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Going upmarket
• MANY of us have been around long enough to remember the last street market Islington Council “regenerated”, supposedly for residents in EC1 (Stallholders seek slice of £6.90 pie, July 13).
Ignoring the results of a public consultation, regeneration funding was pumped into Exmouth Market. It became and remains almost exclusively for the wealthy residents of Clerkenwell.
The expensive restaurant tables that now spew out across the pavements on both sides of the street almost make it a no-go area for those of our community who cannot afford to access what’s on sale except from the couple of small shops that remain.
All the promises to reinstate the lost locally-run permanent stalls from Spafield Street to Farringdon Road to meet the needs of local people were quickly forgotten as this obviously would not give the correct image that was required.
Instead, the council tried out a French market (heavily subsidised) for several months and when that did not prosper it replaced it with the current high-cost, cheese-and-bread brigade.
I am sure I am not the only one who can see what the Lib Dem council-led EC1 New Deal is doing to Whitecross Street in Bunhill ward is almost identical to what the former Labour council did with previous regeneration funding for Exmouth Market.
Using regeneration funding specifically allocated to improve the lives of the poorer section of the community to make changes where fewer of those people can make use of a local facility can hardly be proclaimed as progress.
HELEN CAGNONI
Wilmington Square, WC1
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