East London fishmongers already struggling to survive and Billingsgate Market closure would be killer blow

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has spoken with traders at Hackney’s Ridley Road and Tower Hamlets’ Whitechapel markets, who rely on browsing the multitude of wholesalers at Billingsgate to get their own fish to sell.

They say an alternative location within London for the famous market is essential for them to continue operating. One said unless a new site is found the market should remain at its base in Poplar, by Canary Wharf. The City of London Corporation agreed last November to cancel a proposed relocation of Smithfield and Billingsgate to a new state-of-the-art facility in Dagenham and to instead pull out of running both markets, with their closure earmarked for 2028.

The LDRS spoke with two of the fish sellers at Ridley Road Market who signed a petition calling for a replacement market to be found before the closure is rubber stamped by Parliament. The petition was filed on behalf of traders by food poverty charity Bags of Taste.

Zafar Iqbal has been running stalls on Ridley Road for around 20 years selling produce including fish. He said he was aware of the move to Dagenham, though until he was visited by Bags of Taste’s founder and Chief Executive, Alicia Weston, he did not know the relocation had been cancelled. He said it is important any new site is within the M25 and accessible for customers.

Go beyond the story - sign up for our LondonWorld newsletter

“If it’s going to close, then we want to [have an] alternative [that] they’re going to give us, where we can go,” he said. He added if an alternative is not found, ‘they shouldn’t move it’.

Asked what the impact would be on his business if there were issues finding a new site, he said: “We can suffer, the businessmen can suffer, the market can suffer. We’d have to close down.”

Amjad Choudhry, who has been on the market for more than two decades, also purchases most of his fish from Billingsgate. He told the LDRS things are already ‘very hard’, with pressures such as rising energy costs, and said an accessible replacement in London for Billingsgate is key.

“It’s already very hard to survive, you know,” he said, adding: “I can’t work anywhere else now at my age. I can’t find [another] job.”

The LDRS also spoke to a trader at another East London market, Whitechapel, who similarly raised concerns about the plans to close Billingsgate before a new site has been located. “It would be an issue,” they said. “Something needs to be done. Fish is a big trade.”

Not all fish sellers at the two markets said it would impact their business, and a recent food security report compiled by an independent company for the City of London Corporation found there would be little disruption, assuming new sites are found.

A spokesperson for the Corporation said they have ‘carefully considered’ the views expressed and are engaging with traders about their concerns. Traders at Billingsgate and Smithfield are to be paid compensation, with a reported £300 million-plus put aside for this purpose. They can continue operating at the existing sites until 2028.

See what’s going on in London - check us out on TikTok

The decision was largely due to concerns over ballooning costs associated with the move. Smithfield is to become a cultural and commercial hub, to include the new London Museum, while Billingsgate is to be turned to housing.

The Corporation is assisting both markets to find new premises, with the majority of traders indicating they want to continue operating once they leave their current bases. A Private Bill, which is required for the Corporation to close Smithfield and Billingsgate, is making its way through Parliament. As part of its passage, individuals or groups directly impacted by the closure of the markets were able to submit objections. Three were filed, two of which have since been withdrawn due to not complying with Parliament’s rules regarding who qualifies as directly affected.

The remaining objection was the one submitted by Bags of Taste on behalf of fish sellers and customers at Ridley Road Market. It claimed three traders had warned they would close down if a new Billingsgate site is not found.

“If there was no central market they would need to ‘spend the whole day driving around London’ to get the same fish from different suppliers, as they would not be willing to deliver such small quantities,” the objection read. “One business owner said that this is the only business he knows, and would end up on benefits as he didn’t have any other options.”

Ms Weston, who started Bags of Taste in 2014, however said the distress among some of the traders on Ridley Road Market at the potential loss of Billingsgate encouraged her to file the objection.

Get the latest updates - follow us on our Facebook page

“It was a level of distress, certainly. Because they didn’t know, that’s the key thing, that none of them knew. So how was anyone going to complain if they don’t even know? They’re all trusting that there was a replacement because that’s what they’ve been told.”

A City of London spokesperson said: “We have carefully considered the views expressed in the petition, and we are now engaging with the Ridley Road Market traders about their concerns.

“The City of London Corporation is actively assisting traders from both Billingsgate and Smithfield Markets to move to more modern, suitable premises that will allow them to grow their businesses. Billingsgate Market will not be closing until 2028 at the earliest, and 90 per cent of its traders intend on moving to a location within the M25.”