Conservation group SAVE Britain’s Heritage has vowed to continue its fight to prevent the redevelopment of Smithfield Market despite London planners voting 19-2 in favour of the scheme.
SAVE has consistently opposed the proposals which will see the interior of the nineteenth-century market hall gutted to make way for a 235,000 sq ft office and retail development.
Their campaign has attracted the support of the Victorian Society, the Heritage of London Trust and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Many local businesses and residents also oppose the plans and, recently, playwright Alan Bennett added his name to a 2,600 signature petition which was presented to culture minister Ed Vaizy.
Now the group will ask communities secretary Eric Pickles to call in the scheme and has vowed to take the fight to the courts if this fails.
“We were always expecting to have to be writing to the secretary of state. If he doesn’t call it in, then we’ll go for a judicial review,” said SAVE director Clem Cecil.
The group maintains that it is unnecessary to demolish the market halls, which it describes as being among the finest in Europe. Instead, they have given their backing to an alternative, conservation-led, scheme from Urban Space Management (USM) which would retain the existing buildings.
They argue that this proposal involves no new foundations or major engineering work, allowing construction to begin immediately. When completed it would provide a retail space similar to that of Borough Market.
Supporters of the renovation dismiss SAVE’s objections and claim that the architects, John McAslan + Partners, have a reputation for carrying out sensitive redevelopments of historic environments. They also highlight the fact that the majority of the façade will be preserved and that the scheme will bring the market back into use.
Chief planning officer Peter Rees believes the redevelopment will attract tenants seeking more affordable rents than those of the West End and insists that the heritage concerns have been addressed.
“The architect has to tread a fine line. It’s a good balance between regeneration and conservation. The site is the ideal opportunity to bring new life to the area,” he said.
John McAslan said that it is a ‘great project’ and he is ‘delighted’ with the outcome of the planning meeting. “It’s entirely up to SAVE what they do,” he added.
