Key information
Publication type: General
Publication status: Adopted
The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has written to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, calling on him to fight the planned closure of Billingsgate and Smithfield Markets.
The letter warns that businesses who use the Markets, and the associated social, cultural and economic benefits they bring to the capital, could be permanently lost.
Throughout its ongoing investigation into social value in London’s markets and arches, the Committee has heard repeatedly that social and community value are too often not taken into account in planning decisions.
The Committee recommends:
- The Mayor of London should urgently seek a meeting with the Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, and use it to call for the Corporation to reconsider and reverse this decision.
- If the decision is not reversed, the Mayor should work with partners across London and urgently seek suitable alternative locations for these two iconic London markets.