The building owner would like to stress that the market is to be closed solely for community safety reasons.

‘It is the sincere hope of the building owner that the market can be reopened to provide a safe, hospitable trading environment for the people of Hackney.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Comments Add as preferred source