Here at City Hall we know that Tottenham has huge potential. The diverse local community is filled with entrepreneurial spirit. It also has excellent transport links, both to central London and to the wider south-east. Our challenge is how to ensure Tottenham reaches its potential.
To help, we’ve been working with Haringey Council on an ambitious strategy for Tottenham. Together, we hope to boost the local economy, create new jobs and build more homes. By 2025, there’ll be up to 10,000 new homes and over 5,000 new jobs in the area.
We’re both clear that one of the ways we will measure success is how much Tottenham’s current residents benefit from this regeneration. That means being able to access jobs and business opportunities and world-class education and training. It also means supporting a strong and healthy community. That is why backing business, jobs and skills initiatives are central to the Mayor and Haringey Council’s joint £41m investment package.
The Opportunity Investment Fund is part of this effort. This £3.65m fund aims to help existing small businesses grow. It also aims to attract new start-ups. One such business is Chicken Town on Tottenham Green which opened on 9 November. You might call this new social enterprise a local superhero with a double-life to rival Batman…
Let me explain. By night, Chicken Town is a ‘proper’ restaurant. It serves the kind of tasty chicken and side dishes that have proved so popular elsewhere in London. By day, it battles childhood obesity. That means using the profits of evening trade to subsidise £2 healthy chicken meals for school students and young people. Their ‘Junior Specials’, created by some of London’s top chefs offer a far tastier and healthier version of the fast food they’d be eating otherwise. For example, a typical fried chicken contains 30g fat and 549 calories, while Chicken Town’s equivalent has just 10.9g fat and 204 calories.
Chicken Town isn’t just about giving locals a healthy fast food option. All the staff have been recruited from the area. These employees are being trained and mentored by some of the leading lights of the UK’s catering industry. This will help the progress from entry level jobs to a solid career. And with Chicken Town already doing great business, the future looks bright for Tottenham’s new superhero.
About Chicken Town
Chicken Town is a Create London project. It was sent up with a £210,000 loan and a £90,000 grant from the Opportunity Investment Fund. In its first three years, it will provide at least 40 jobs and two apprenticeships. Find out more
Apply for the Opportunity Investment Fund
We’re investing £310k and £90k in grants to four projects. The loans will be repaid and used to create more opportunities for businesses and new jobs in Tottenham. The deadline for applications to round two of the fund is 11 December 2015. To find out more, email Haringey's Economic Regeneration team