Queen's Market in East London is unique. It seems unimaginable that for 8 years this vital resource could have been threatened by Newham Council and rapacious companies. In response to this attack on our local resource, shoppers, residents and traders formed the Friends of Queen's Market (FoQM) who defeated the developers and continue to PROTECT and PROMOTE the market to this day.
REPORT ON FoQM ATTENDANCE AT THE CORE STRATEGY EXAMINATION September 2011
The threat is in the small print in Newham Council's new planning strategy - it labels the market a ‘strategic site’ for housing for ‘mixed use’ development. There isn't room for both the market and housing on the site so this would mean pulling down the existing market.
The Core Strategy is the long-term planning policy for the borough yet almost nobody is aware of it, FoQM found out about it from a tip-off. Newham held public ‘Hearings’ for the Core Strategy in September and October 2011 in front of a government planning inspector. FoQM made their arguments heard during the hearings.
Newham Council turned up on 28th September at their palatial waterside Building 1000 (built with £111 million of Newham council taxpayers money) to answer critics of their Core Strategy for Green Street and Queen's Market.
An independent Government Inspector was there: he heard arguments and will write a report at the end, saying who he thinks is in the right.
One of our members who attended reported as follows: "The process is not designed for people to participate in the Core Strategy. The inspector comes to it with the ‘assumption’ that the local authority’s plan is ‘sound’. It's difficult to make arguments that are planning arguments. This is discrimination against ordinary person with basic views and evidence. We really need a lawyer to argue the points. Inspector doesn’t seem to challenge the council’s evidence".
FoQM requested official note taking, but this was not allowed. The inspector’s notes were the only record, to himself. Friends of Queen's Market are compiling their own notes.
The council planners varied from being quite hostile to criticism to quite amenable. The inspector was clearly irritated by the council at some points. The main planner had a technique of spouting, when under fire, she would blurt out large amounts of waffle and technical jargon.
At the end one of our supporters Lucy said: "we were pleased that we had attended the hearings, but there should be far more people doing this; there is something wrong with the system. The simple fact is that if people are not here, then the inspector is not going to tackle a subject fully. So it’s not democratic, it’s a random process of scrutiny of the plans".
During the first session the inspector said, “clearly somewhere like Queen’s Market is a character asset”
Retail / employment session:
The Council wanted to add large ‘ordinary’ retail stores to Green Street but the Inspector was not convinced where these stores would go. The Inspector said to the council ‘what are you seeking here? Tesco?’ The council planner said, ‘yes floor space is constrained. Need more Tesco. The Council called the ‘strategic site of Queen’s Market’ a site for ‘mixed-use’ development, including retail stores.
Inspector said: “My initial take on it is [Queen’s Market] working brilliantly, why change it? Why provide something different that’s clearly thriving? Went on Thursday, it was packed, busiest shopping centre I’ve seen for a long time. If this is the aspiration, where are the larger units going to go?”
Queen’s Market / Newham session:
FoQM insisted that traders and visitors could sit in the room as hearings were taking place and not in the overflow room. There were over twenty Queen’s Market supporters and traders (– a big hand to the traders who left their businesses to come along and support us!)
All through this session the Council representatives were positive about the market saying ‘we do appreciate the market’ etc. But all their other comments showed they want development on the market site which would entail its demolition.
The council said: “regeneration of the market through new uses, shops, houses, to ensure the market is successful… ” ’‘need new configuration” and ’‘current configuration does not give flexibility” and said they needed ’‘better use of market space”
The Inspector said locals seemed concerned that they will lose existing shops.
FoQM, asked ‘What reassurances can the traders be given for their future livelihoods’. Council said, ‘we can’t comment on the design of any future development [on Queen’s Market] and what it would mean to the shops’
Inspector: ‘that does not give residents much reassurance about where new units might go’
Council ‘we want to reinforce the market – there’s no hidden agenda. Want a stronger market, centerpiece of any development, of town centre ‘offer’ as a whole. We’re trying to set down parameters. We recognize its worth. We do give protection by wanting good design’. Council said: ‘we have no sinister intention’.
Inspector said, ‘can’t imagine getting more floor space unless you have retail on the first floor, this would change the character.’
When the importance of the fresh affordable food on offer at the market was highlighted, the Council said their ‘plans make no provision for affordable food’
Council said it’s not about the cost of keeping it going, it’s about good design and improving the street scene, saying as well that the pub could be knocked down. But the Inspector said ‘they shouldn’t replace the pub if it’s part of the communal facilities.’
Inspector asked whether the council had considered the impact of making the site a ‘strategic site’. They talked about relocation whilst development was taking place and had worries about the disruption. There were references to Canning Town and the demise of Rathbone Market.
The Inspector said ‘the [Queen’s Market] building’s old and unsightly, but that hasn’t affected the vitality and viability of the market’
Council said they’d talked to people at the community forum who said it was ‘unsightly’. FoQM mentioned they had attended a Green Street Community Forum meeting where only 4 local people were in attendance.
Newham Council withdrew their written claim that there are ‘structural integrity' issues with the building as this was proved wrong and misleading. The Council mentioned the market’s financial viability was not the key driver of changing the market.
FoQM argued that any new housing was more suited for the West Ham site but the council said they could put housing on any site they wished, “with 35,000 people on the waiting list, we have to” (perhaps they forgot that their previous plan for massive tower blocks, entailed the demolition and rebuilding of a market hall and surroundings but offered local people on the housing waiting list a mere 22 extra homes!)
We are now waiting for the Inspector’s report. Watch this space.
It seems like a lot has happened since Asda retreated in 2006, the planning application rejection in 2009 and finally St. Modwen, the developers bolting in 2010. This is all good news for the community and for the future of the 111 year old market that we have all come to love and depend on for fresh fruit and vegetables, amongst other supplies. Remember, QUEEN’S MARKET BELONGS TO YOU!
The market is now under the control of Newham Council and its elected people. However, the local planning Core Strategy has a few worrying proposals. Friends of Queen’s Market are here to make sure that the market stays here for the people of Newham and shoppers everywhere.
Sadly, not all’s rosy as the car park charges have more than doubled. The car drivers who visit the market are not wealthy people and the charges are hitting them as well as the market traders. Friends of Queen’s Market believe this increase is UNFAIR and DISPROPORTIONATE and request the old charges be reinstated. See the picture of our demo further below.
Also, the roof is still giving everyone grief. £150,000 of taxpayer’s money paid over, with a 20 year guarantee, but the water is still coming in!
Friends of Queen's Market protest against the doubling of car park charges.
For ages people have been asking for a car boot sale in Green Street and it’s finally come - your old lumber is someone else’s bargain!
Stalls are cheap and some are still available. There is also plenty of new gear and even cakes on sale – oh yes, and don’t forget to tell all your mates about it.
We’ve also heard that there are now 30% more traders than there were two years ago. This is brilliant news!
Under the new, much improved market management, Queen’s Market has received an AWARD for being the greenest market in South England and there’s a nice glass trophy on display in the Inspectors’ office. Go and have a look for yourself! Friends of Queen’s Market congratulates the traders, especially the fruit and vegetable stallholders- saving the planet whilst saving money for the market – nice one!
Congratulations on the latest award from the Local Government Chronicle. Thanks to the traders' hard work Queen's Market came 2nd out of 82 contestants for the Zero Waste Award. Well done!
There’s ‘sneaky goings on’ in the planning department. A new Core Strategy has been released mentioning that the Council are still thinking of developing Queen’s Market again. We ask- why were we not consulted on the Core Strategy? But the Friends of Queen's Market will be there when the Council plan is investigated at the Examination in Public at Newham Town Hall. For time and date - watch this space!
New Traders: If you want to have a stall in the market please call 020 8475 8174 or 020 8475 8971
How to get there: Turn right from Upton Park Station, the market is next door.
Tubes: District & Hammersmith & City Lines (30 mins from Central London, 10 minutes from Mile End Station) Buses: 104 (from Stratford), 238, 58, 330, 376 Car parking: whilst short-stay parking is available on Green Street, we advise you to park at Shaftesbury Road car park, or Queen's Road car park.
Get your money's worth........ compare the prices!
We did a price comparison by purchasing the same fruit and veg at a local supermarket on the local high street (Green Street in Upton Park). It puts a new twist on the catchphrase "every little helps".
Successive governments have dabbled in social engineering with varying degrees of success. These attempts to establish racially harmonious communities have invariably proved as futile as an alchemist's attempts to turn bass metal into gold. Yet, in Queen's Market there has evolved a remarkable community that is London's,and in probability Europe's most ethnically diverse. Over the course of the market's one hundred year history successive waves of immigrants have made the East End their home; ranging from Russian Jews escaping the Tsarist pogroms at the beginning of the twentieth century to Zimbabweans fleeing the tyranny of Robert Mugabe in 2009. Rather like a coral reef this multi-layered and multi-faceted community is a fragile form, easily destroyed, yet near impossible to replicate.So why is this market such a magnet to ethnic minority communities from right across London? Its success lies in the fact that its functions are many and varied. As a social space it provides an ideal arena for social interaction. The market is a living information exchange, a place of linguistic comfort, education and of course, gossip. The human dynamic of the market and its environs energies and reinforces cultural identity for people, many of whom feel maginalised and lost in London. With over 85% of the shoppers coming from African, African-Caribbean and Asian communities it is evident that the style of shopping is redolent of that found in the markets of Kumasi, Kingston and Karachi. Any one who is familiar with Russell Market, Bangalore will know exactly why Queen's Market resonates in the way that it does. With its souk-like ambience, access to fresh, culturally appropriate produce and goods at amazing prices ensures that news of the market spreads far beyond the East End. This human reef has some rarer national groups if one is prepared to explore; who would have thought that Burundians, Ecuadorians, Latvians andthe Togolese would be regular denizens of Queen's Market - they too have heard of its fame. The market has also provided a fertile environment for entrepreneurs to start toput down purposeful roots in the UK. It is encouraging self sufficiency and a degree of financial independence that has helped successive communities to become an essential part of that extraordinary world city that we call London. Queen's Market continues to evolve and absorb the social mores of countless nations. Add to this the piquant Cockney humour and you have the sort of cocktail of peacefully coexisting humanity that social engineers can only dream of.
Support for our market from internationally acclaimed Newham-based poet Benjamin Zephaniah:
"It is one of the most weird and wonderful places in the capital: a dazzling medley of colour, languages, shops, stalls, merchandise and movement. It is a lifeline for the people on low incomes: the things that are sold here, from halibut to haberdashery, are almost unbelievably cheap." - Paul Kingsnorth, Real England (2008)
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"Queen's thrives because most locals still cook for themselves - the market is essential. To them, it represents nothing short of their identity - the very heart and soul of their community."- Carolyn Steel, Values to save for Queen's and country, Building Design, 5/12/2008.
Be sure to take a look at our food links elsewhere in this website. Even better come and discover why Queen's Market was chosen as one of three finalists for the 'Best Food Market' in the BBC Radio Four Food & Farming Awards 2008.
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"The diversity is remarkable enough, but maybe even more remarkable are the prices -everything is eye-wateringly cheap. Asda's Price Promise would be laughed at here. In an area like this, with so many people living on very low wages, this is not just convenient, it is vital."An extract from Real England - Paul Kingsnorth (Portobello Books, 2008)
Queen's Market is especially valued by women living in London:
"Queen's Market, Upton Park is a thriving and profitable covered street market. Situated in the East End, it has been in existence for over a century and is at the heart of a vibrant community that draws in people from across London and beyond. Famed for its affordable and culturally appropriate produce, it is much more than just a market, it is a living information exchange and a communal space. Queen's Market is an important centre of employment and brings in millions of pounds into the local economy. It exudes entrepreneurial spirit, tolerance and good humour. Little wonder that Londoners love it."
- Sasha Laurel, Chair
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Friends of Queen's Market celebrate the retreat of the developer (Yellow Advertiser). For details of our heroic campaign please see page 2- Story of our Campaign.
Queen's Market in East London is unique. It seems unimaginable that for 8 years this vital resource could have been threatened by Newham Council and rapacious companies. In response to this attack on our local resource, shoppers, residents and traders formed the Friends of Queen's Market (FoQM) who defeated the developers and continue to PROTECT and PROMOTE the market to this day. 
Support for our market from internationally acclaimed Newham-based poet Benjamin Zephaniah:
"The diversity is remarkable enough, but maybe even more remarkable are the prices -everything is eye-wateringly cheap. Asda's Price Promise would be laughed at here. In an area like this, with so many people living on very low wages, this is not just convenient, it is vital." An extract from Real England - Paul Kingsnorth (Portobello Books, 2008)