During the riots, footage and photos of burning carpet warehouses and other torched commercial property held the front pages of most newspapers and news bulletins.
The London boroughs of Tottenham and Croydon are synonymous with these images, gathered over several days and nights of violence labelled by many as the worst in living memory.
In an effort to help landlords and retailers get their properties open and trading again in these areas, the government have made a number of pledges.
Among them is a fund of £20m that will to go towards getting high street shops up and running again. This amount joins the £50m already promised to London businesses by London Mayor Boris Johnson. The London Enterprise Fund will be used to invest in transport infrastructure, buying and rebuilding existing commercial property and to fund deferred tax payments for companies across the capital.
Companies will also be able to defer their tax payments. The Valuation Office has been instructed to suspend council tax liability and business rates.
The deadline for affected residential and commercial property owners to apply for compensation under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 has already been extended from 14 to 42 days.
Both Croydon and Tottenham had been heavily touted as possible Enterprise Zones. These are areas the government earmarks for rapid economic growth. They benefit from discounts on business rates, fast broadband and planning freedoms, fuelling commercial property growth potential.
Chancellor George Osborne had previously nominated ten areas across the UK, including London, Liverpool, Manchester, the West of England and the North East, to become Enterprise Zones. Sites in Kent, Essex and Cambridgeshire are among the next eleven to join the existing zones. Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles highlighted the progress of areas now vibrant with commercial property, such as Docklands which previously benefitted from additional government funding and now joins the City as a centre for international finance.
The commercial property industry in Tottenham and Croydon will now be hoping for a similar upturn in fortunes.
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