Protect our traders' livelihoods: Keep Tooting Market open until 10.30pm!

Tooting Market, London's oldest indoor Market, is at risk due to the implementation of planning restrictions that would have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of our trading community—and force many of our food traders to close. Our Totterdown entrance is threatened with early closure in the evening - which would cut off both crucial delivery carrier trade & walk-in trade. Please sign our petition to keep it open until 10.30pm.

We are home to a community of around 70 traders who have shown immense resilience during the pandemic, working hard to serve the Tooting community amidst an extremely tough environment for small business. Since 2013, traders and public have used the Totterdown Street entrance to the market until late. As part of an additional development to the market, planning conditions were put in place in 2017 restricting the opening hours to 8pm. These restrictions were never enforced and the entrance continued (and continues) to remain open until 10.30pm. This is now at risk.

The Totterdown Street entrance is critical for facilitating delivery carriers (such as Deliveroo, UberEats, and JustEat). They park and pick up via this entrance. These carriers represent 40% of food traders’ revenues since the pandemic. This entrance also  generates significant evening walk-in trade. An early closure will annihilate this, impacting all traders and most acutely those located near to the Totterdown entrance - including Mina’s Restaurant, Secret Bar, Poptata, Smashing Plates, Ding Ding, Panzerotto, V-Belly, Mange Des Iles, Lone Fisherman, Graveney Social, Boom Bap, and Toast & Tacos.

The later opening hours are crucial as many of our traders rely on the night-time economy to stay financially viable. We are a Market that strives to cater for all the whole community and open all day, every day for the people of Tooting. For many of our food traders, however, evening customers provide the largest proportion of their takings—and this will be critically compromised if we are forced to shut our Totterdown street entrance early. Marco of Poptata says:

“This proposed change will kill our trade both with walk-ins and pick ups. The operations with our delivery parties will be compromised translating in a loss of thousand of pounds a week - and as such we will likely be forced to close”

The reason behind the implementation of planning restrictions is due to disruption during the Euros finals last summer, when the lifting of pandemic restrictions together with England reaching the final resulted in large crowds gathering on the Totterdown forecourt. We fully acknowledge the disruption caused to our neighbours and pledge the following going forwards:

• Increased security on the Totterdown Street entrance of the market
• Establish an open dialogue with residents to sound out concerns and resolve matters before they escalate

We are hugely grateful for the support of the community and we ask that you join us in this petition to the Secretary of State. Please request that our Totterdown Street entrance remains open until 10.30pm, to ensure our traders' small businesses are protected and continue to thrive.