Following the presentation from Murad Qureshi at last year’s NABMA Conference about the work being undertaken by the London Assembly to highlight issues affecting London markets a major report has now been published by the London Assembly making recommendations about the future of London’s markets.

The report highlights some of the issues facing London markets and acknowledges that although some London markets are prospering, others are in decline and facing major problems.

While London’s markets are primarily street market in nature, the report acknowledges that a number of the issues affecting London markets are similar to those faced by markets all around the country.

The report proposes that there should be an overall strategy for London’s markets with The Mayor developing a “Hundred London Markets Strategy”. It is proposed that this should be drawn up in consultation with professional and other representative bodies, as well as London’s retail market traders and customers. The London Assembly expects to see significant progress towards an agreed strategy within a year of the report’s publication.

The prime objective of the “Hundred London Markets Strategy” should be to:

(a) Protect London’s market spaces by adopting and implementing planning policies to protect them from the threat of redevelopment and to promote the establishment of new markets.

(b) To ensure that London’s retail markets are first class facilities and management.

(c) Take all necessary steps to make London’s retail markets financially viable and sustainable.

(d) Promote London’s markets to residents and visitors through Visit to London in particular.

The report goes on to recommend that The Mayor should within six months commission research to evaluate the effective and impact of existing planning policies, including the use of Section 106 Agreements, across London and feed the findings into the forthcoming supplementary planning guidance on town centres.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) should also use the research as a basis for developing best practice and advice to local authorities, including those involved in projects as part of the “Hundred London Market Strategy”.

The London Development Agency (LDA) should develop a programme for delivering business support to market traders which is co-ordinated with projects under the One Hundred London Market Strategy.

The London Development Agency (LDA) and Visit London should also use the One Hundred London Market scheme as a vehicle for promoting London’s markets to tourists, using its website and supporting the development of marketing and promotional materials (such as branded reusable cloth bags).

The London Development Agency (LDA) and Visit London should develop a strategy to promote markets in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Para Olympic Games.

There is much in the recommendations of the report that is of relevance to the work NABMA has been doing. It is intended to seek further involvement with the ongoing work that will be undertaken with the London Assembly so that we can seek to link London markets with markets throughout the rest of the United Kingdom.