Latest news with #CityofLondonCorporation
Evening Standard
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
‘Bringer of joy' and choreographer Matthew Bourne earns City of London freedom
Deputy policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, James Thomson, said: 'As well as a major exporter of British dance to the rest of the world, Matthew is also the bringer of much joy, with the ability to leave people walking on air as they file out of the theatre.
Business Mayor
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
‘We trusted them': East End fishmongers take on the City to save ancient markets
It is a mismatched contest: a handful of east London fishmongers taking on the phenomenally wealthy City of London Corporation. But the market traders and a food poverty charity have teamed up to battle City of London Corporation over its plans to close the capital's ancient fish and meat markets for good. The corporation announced the permanent closure of London's historic Smithfield meat market and Billingsgate fish market in late 2024, when it pulled the plug on a planned £1bn relocation to a new sitein the east of the capital at Dagenham. The decision means the end of centuries of meat and fish trading in the capital. Three fishmongers from Ridley Road market in Hackney say they depend on Billingsgate for their business and will go bust if it closes down. Along with their spokesperson Alicia Weston, the founder of Bags of Taste, which teaches cooking skills to people living in poverty, they are fighting to stop parliament from rubber stamping the markets' closure. The corporation, the governing body that runs London's Square Mile, is the owner and operator of both sites, but is not permitted to close down the markets independently. A quirk of their long and storied pasts, the markets were established by acts of parliament that fix them to the existing sites. This means they can only be closed when parliament passes a private bill, repealing the legislation and allowing the land to be used for other purposes. The markets have been granted a stay of execution until 2028. In the meantime, the corporation has said it is offering compensation to Smithfield and Billingsgate traders and is helping them find new locations, but is no longer planning to build a joint replacement site. Read More Mike Ashley urges Boohoo to avoid 'fire sale' of assets Fishmongers Waheed Aslam, Zafar Iqbal and Mohammed Amjad Choudry have objected to the bill, and they say they have the support of a small group of MPs who are opposed to the closure. The Mediterranean fish shop on Ridley Road was started 30 years ago by Aslam's father. Aslam and his business partner Aras Swara, visit Billingsgate market, the UK's largest inland fish market, early in the morning, five days a week, to choose fresh sea bream, snapper, salmon and coley for the shop. Workers at the Mediterranean Fish Shop at Ridley Road market, one of the fishmongers contesting the parliamentary bill which aims to close Billingsgate market. Photograph: Joanna Partridge/The Guardian 'At the market we can choose what we buy, if there's no market, those who are selling will have a monopoly,' said Aslam. 'If there is no Billingsgate, we can't get all this variety,' added Swara, gesturing to a chest freezer containing 13 different types of frozen prawns. Aslam has previously tried buying from wholesalers, but said he was not able to buy the required quantity of fish, or was disappointed by the quality. 'We supply quite a few restaurants around the area, and it would affect them too if the market closes,' he added, as his two employees gutted and cleaned sea bass ordered by a local Caribbean restaurant. The history of a food market around Smithfield – close to Farringdon train station – goes back more than 800 years. The London Museum is in the process of moving to part of the site, which is intended to become a cultural development. Billingsgate, which was moved in 1982 from a City location by the river to a building near the Canary Wharf financial district, has been earmarked for housing. The volumes of meat and fish traded at Smithfield and Billingsgate have fallen significantly since their peak around the turn of the 20th century amid the rise of supermarkets, according to an independent report on the importance of food markets commissioned by the corporation after its decision not to build the Dagenham site. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Despite this, the report found that Smithfield and Billingsgate 'play a vital role in supporting independent retailers, such as butchers and fishmongers' and estimated Billingsgate still accounts for 9%-11% of fish consumption in London and the south-east. The corporation scrapped plans to relocate both markets, along with the New Spitalfields fruit and vegetable market, to a purpose-built complex at Dagenham Dock, saying inflation and rising construction costs had made the project unaffordable. The corporation manages assets worth billions of pounds, and collects £1.3bn in business rates annually, although it passes most of this to central government. London's historic Smithfield meat market. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian The fishmongers and Weston are calling on the corporation to find an alternative location for the markets. 'We trusted them and believed it was going to open in Dagenham, but they broke that trust,' said Weston. 'There are unintended consequences of the closure.' A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said the authority is 'actively supporting the traders at Billingsgate and Smithfield to find new sites for their wholesale activity within the M25. This includes practical support, such as brokering discussions with landowners and developers, and assisting a smooth transition'. 'We just want assurance that an alternative market will be opened,' said Aslam. 'We have a livelihood on the line. We are at the bottom of the chain and have not been given much thought about.'
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Barbican Centre: New designs revealed as part of £240m refurb
London's Barbican Centre has unveiled new design images as part of its plans to refurbish three of its well-known spaces - the conservatory, lakeside, and proposed upgrades, which include a new water feature, form part of the Centre's wider renewal programme, with construction expected to begin in goal is to complete the works two years ahead of the Barbican's 50th anniversary in an earlier statement, the Grade-II listed cultural destination, which opened in 1982, acknowledged that the building had "deteriorated significantly" over the years. 'Inclusive, sustainable and meaningful' After more than 90% of respondents to the first consultation held earlier this year supported the initial proposal, the designs have since been co-design groups, including people aged 18-30 years old were involved in this update, the Centre plans include works to the lakeside terrace, the foyers being redesigned to be more inclusive and with improved facilities. "We've been incredibly encouraged by the public's enthusiasm for our plans,""These new images reflect a vision for the Barbican Centre that stays true to our unique heritage and bold character while making us an inclusive, sustainable and meaningful place for everyone," Philippa Simpson, Director of Buildings and Renewal said. In December, the City of London Corporation, the Centre's founder and principal funder alongside fundraisers committed £240m to support the first five-year phase of year, the Corporation said the Barbican Centre was in need of £451m worth of essential works based on an estimate from a consultant This is to be spread over the next 20-25 years and includes repairing and replacing infrastructure to meet accessibility and net-zero second round of consultation is set to run until 2 June.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Old Bailey flat divided for staff accommodation
A large flat in the Old Bailey is to be divided into two because staff members overseeing the running of the court have been left with nowhere to stay. The keeper and their team, who manage the day-to-day running of the Grade II* listed Central Criminal Court, have been unable to reside in their designated property due to it being used to accommodate judges. Recently-approved plans by the City of London Corporation intend to rectify this by splitting the large fourth-floor flat up. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the subdividing of the flat would provide additional overnight accommodation for staff members such as security, as well as judges. According to the proposal, the living room is to be subdivided into two bedrooms, with a full shower room between them. "Both bedrooms are proposed [to] have built-in furniture to allow for storage, double bed sleeping and spaces for work," the application stated. "The idea being that there will be minimal need for re-arranging or 'resetting' between uses, and the spaces will be comfortable, private and functional for users." The alteration is also taking place in the least important part of the building from a historic perspective. All five flats in the Old Bailey are used for operational purposes, with none of them let out commercially. It is not clear where the keeper and their team have been staying up to this point. Owned and administered by the City of London Corporation, the Old Bailey is one of several buildings housing the Crown Court. A courthouse has existed on the site since the 16th Century. The present building was restored and enlarged following an air-raid in 1941 and latterly in the 1960s and 1970s following damage from an IRA car bomb. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to The secret world of the Old Bailey City of London Corporation
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Old Bailey flat divided for staff accommodation
A large flat in the Old Bailey is to be divided into two because staff members overseeing the running of the court have been left with nowhere to stay. The keeper and their team, who manage the day-to-day running of the Grade II* listed Central Criminal Court, have been unable to reside in their designated property due to it being used to accommodate judges. Recently-approved plans by the City of London Corporation intend to rectify this by splitting the large fourth-floor flat up. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the subdividing of the flat would provide additional overnight accommodation for staff members such as security, as well as judges. According to the proposal, the living room is to be subdivided into two bedrooms, with a full shower room between them. "Both bedrooms are proposed [to] have built-in furniture to allow for storage, double bed sleeping and spaces for work," the application stated. "The idea being that there will be minimal need for re-arranging or 'resetting' between uses, and the spaces will be comfortable, private and functional for users." The alteration is also taking place in the least important part of the building from a historic perspective. All five flats in the Old Bailey are used for operational purposes, with none of them let out commercially. It is not clear where the keeper and their team have been staying up to this point. Owned and administered by the City of London Corporation, the Old Bailey is one of several buildings housing the Crown Court. A courthouse has existed on the site since the 16th Century. The present building was restored and enlarged following an air-raid in 1941 and latterly in the 1960s and 1970s following damage from an IRA car bomb. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to The secret world of the Old Bailey City of London Corporation
