Sir Sadiq Khan has been urged to protect vital community assets from being priced out when London’s markets and railway arches undergo regeneration schemes.
The mayor was on Friday issued with a report by the London Assembly, which warns he must ensure “regeneration enhances, rather than erodes, the social fabric of our city”.
Sir Sadiq’s office insisted in response that the mayor “understands the importance of London’s markets and arches, and the benefits they bring to local communities”.
It comes as the Assembly’s planning and regeneration committee concludes its investigation into ‘social value’ assets, and whether they are being adequately protected in London’s planning processes.
While the committee acknowledged that social value “means different things to different people”, a mayoral official said City Hall defines it as “something about strengthening the civic infrastructure, the building blocks, the physical spaces and places where we come together”.
The committee said that “despite the growing awareness of social value by planners,” there continue to be “numerous examples of markets and arch-based businesses under threat - facing eviction, closure, or profound disruption as a result of regeneration projects”.
The report added: “We have heard that existing social value is still too often neglected when places are redeveloped in London. As a result, social value can be lost – or destroyed – causing irreversible damage to communities.
“This loss of social value through development particularly affects low-income, marginalised and minority communities.”
The Standard last year reported on Len Maloney, a popular local car mechanic in Haggerston, who was evicted from his arch after falling more than £112,000 behind on his rent.
His landlord was Places for London, a property company owned by Transport for London, which in turn is chaired by Sir Sadiq. The rent arrears had built up after Mr Maloney’s rent was more than doubled in the space of only two years, just prior to the Covid pandemic.
Supported by the East End Trades Guild, Mr Maloney tried to convince the mayor to ensure that Places for London re-designated his business as a ‘social value’ enterprise, as it had “links to 12 local schools and colleges providing apprenticeships, work experience and informal mentorship to young people in need of guidance”. The eviction went ahead in November 2024, though his rent arrears were waived.
In its new report, the planning and regeneration committee has told the mayor that the “next London Plan should include a social value policy” which would “set out a process by which planning decisions will ensure community voices are heard and reflected and account for the unique character of a place”.
The London Plan is the key document outlining how London should develop over the coming years, and plays a central role in determining which projects receive planning permission across the capital.
The committee’s Tory chairman, Andrew Boff, said: “Regenerating London’s markets and arches can create vital new space for communities to socialise, innovate, learn and grow.
“But too often, the social value of these places is being lost or destroyed when businesses are forced to relocate or close – and when communities aren’t given enough of a say in redevelopment.
“These consequences all too often have a disproportionate impact on low-income, marginalised and minority communities.
“Our recommendations can help the mayor place Londoners’ voices at the heart of planning decisions affecting some of their most valuable spaces, protecting and increasing the value that markets and arches provide to the communities they serve.”
A spokeswoman for Sir Sadiq responded: “The mayor understands the importance of London’s markets and arches, and the benefits they bring to local communities, which is why the current London Plan aims to deliver social value through its Good Growth objectives.
“The mayor will consider the London Assembly’s report recommendations, including as part of his work to develop the next London Plan.”
