Market Storage

One of the mysteries of Camden Council is where the money goes. In 2018 Camden Council were granted £1.1m for works to improve Queen’s Crescent (part of the London Mayor’s Good Growth funding). 5 years later there is no sign of any of the promised improvements, including “awnings, signage, electric bollards etc”.

In 2020, councillors were presented with a strategy for street market development. Queen’s Crescent was going to be a “test bed” for “community stalls / market pilot projects/provision of prep kitchens for traders and training”. Nothing has happened.

In 2019, Camden’s public engagement consultants hired for £54,000 outlined a simple pilot project to help market traders: one garage under one of the housing blocks close to Queen’s Crescent would be divided in two for use as low cost market trader storage. Camden blustered for a while that the work was happening then nothing did—as usual around Queen’s Crescent.

Over in Swiss Cottage, there is a basic but very useful single storey building next to the market pitches between Hampstead Theatre and the theatre school. One trader there says that it is a godsend, as they don’t have a van or space at home. Without the store, the couldn’t operate.

The storage is rather nifty: market stalls are stored and moved around on roll cages of the type used by delivery men to move food between supply vehicles and shops. It has clean-up facilities, somewhere where you could make a cup of tea and importantly a loo.

We need something similar to support Queen’s Crescent market. There are ways a new simple single storey building could provide a bit of useful accessible storage for market traders. One idea is to use the derelict corner of the Cheriton block opposite The Robert Peel pub. A single storey building could be built just there and also serve as some kind of positive advertisement for the market. The yard of the Cheriton block could, with minimal adjustment, serve as all-weather area of the market.

Alternatively the existing garage spaces should be used as promised.

Some temporary facility is needed now, before permanent facilities can be provided, possibly as part of the West Kentish Town development.