Questionable data used by Council tries to justify demolition of Queen’s Market
Despite the 6,000+ signatures from our public petition and £millions spent from the Good Growth Fund to refurbish aspects of the market, Newham Council’s planning department have decided to continue with their plans to pile on other uses onto the historic 125 year old Queen’s Market.
The two new options under the title ‘Queen’s Market & Hamara Ghar Investment Strategy Study’ shows new plans for the historic market and for the older people’s homes (Hamara Ghar) located next door to the market. Hamara Ghar includes longtime residents who rely on the market for fresh affordable culturally appropriate food, cloth, clothes and home stuff, not forgetting it being an important social space for them also.
Image above: latest plans earmark Queen’s Market for other uses with the market not being a central priority in the “future vision” that’s being decided behind closed doors.
Council trying to pull the wool over our eyes
The Council’s “dodgy” consultations data and ‘bullheaded’ approach means they have ignored local needs despite spending £3million+ for a Co-create website that local people find difficult to access. This is our collective public money being wasted for their ‘experiments’ during a time of hardship for local families. Inside the Cabinet Report, it states: “The Council will enable every resident to live in an accessible and inclusive neighbourhood which will provide all their social, civic and economic essentials” – well, Queen’s Market already provides this, so why is the Council wasting time and public officer efforts to demolish Queen’s Market? Have the publicly-paid officers got nothing better to do with their time?
FoQM have carefully scoured the plans on the table and see many contradictions in the Councils plans that will decimate the vibrancy of the current historic market and the important social space for many. The Council regeneration department have proved time and time again that THEY CANNOT GIVE ANY REASSURANCES THAT THE MARKET WILL SURVIVE ANY REGENERATION PLANS – see poor old Rathbone Market in Canning Town that has sadly been turned into a lifeless car park.
Images above (3): Locals have said time and time again that they want Queen’s Market to be retained and protected, but Newham Council doesn’t appear to know what meaningful dialogue is.
A “future vision” that ignores the wishes of local people
Some of these consultation plans say “Refurbish and modernise” which when we last checked means to spruce a place up and give it a lick of paint, not to DEMOLISH THE MARKET COMPLETELY AND SMOTHER IT with a health/community centres, reduced storage for stall holders, tall towers, workspace etc. with the market taking less priority.
If the nearby Boleyn Grounds is anything to go by, we reckon the flats, health centre and host of other uses being plonked onto Queen’s Market will include LUXURY UNAFFORDABLE FLATS FOR THE ALREADY WEALTHY and even a PRIVATISED MARKET that will ‘zap up’ money that should otherwise go to local people, to local shop owners, local jobs to local families. Queen’s Market is Newham’s most successful public-owned market that subsidises the borough’s other markets, so we know it makes revenue for the Council.
A long-time shopper Nehar said: “Why can’t they [the Council] just leave Queen’s Market be? It’s a proper market that provides for me and my family. The Council seem to want to destroy anything that’s good for us.”
Another local person who has shopped at Queen’s Market for over 35 years says: “During the last consultation [in 2022] I witnessed a Council person (describing themselves as a Translator) say to a family who came along to the consultation: “You want the market to stay, don’t you?”, and then hurriedly tick Option 2 on behalf of the family. It didn’t look like the Translator even knew the difference between both the options. People were given a Hobson’s Choice”.
Image above : British film ‘Hobson’s Choice, 1954. A Hobson’s choice is when you’re given the impression of choosing from multiple options, but in reality, there’s only one available. A well-known example is “Take it or leave it,” where leaving isn’t really a favourable choice.
There is mounting evidence that Newham Council’s data is dangerously wrong and misleading in order to push through demolition/regeneration, and we reckon a privatisation agenda.
Image above : Friends of Queen’s Market critique on the Council’s data presentation (in bright yellow colour). Local reports say that the Council and private consultants boards mentioned ““Refurbish and modernise” but it actually meant demolition.
The dates for the upcoming in-person consultations in May 2024 are as follows:
12-3pm on Thursday 16th, Friday 17th, Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th May 2024. Outside unit 12 & 13 at Queen’s Market.
5pm-8pm on Wednesday 21st May 2024 at Green Street Library.
12-3pm on Wednesday 28th May 2024 at Katherine Road Community Centre.
5pm-8pm on Thursday 30 May 2024 at Plaistow Library.
Be sure to pop by, take detailed notes and drop FoQM an email about your experience.
To promote and preserve a thriving publicly-owned historic street market 