Newham Council has secured £2million of grant funding from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund which will support the development and delivery of four projects centred around Queens Market in Upton Park that have been developed with traders, residents and businesses.
The Council will be embarking on an extensive programme of engagement to develop and refine the projects with the local community with a phased implementation due to commence next year.
Work will take place with traders and market shoppers to co-design and develop the best ideas and solutions to improve the look, feel and function of Queens Market. As part of the plans, the public spaces surrounding the market will be upgraded to provide better places for residents to relax and socialise.
The Council will also be using vacant retail units to provide a new community arts, culture and wellbeing space that will feature content and activities from a range of creative organisations based in Newham, as part of exciting cultural plans that are being developed for the borough.
Many of the events and programming will be free and there will also be a new café which will spill out on to the open space to create a vibrant community experience for local residents. The Council will also launch its first truly affordable workspace as part of its Community Wealth Building strategy that will provide more opportunities for residents to start or grow their businesses in the borough.
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said: “I am delighted that the Mayor of London has awarded the Council £2 million that will be used to bring forward improvements to Queens Market that our traders and shoppers say they would like to see.
“The funding will also support our ambitious Community Wealth Building programme which we launched in January that will put our residents at the forefront of opportunities and give them the tools to create their own wealth right here in Newham. This is a really exciting time and I would like to thank the local community for helping to shape our proposals and would encourage as many local residents and businesses to get involved in the next stages including the creative activities planned as part of our new programme of community based and enriching cultural opportunities.”