New Look Market
Investing £1million in a bustling future
The Council is investing £1million in major improvements to one of the borough’s best-loved markets.
Work to transform Ridley Road Market is set to run from the end of April to November.
The market will remain open for business during the redevelopment.
The aim is to make the area more welcoming for regular customers, as well as draw in new visitors, and improve conditions for the traders who work there.
Using the results of a consultation carried out last year with traders, shopkeepers, residents and shoppers, the Council has drawn up a ‘to do list’ of improvements that will be made to the market.
People said they wanted to be able to get around the busy market more easily, so footpaths are being widened and more space is being made between stalls.
Residents also asked the Council to provide better, brighter lighting, while traders wanted extra power for their stalls.
Both residents and businesses wanted a cleaner and greener market, so improved recycling facilities will be provided, as well as more safe places to park bikes.
Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“Ridley Road Market remains one of the best places to bag a fruit and veg bargain in Hackney, with quality foods from around the world, as well as fashions for sale.
“It’s a pleasure to be able to announce the Council is investing in improving the experience shoppers and business people will have as they move around the market. These improvements will be visible and create a better environment for everyone who uses the market.”
Improvements
- 165 new stalls and a new pitch layout
- New lighting columns with brighter white lights will make the market welcoming at night
- Shared power bollards will provide electricity for all traders
- Footpaths and roadways to be resurfaced and new hardwearing granite channels to improve drainage
- New pavement at entrances at St Mark’s Rise, Colvestone Crescent and Kingsland High Street
- New signage at Kingsland Shopping Centre and at St Mark’s Rise to make it easier for visitors to find the market
- Secure cycle parking next to the shopping centre and at St Mark’s Rise
A rich and varied history
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Ridley Road Market has a history as varied and colourful as the goods on sale. Before the Regulation of Street Markets Act in 1927, stallholders would wait for a policeman to blow a whistle, then jostle for the best pitches. In the 1930s, opponents of fascism had regular fights with Nazi Blackshirts, who held meetings at the Kingsland Road end of what was then mainly a Jewish market. Ridley Road survived the Blitz during the Second World War; a 1960s threat to build a motorway through it; and 1970s proposals for a railway station in the middle of the road. Today it mirrors Hackney’s diverse population with stalls full of Turkish, Jewish, Asian, African, Caribbean and local goods of all sorts, from exotic fruit and veg to clothes and household wares. |
More information
For more information visit the Ridley Road Market page.
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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