Current campaigns
(October 2015)
Market customers and traders across the country have been mobilising for years to “save their markets” gathering support from thousands of people. Sometimes these campaigns are short-lived and use fairly traditional campaigning methods such as lobbying local councillors or local press, but more established campaign groups have been emerged in the last few years. These campaign groups have developed a range of campaigning methods from traditional petitions to legal and planning challenges, demonstrations, stunts, collaborative research and promotional events. Several campaigns have fought legal challenges claiming that proposed redevelopment projects in Markets would affect negatively those from ethnic minority backgrounds and their culture. They have also developed a broad discourse along the lines of “the right to the city”, raising questions around “whose market, whose city?” and challenging the power of corporate retailers and local authorities’ entrepreneurial governance and policies. Nevertheless, these struggles remain relatively low-profile for national media and critical geographers as they tend to develop in the local public sphere. Contact between groups has so far been limited and no real and sustained networks of action or information and skills exchange have been established.
Below is a list of current/ongoing campaigns over traditional retail markets. There is then a short summary of some of the campaigns. These a flavour of some of the common struggles and differences between campaigns around markets. We are currently researching and analysing different forms of market regeneration and their links to city-centre retail gentrification and urban management.
CAMPAIGNS/ GROUPS
1. Friends of Peterborough City Market (Peterborough)
2. Friends of Bullring Markets (Birmingham)
3. Friends of Leeds Kirkgate Markets (Leeds)
4. Friends of Queen's Market (E.London)
5. Wards Corner Community Coalition (N. London)
6. Shepherd’s Bush Market Traders’ Association (W.London).
7. Oxford Market Tenants’ Association (Oxford Covered Market)
8. Tower Hamlets Renters/ Save Chrisp Street (Chrisp St Market, E.London)
There is also some organising around Portobello/ Golborne Road Markets (W.London).
Scroll down to access full case studies on all of these (as PDFs at bottom of page) .
Friends of Leeds Kirkgate Market
Formed in 2010, FOLKM is a campaign group of market users and traders
concerned with retaining the character and purpose of one of the largest traditional markets in the UK, with outdoor and indoor markets dating back to the 19th century. They were partly inspired by these campaigns in London and brought together many long term customers concerned by the long term neglect of the Market by the council and Market Traders’ grievances. The group campaigns for fair rents, for affordability and diversity, and for real democratic involvement in how the market is managed and developed. Leeds Kirkgate Market is undergoing a major regeneration process as well as a new shopping centre being constructed directly to the North of the markets. https://kirkgatemarket.wordpress.com
Wards Corner Community Coalition
WCCC started in North London in 2007 when the Wards Corner complex, including Seven Sisters Market, was the site of a proposed redevelopment by the local council and a private developer. The market is a small indoor setup of around 40 shops with many Latin American traders. The campaign grew to a large network of groups already existing in the area including housing groups, traders, environmental groups and architects. Not only did the group manage to stop the planned regeneration in 2009-2010, but they developed their own plan for the area. In April 2014 the community plan for Wards Corner received planning permission. They are also part of the wider ‘Our Tottenham’ network. There is a huge amount of information on the process at https://wardscorner.wikispaces.com/
Friends of Bullring Market
Central Birmingham boasts three permanent traditional retail markets as well as the UK’s biggest wholesale market. Birmingham city centre has been subject to ongoing regeneration and expansion of chain retail outlets, culminating in the opening of the expanded and reformed Bullring shopping centre in 2003. Friends of Bullring Market is an independent trader-led campaign which alongside other traders and traders groups has campaigned for the voice of traders and market users to be heard, and for a strong and secure place for markets in the city.
Shepherd’s Bush Market Tenants’ Association
The 100-year-old market in Shepherd’s Bush, West London is about to undergo a ‘regeneration’ process including the building of 200 new flats. Traders are concerned that although there is a planning obligation for the developers to replace the market in the area, they will not get 'like for like' and the market will shrink and be unsuitable for traders and customers. The campaigning group is the independent Shepherd's Bush Market Tenants' Association (SBMTA). The market is due to be temporarily relocated and traders fear they will not be able to afford rents in the new market.
*** Do you know of any ongoing campaigns related to markets? Let us know through the 'Contact' page ***
Market customers and traders across the country have been mobilising for years to “save their markets” gathering support from thousands of people. Sometimes these campaigns are short-lived and use fairly traditional campaigning methods such as lobbying local councillors or local press, but more established campaign groups have been emerged in the last few years. These campaign groups have developed a range of campaigning methods from traditional petitions to legal and planning challenges, demonstrations, stunts, collaborative research and promotional events. Several campaigns have fought legal challenges claiming that proposed redevelopment projects in Markets would affect negatively those from ethnic minority backgrounds and their culture. They have also developed a broad discourse along the lines of “the right to the city”, raising questions around “whose market, whose city?” and challenging the power of corporate retailers and local authorities’ entrepreneurial governance and policies. Nevertheless, these struggles remain relatively low-profile for national media and critical geographers as they tend to develop in the local public sphere. Contact between groups has so far been limited and no real and sustained networks of action or information and skills exchange have been established.
Below is a list of current/ongoing campaigns over traditional retail markets. There is then a short summary of some of the campaigns. These a flavour of some of the common struggles and differences between campaigns around markets. We are currently researching and analysing different forms of market regeneration and their links to city-centre retail gentrification and urban management.
CAMPAIGNS/ GROUPS
1. Friends of Peterborough City Market (Peterborough)
2. Friends of Bullring Markets (Birmingham)
3. Friends of Leeds Kirkgate Markets (Leeds)
4. Friends of Queen's Market (E.London)
5. Wards Corner Community Coalition (N. London)
6. Shepherd’s Bush Market Traders’ Association (W.London).
7. Oxford Market Tenants’ Association (Oxford Covered Market)
8. Tower Hamlets Renters/ Save Chrisp Street (Chrisp St Market, E.London)
There is also some organising around Portobello/ Golborne Road Markets (W.London).
Scroll down to access full case studies on all of these (as PDFs at bottom of page) .
Friends of Leeds Kirkgate Market
Formed in 2010, FOLKM is a campaign group of market users and traders
concerned with retaining the character and purpose of one of the largest traditional markets in the UK, with outdoor and indoor markets dating back to the 19th century. They were partly inspired by these campaigns in London and brought together many long term customers concerned by the long term neglect of the Market by the council and Market Traders’ grievances. The group campaigns for fair rents, for affordability and diversity, and for real democratic involvement in how the market is managed and developed. Leeds Kirkgate Market is undergoing a major regeneration process as well as a new shopping centre being constructed directly to the North of the markets. https://kirkgatemarket.wordpress.com
Wards Corner Community Coalition
WCCC started in North London in 2007 when the Wards Corner complex, including Seven Sisters Market, was the site of a proposed redevelopment by the local council and a private developer. The market is a small indoor setup of around 40 shops with many Latin American traders. The campaign grew to a large network of groups already existing in the area including housing groups, traders, environmental groups and architects. Not only did the group manage to stop the planned regeneration in 2009-2010, but they developed their own plan for the area. In April 2014 the community plan for Wards Corner received planning permission. They are also part of the wider ‘Our Tottenham’ network. There is a huge amount of information on the process at https://wardscorner.wikispaces.com/
Friends of Bullring Market
Central Birmingham boasts three permanent traditional retail markets as well as the UK’s biggest wholesale market. Birmingham city centre has been subject to ongoing regeneration and expansion of chain retail outlets, culminating in the opening of the expanded and reformed Bullring shopping centre in 2003. Friends of Bullring Market is an independent trader-led campaign which alongside other traders and traders groups has campaigned for the voice of traders and market users to be heard, and for a strong and secure place for markets in the city.
Shepherd’s Bush Market Tenants’ Association
The 100-year-old market in Shepherd’s Bush, West London is about to undergo a ‘regeneration’ process including the building of 200 new flats. Traders are concerned that although there is a planning obligation for the developers to replace the market in the area, they will not get 'like for like' and the market will shrink and be unsuitable for traders and customers. The campaigning group is the independent Shepherd's Bush Market Tenants' Association (SBMTA). The market is due to be temporarily relocated and traders fear they will not be able to afford rents in the new market.
*** Do you know of any ongoing campaigns related to markets? Let us know through the 'Contact' page ***
case_study_-_shepherds_bush.pdf | |
File Size: | 45 kb |
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case_study_-_queens_market.pdf | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
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case_study-__birmingham_.pdf | |
File Size: | 50 kb |
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case_study_-_peterborough.pdf | |
File Size: | 51 kb |
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case_study_-_leeds.pdf | |
File Size: | 36 kb |
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case_study_-_wards_corner.pdf | |
File Size: | 31 kb |
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case_study_-_chrisp_street.pdf | |
File Size: | 18 kb |
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