Assembly member calls for Queen's Crescent works audit
Conservatives question whether money has been wasted on something traders didn't want
Friday, 16th May — By Frankie Lister-Fell
Conservatve Andrew Boff
A LONDON Assembly member said he was “investigating” if the mayor’s money was being well spent on Queen’s Crescent Market.
Andrew Boff, a Tory, said he visited the market, which is currently undergoing renovation after receiving money from Sadiq Khan’s Good Growth Fund, and asked 20 traders and shopkeepers for their thoughts on the project.
Since August last year, the Crescent has been dug up to make way for planters, upgraded lighting, new curbs and a white wavy line design painted on the tarmac, among improvements.
But Mr Boff said: “I was concerned by some of the numbers of the expenditure on the market. An awful lot of money is spent on design and architect fees and less is being spent on making the market better. Every single person I spoke to said ‘this is ridiculous, nobody talked to us’. I was looking for someone to say ‘I really value this investment in the area’. I couldn’t find one person who could have done that.”
In the past, Mr Boff has been involved in running Broadway Market in Hackney, which he now sees as a success.
He said there was “resistance” from the local council at the start but once they listened to traders and residents’ concerns it worked out.
Of Queen’s Crescent, he said: “The planters are in a position where there could be another pitch or stall. It should be built for expansion and not contraction. It’s like it’s been designed by someone who has never been there.”
“One trader said all we wanted was a flat road and an improvement for some of the facilities for traders such as storage.”
Diggers in Queen’s Crescent earlier this year
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We’re proud to be investing £3m in Queen’s Crescent. We’ve spoken with residents, traders and businesses, held co-design workshops, hosted stalls in the market, and shared updates through leaflet drops to over 7,000 homes, plus posters on the street and in community buildings.
“The feedback is continuing to shape the project around what the community wants – like adjustments to the traffic-free zone, improvements to parking and loading spaces, and new storage facilities for traders.
“This is a significant investment in one of Camden’s most important and loved high streets, with the market at the heart of the new public realm design.”
