Noise and filth caused by foodstalls on the street are making life difficult for buisnesses, one local shop owner has claimed
City workers queue up for food at Petticoat Lane Food Market while Ink Me Tattoo Studio is hidden in the background(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
‘Noise, disruption, smoke and grease’ are making life ‘difficult’ for local businesses in London’s famous Petticoat Lane Market, says a shop owner. Businesses on Wentworth Street in the iconic Petticoat Lane Market say they are fed up with food stalls setting up outside their homes and shops every day.
Petticoat Lane Market’s Food Court has been around for years, but has recently seen a surge in popularity. Around 30 street food stalls set up on the road in front of shops and homes on pitches designated by Tower Hamlets Council, with queues of customers and cooking smoke filling the street every day, much to the growing annoyance of its residents.
“I get no peace,” says Michael Fox, owner of the Ink Me tattoo shop in Wentworth Street, “The amount of rubbish left behind, the noise, the smoke, it’s horrible.”
Michael is one of many local business owners and residents calling on the council to change how Petticoat Lane Food Court operates. A local petition claims the Food Court is creating “a public health, environmental, and heritage disaster”.
Michael Fox believes businesses are being ‘boxed out’ as food stalls block them from potential customers(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
“I have to pay cleaners to clean the front [of the shop]”, Michael says, “You see them throwing oil into the street drains, and then the drains get blocked.”
“We pay business rates as stores here, but we get no help from the council. The food market has caused nothing but problems,” he adds.
‘I’ve seen so many shops close in the last few years’
Michael, who opened his shop five years ago, claims he spends up to £300 a month on cleaners to clean the front windows of his shop from the ‘grease and smoke stains’ caused by the food stalls. The Petticoat Lane Food Court is separate from the iconic taders market that has been there for hundreds of years. It was set up by Tower Hamlets Council in 2009.
Michael also worries that the state of the street and that his shop is somewhat hidden from view by the stalls means he gets fewer customers.
“I’m only surviving because I have a name in the area, and people actively come out looking for me,” he said, “I’ve seen so many shops close in the last few years because they can’t survive. Anyone trying to start a business here without a brand beforehand won’t succeed. The council knows all these issues, but they don’t do anything.”
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: “The food stall in question is not operating illegally. It has been licensed by the council to trade from this location since May 2023, and a licensed trader occupied this pitch prior to that.
“Wentworth Street has been home to market trading for many decades, and this pitch forms part of an established market. Market traders were operating in this location before [Mr Fox’s] business opened.
“We carry out regular inspections of the food court alongside our environmental health and pollution teams to monitor matters such as smoke and grease, and the area is cleaned regularly by the council. We recognise that grease build-up can be challenging in locations where hot food is prepared, and are trialling a number of specialist cleaning methods to find the most effective solution.
“We take concerns raised by businesses seriously and continue to work with traders and local businesses to ensure the market operates safely, responsibly and in a way that supports the wider area.”
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