‘Slum’ planning application for Ridley Road Shopping Village sparks outcry

Community asset: Ridley Road Shopping Village. Photograph: Johann Arens

An application to turn parts of Dalston’s Ridley Road Shopping Village into flats has triggered fresh protests from anti-gentrification campaigners.

New proposals to change the second floor’s use from commercial to residential were put to the council by offshore private developer Larochette Real Estate on 16 July.

The plan has drawn severe criticism from community blog OPEN Dalston for floating seven “sub-standard studio flats for market rent with no affordable accommodation”.

Bill Parry-Davies, a solicitor who previously represented traders against the offshore landlord, said these plans were for “slums of the future, if not the present”.

“Some won’t meet minimum space standards and all are inadequate in terms of noise and ventilation needs,” he said.

“They will only be for market rent, with none for affordable rent. There will be no net community benefit at all.”

The latest objections reignite longstanding concerns about the market’s redevelopment.

Along with other sites at Ridley Road, the Shopping Village has been the subject of intense debate over the developer’s aims to convert the building into offices, shops and five “high-quality” apartments.

These plans were abandoned after community-led campaign Save Ridley Road forced a climbdown, and Larochette instead launched an application to refurbish.

Dalston councillor and London Assembly Member Zoë Garbett

But Cllr Zoë Garbett, who was involved in the campaign along with Parry-Davies, was caught off-guard upon learning of the latest plans.

“Last year, I met with Larochette, which owns the Shopping Village, to discuss their potential idea for flats on the second floor,” she said.

“At that time, I got the impression that it wouldn’t be pursued. I was really surprised to find out about the planning application via OPEN Dalston.

“Larochette had not informed me, they had also not had a discussion with the council before submitting (which is common practice).

“I am concerned [they] are claiming to have done everything possible to let out the second floor, yet there hasn’t even been a poster on the hoarding of the Shopping Village to advertise the opportunity.”

Although traders do not use the second floor of the village, it has functioned as a space for artists and creatives for workshops, performances and exhibitions.

Public opposition to redevelopment has focused on how construction could hurt business-as-usual for traders and change the character of the market.

Garbett added that “there will also be no council properties provided, which are much needed in the area”.

She said traders and shoppers have also questioned how the flats will cope with the market’s noise, which is “part of the nature of Ridley Road”.

“People I have spoken to are concerned that if this is approved there are little protections for the rest of the Shopping Village from being converted into flats, which was the original proposal from Larochette in 2018,” she continued.

The Shopping Village was purchased for £6.5m by offshore investors in 2016, and has repeatedly sought permission for redevelopment into “high-quality” flats, offices and shops, met with vociferous community protests.

Campaigners lobbied the council to grant the historic market Asset of Community Value status to protect traders and studio spaces.

The status was granted in 2019, but Parry-Davies said the latest conversion plans could “damage our Asset of Community Value by replacing cultural uses of the space”.

In January 2022, Hackney Council took over the lease of the indoor market, announcing its plans to modernise the building in a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to help market traders grow their businesses into low-cost permanent premises”.

The Town Hall has also completed a £1 million upgrade to safeguard Ridley Road and “protect Dalston’s heart and soul” in March 2023.

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “Protecting the future of Ridley Road Street Market is an absolute priority, which we remain committed to.

“Last year, a £1.5 million joint investment between Hackney Council and the Mayor of London – that also includes nearby Ashwin Street – created improved facilities for traders and better public spaces throughout the market.

“This investment demonstrated that we’re listening to the community and safeguarding what local people and traders value most about Dalston.

“The Council has actively engaged with the Ridley Road Shopping Village developer to safeguard its future use as an indoor market and designated the building an Asset of Community Value in 2019.

“When works are complete, the ground floor will be an extension to Ridley Road Street Market, with the markets team occupying part of the second floor and the remainder being under private ownership.”

Readers can view the application in full here. 

To raise objections regarding the application, email planning@hackney.gov.uk.  The deadline for representations is now 10 October 2024.

Update: this article was amended on 12 September 2024 to include council comment and to clarify that the £1m upgrade for Ridley Road is now complete.