We are calling on councillors at Southwark and Lambeth Council, O2, Vodafone and Virgin to remove the mass of telecommunication boxes that have been installed outside family-run Guyanese takeaway Umana Yana, Herne Hill. These large phone exchange boxes are blocking the shop front from public view and are destroying the business.

If these boxes don’t go, Umana Yana will be forced to close.

The restaurant, located on Croxted Road, borders both Lambeth and Southwark Council jurisdiction. Umana Yana-owner Deborah Monfries, Herne Hill Forum, and restaurant regulars have been fighting the decision and appealing to both councils, who have been shifting the blame for the decision between them and have repeatedly refused to tackle the misplacement of the boxes. 

Locals also appealed to Virgin Media, one of the companies using the boxes, to relocate the boxes, but were told the operation would be ‘too expensive’. Virgin Media, a global media giant, has had an average yearly revenue of £4.86 billion GBP since 2014.

There are five large telecom boxes outside Umana Yana which have been installed by O2, Virgin Media and Vodafone. Unfortunately, these boxes were installed despite planning permission being refused by Southwark Council. The first large box was installed outside Umana Yana in 2012. Then more boxes kept appearing. One of the boxes was erected after the council failed to make a planning decision in time. Southwark Council owns the land outside Umana Yana, but the boxes are used by Lambeth Council and are rented out to mobile phone operators.

A previous petition from 2017 gathered 2000 signatures but was ultimately ignored by both Lambeth and Southwark council. In response to this negligence, The Save Umana Yana campaign have relaunched a petition and a fundraiser to help support the restaurant in its fight to get rid of the boxes once and for all.