Save Ridley Road Market Campaign Gains National Attention

The campaign to save Ridley Road Market from redevelopment has burst onto the national stage, with coverage in The Guardian, BBC London and Channel 4 News drawing attention to the fight for one of London's last genuinely multicultural street markets.

Ridley Road Market, which has served the diverse communities of Dalston since the 1880s, faces an uncertain future as developer Modular Living Ltd pushes ahead with plans for a mixed-use scheme that would replace the existing market canopy with a new structure incorporating 200 residential units above retail space.

Traders fear that the increased rents and service charges in the new development will push out the West African, Caribbean, Turkish and Vietnamese stallholders who give the market its distinctive character. Currently, stall rents start at around £60 per week — a fraction of what is typical in redeveloped market spaces elsewhere in London.

"My family has had a stall here for 35 years," said Adebayo Ogundimu, who sells Nigerian and Ghanaian groceries. "This market is not just a business — it's a lifeline for our community. People come from all over London because they can't get these products anywhere else at these prices."

The Save Ridley Road Market campaign, founded in 2023, has gathered over 25,000 signatures on its petition and won the backing of MPs Diane Abbott and Apsana Begum. Last weekend's rally drew an estimated 2,000 supporters, making it one of the largest community demonstrations in Dalston's recent history.

Campaign coordinator Lydia Adeyemi told Hackney Live: "Ridley Road is not just a market — it's living proof that a genuinely multicultural, working-class public space can thrive in modern London. If we lose this, we lose something that cannot be rebuilt."

Hackney Council has expressed support for protecting the market's character, but critics argue the council has not gone far enough in opposing the redevelopment. A council spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring that any development preserves the market's diversity and affordability. We are in active discussions with all stakeholders."

The campaign has drawn comparisons with the fate of other London markets that were redeveloped and subsequently lost their original traders and character, including the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre and parts of Brixton Market.

A public inquiry into the development plans is expected to be called later this year. The campaign is urging residents to submit formal objections through Hackney Council's planning portal.