Shepherd's Bush Market: Protesters oppose trader's eviction

Protesters have been campaigning against the trader's eviction

Campaigners have held a protest at a west London market to oppose the eviction of a trader, after she refused to sign a new lease.

It comes after a major redevelopment plan for Shepherd's Bush Market was approved by the council in December.

Protesters say the plan, including an eight-storey building, will push traders out with increased rents and is "a threat" to the market's "diversity".

Market owners, Yoo Capital, said the eviction was an "isolated incident".

Speaking to BBC Radio London, Louise Page-Jennings, from the company, said: "We provided [the trader] with a licence, we did provide her with a lease as well - neither were agreeable to her so it came to the point where we had no alternative but to unfortunately say that we couldn't provide a unit for her in the market at this time."

Campaigners gathered in Shepherd's Bush Market

Meron Gwingger, who has run Hone Books Galore since October 2022, said she refused to sign the lease due to the new terms of the agreement.

Ms Gwingger said she felt the new agreement would give her landlords access to her business at any time.

Ms Page-Jennings told the BBC that under the terms of the lease, landlords would have to give notice to enter.

The book stall owner said that following her refusal to sign, she was served an eviction notice and then discovered her shop had been boarded up and the locks changed on Monday, with the contents still inside.

She told BBC Radio London: "People are scared in the market," adding that she did not know why she had been evicted, saying: "It baffles me."

• Market protesters disrupt council meeting

• Redevelopment of historic market approved

The new plan for the market includes an eight-storey building for offices, shops, stalls, a cafe and 40 flats.

Campaigners say the plan will push traders out through increased rents and is "a threat to the diversity of the market".

An artist's impression of how the site may look after the work

Ms Page-Jennings said Yoo Capital wanted to "improve the infrastructure of the market".

She told the BBC that representatives had been to the market regularly to talk to traders.

'Rents frozen'

She added: "Gentrification is a really big issue and it's something that we're really conscious of and it's something that we really challenge ourselves to address."

Ms Page-Jennings said rents had been frozen until 2031 and Yoo Capital was giving £5.5m to traders to help them during the transition process.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's spokesperson said they were unable to comment to "maintain neutrality" on a planning application that could eventually be put before the mayor to make a decision on.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council would not comment on the protest or issue with the trader.

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