Sustainable Urban Markets

Church Street Market
Delivering regeneration
Church Street market is a traditional market in the City of Westminster. It has
over 200 stalls on Saturdays and up to 100 on weekdays, attracting 5 million
visitors a year. The offer is international and mixed, ranging from high-end antiques
and Arabic textiles to value and quality fruit and vegetables. The barbequed kebabs
are legendary!
Many of the 11,000 nearby residents make daily trips to the market, which is at
the heart of the neighbourhood. Traders, some of whose families have worked in
the market for generations, know many of their customers by name.
In 2013, local residents voted strongly in support of Westminster’s ‘Futures Plan’.
The plan will deliver regeneration to the area over the next four years. By 2018
four housing developments will generate up to £20 million to be invested in
employment, business support, district energy, a new park, and improvements
to the market. There will be a new health and community centre and an enterprise
hub. The vision is to create one of the most liveable neighbourhoods in London
built around a successful retail and market street.
The short-term priorities are to promote Church Street and its street market,
and improve the customer experience through visual merchandising – the look
of the stalls and the presentation of goods. In addition Westminster is establishing
an inclusive, representative Traders’ Association – something the Mayor of London
wants to see more of.
Westminster will then deliver improved trader storage units and parking
opportunities and a new recycling and waste collection facility for the market.
The plan is to commence a series of high quality public realm schemes including the
provision of new electric supplies for traders and a new event space. The event
space will see regular speciality markets further helping to promote destination
Church Street.
Post 2018 further housing developments are planned which will modernise retail
units on key blocks and give further opportunities to position Church Street as a
‘best in class’ traditional, destination street market. The key partners in the project
are Westminster City Council, Vital Regeneration and provisionally the Church
Street Market Traders’ Association.
www.westminster.gov.uk/church-street-neighbourhood-regeneration
Image: Westminster City Council
32 | Sustainable Urban Markets Cross River Partnership | 33