Portobello Market is a unique economic ecosystem that has, over many decades, become a world-leading visitor destination.
A 2009 Report into RBKC’s Visitor Economy was conducted by Acorn Consulting Partnership.
It found that - of specifically named destinations in the Borough, Portobello Road Market was by far the best-liked among Londoners!
Harrods beat it only among visitors from elsewhere in the UK and overseas. Portobello Market performed better among all audiences than any named Museum in the Borough - such as the Natural History Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
In its list of “Key Issues” identified by its Visitor Strategy analysis, the same Report states that “There are also concerns that large numbers of tourists to areas such as Portobello Market cause the decline of good quality local services in favour of souvenir shops.”
These issues were key in 2009; so why are they now entirely absent from the current Report? Subjectively; there’s an impression that the numbers of visitors continue to grow. So where are comparable, updated statistics on visitor attitudes available now - 15 years later?
The Culture Plan published in 2020 makes little specific mention of Portobello Market and makes no similarly quantified analysis of its cultural value. However, it does state as an outcome: (B8) RBKC’s intention “To promote Market trading on Portobello and Golbourne Roads, as well as other market sites throughout the Borough.
Similarly, it is no coincidence that other than an image of Portobello Road to the south; so without Market stalls) on its front cover, RBKC’s new Local Economic Strategy “Live, Work and Learn” makes no mention at all of Portobello Market as an integral part of the Portobello economic unit.
The sole exception is a generic reference to “Support the development of street markets through partnership with Traders’ Associations; seeking to maintain a diverse and vibrant offer to attract visitors and continue the success of these unique parts of the Borough.”
The above contrasts sharply with the Council’s Report on Kensington High Street . Action 37 of this Report specifies that it’s “Place-shaping programme and Action Plan support the delivery of Economic Strategy Objectives; balancing different uses with the needs of residents; jobseekers; businesses and visitors. Why do the scope and recommendations of the Portobello place-shaping programme not lead with similar economically driven objectives?
You can request a link to this report by emailing business@rbkc.gov.uk
What analysis has been done by the teams overseeing Economic Development; Strategy and Visitor Strategy to ensure any proposed changes to Portobello Road align with those Strategies? …."
Alternatively, please go online to read "Live Work Life - Our Plan for a Successful Local Economy." It's 44 pages, packed with detail on RBKC's local economy. Yet there's not one reference to Portobello or Golborne Markets!
ReplyDeletePlease go to the RBKC website. Type in "LIVE WORK LIFE" and scroll down a little. Click on it and start reading. It's RBKC's plan to kill Portobello & Golborne Markets.
Surely this cannot be true. The whole world comes to London to visit Portobello market. What is the council thinking of? It needs to come online to explain.
ReplyDeleteThe Council also has a Markets Plan 2022-2027, a 5-year plan for Portobello Market and across Kensington and Chelsea https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/business-and-enterprise/business-advice/markets-and-street-trading
ReplyDelete2022 - 27 is effectively history. Whatever secret plans RBKC has, will take 3 years to organise. The councils Live Work Learn plan is undated, but is definitely new. Faulks pretends she wrote it. Her photo shows her grinning at her own cleverness. She needs to answer the question, how can RBKC have a local economic plan that ignores Portobello and Golborne markets? And how many market people has she decided are gong to lose their jobs? Finally, when will she shut down the Notting Hill Carnival?
DeleteWell I could say I’m surprised by the underhand actions of RBKC but I am not. Their actions are yet another attempt to cleanse and homogenise a market that is known across the globe. They want to turn it into rows of eateries all paying generously into the council’s coffers (namely business rates etc etc). Where do we the residents fit into this scheme I ask myself. I wonder who is to gain from this scheme ? It certainly will not be us the people who live here. The council should and must be brought to account for this devious plan. It should not be allowed to go ahead and we should be told how much has been spent on this already.
ReplyDeleteThe massive amount of money made from selling tat to tourists has meant Portobello Market is already not what it used to be.
DeleteThe fault for that is with the staff from the council making it impossible for newcomers to obtain permission to trade.
DeleteI believe this. The council purposely left 10 food stalls empty for years and refuse to let new food stalls open. Temporary stalls selling souvenirs take over. It's done on purpose to annoy local people.
Delete10,17 is mostly right, but councils collect business rates for HMRC. K & C keeps 10% of the money. The rest goes to the government.
DeleteThe council has spent years making poor people leave, because they need council services. Rich people don't.
Restaurants open and close all the time, but the market has survived for more than 150 years. Market people won't let them shut it down. Everyone visits Portobello market.
I never said the council keeps all of the revenue from business rates. As a former council officer I can assure you that the 10% adds up to a lot of money.
DeleteThis story is gaining traction. There was a local radio discussion about it yesterday. If the council thinks local people will simply accept closure of the markets, they must be mad. I expect there's far more to know.
ReplyDeleteRBKC has turned the creation of social divisiveness into an art form. Why not close down Hornton Street? They're not even competent in their viciousness.
ReplyDeleteThis is a shocking story. Perhaps most. shocking is that the Council's seems to believe it can get away with closing down our fabulous markets. The whole world knows Paddington and the Notting Hill film. Then there's all the history and music. Crazy.
ReplyDeleteThere's something underhand going on. Time for the Dame to shine the bright light of truth
ReplyDeleteThere's something very sneaky gong on here. Time for the Dame to shine a bright light into the murky corners of this affair. It's typical RBKC.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the Labour councillors? They seem more interested in attacking each other than a serious, but typical RBKC issue. Stealing valuable, publicly owned. N. Kensington assets, to hand to commercial interests, is what RBKC does. It's just more of the same.
ReplyDeleteOne would have hoped the Council would have learned its collective lesson from the tragic Grenfell fire, but that's clearly asking too much. RBKC is the servant of the public; not its master.
ReplyDelete