Dalston,
22
March
2023
|
15:47
Europe/London

Protecting Dalston’s heart and soul – £1m Ridley Road market upgrade completes

Residents, shoppers and traders are benefitting from a greener, safer and more accessible Ridley Road after a £1 million upgrade to safeguard the future of the historic street market in Dalston was completed.

The changes – part of an overall £1.5 million joint investment between Hackney Council and the Mayor of London that also includes nearby Ashwin Street – have created improved facilities for traders and better public spaces throughout the market, delivered in partnership with Marlborough Highways.

These include new street trees, planting, greenery and places to sit designed in collaboration with market traders, with dedicated character areas such as a hot food stall zone.

At Ashwin Street, home to some of Dalston’s best cultural venues including the Arcola Theatre and the affordable workspace provider Bootstrap, changes includes new signage, street trees, planters and paving.

The investment has created a greener, more accessible and more pedestrian and cycle-friendly street, helping the area build on its reputation as a focal point for Dalston’s creative organisations.

The Ridley Road improvements are part of a package of initiatives to protect and enhance the market including new market stalls and free wifi, with the Council also set to take over the privately-owned Ridley Road Shopping Village to be managed in the interests of traders and the local community, as well as introducing new local planning rules to ensure any new development supports rather than impedes the market.

 Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney

Ridley Road is the heart and soul of Dalston, and this investment has demonstrated that we’re listening to the community and safeguarding what local people and traders value most in a neighbourhood that has gone through big change. It was great to be there with local councillors, in the market last week to see the positive impact of this work first hand.

Alongside the improvements to support Ashwin Street’s cultural quarter, we’re creating a greener, more accessible town centre while reinforcing the inclusive, independent and creative local economy that Dalston is known for today.

Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney

The upgrade of Ridley Road market is just one of the terrific projects we’ve delivered through the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund. These recently completed works will make this vibrant east London market accessible for all, strengthen its role within Dalston Town Centre and support our aim to build a more prosperous London for all.

Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe

The improvements are very welcome, we have new gazebos, we have wifi, then we can use card payment. We have a new floor, there is a lot of safety at the moment with anti-social behaviour. The improvements that we need left is just for the storage yards to have cameras and lights. Overall the communication with Hackney Council has been very good, we are very happy with the improvements.

Hemin, a trader at Rodley Road Market

These projects are part of the Council’s commitment to deliver on the priorities identified by around 5,000 local people in the Dalston Conversation, the Council’s biggest ever place-based engagement exercise, including the need to safeguard the much-loved local institutions like Ridley Road market.

They have been funded through the Good Growth Fund, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's £70 million regeneration programme to support growth and community development in London.

Find out more about regeneration in Dalston