Wasting away: Traders fight to stop collapse of historic Dalston market

Cockney heritage: The market traders fighting to save Kingsland Waste.

Traders have launched a petition to save one of Hackney’s last ‘affordable’ markets from collapse.

Stallholders from Kingsland Waste fear their livelihoods are at risk after being told their licenses will no longer be renewed.

Hackney Council has stopped renewing and issuing licenses, meaning there are only two permanent traders left on the market known affectionately as ‘The Waste’.

The market takes place every Saturday and mainly sells second hand and vintage British made tools, bric-a-brac and useful household items. It has been running for over 100 years on its Kingsland Road patch.

Trader Jackie Morris, whose license expires in March, handed the petition into the Town Hall today (13 February) and has also launched an online campaign.

Ms Morris said: “We are here today to submit the community petition. They say that we can go to other markets, but why would we want to? Kingsland Road is our home and some of us have been trading there for over 40 years.”

“They are saying: ‘No, we are not closing the market down’ but if they are not closing it down then why can’t they give us a permanent licenses?”

Traders protest outside the Town Hall. Photograph: Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff

Ms Morris said she has struggled to contact the council about the issue: “They are refusing to talk. I rang the helpline, which I’ve done numerous times before, but I’m still waiting to talk to someone about changing my temporary license to a permanent one.”

A spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “The Council has no plans to close the Kingsland Market, we are currently working on a strategy that will outline our approach to how all Hackney markets will be managed in the future. It is also only the temporary licenses that will not be renewed, there will be no change to any of the permanent licenses.”

The council’s future plans for Kingsland Waste Market are as yet unknown, but Ms Morris argues that while people might deem the market as “too messy” the traders carry out an important service:

“The stuff we sell is expensive elsewhere, so there is still a place for our items,” she says.

The petition to save Kingsland Waste can be found here.